Hellion Turbo has never been afraid to push into new territory, and DragZine’s feature on John Urist’s 2016 Street Outlaw Mustang captured an important turning point in modern Ford drag racing.
The article introduced Urist’s all-new S550 Mustang, a purpose-built heads-up race car designed to bring Coyote power into the Street Outlaw world. After years of success with more traditional Mustang race combinations, Urist made the move toward Ford’s newer body style and modern engine platform to stay aligned with where the market — and the racing community — was heading.
As DragZine reported, the car was built around the idea of taking the S550 platform to a true race level while keeping the program flexible enough to compete in multiple classes. The plan called for a Coyote-based engine combination, including one of the early billet Coyote platform blocks from MMR, GT350 cylinder heads, and an MMR billet-runner intake.
Boost would come from a Hellion single-turbo system using a Precision Pro Mod-based turbocharger, with turbo sizing selected around class rules and weight breaks. Depending on the class and testing results, the car was expected to run an 88mm, 94mm, or 98mm turbo, giving Urist and the Hellion team room to experiment and optimize the combination.
The Mustang was built with serious race hardware throughout. Behind Bars Race Cars handled much of the chassis and fabrication work, converting the S550 from its original IRS layout to an NMRA-legal four-link with a 9-inch rearend housing. A Neal Racing Powerglide, QA1 carbon-fiber driveshaft, mechanical fuel system, MoTec ECU, and Precision 225-pound injectors rounded out the race-ready package.
What made this build especially important was the timing. In 2016, the S550 and Coyote platforms were still relatively new in high-level heads-up racing. Urist’s project showed that the modern Mustang was not just a street-car platform — it had the potential to become a serious small-tire, turbocharged race car when backed by the right parts, fabrication, and development.
For Hellion, the project reflected the same philosophy that drives every system we build: stay ahead of the curve, develop around the newest Ford platforms, and prove the technology where it matters most. Whether it is a street-driven Mustang or a full race program like Urist’s Street Outlaw S550, Hellion’s goal remains the same — deliver turbocharged performance that pushes the platform forward.
DragZine’s feature captured the beginning of a bold new chapter for John Urist, Hellion Turbo, and Coyote-powered S550 racing.
Read the full DragZine article to see how Urist’s 2016 Street Outlaw Mustang came together and why the build marked a major step forward for modern Ford drag racing.
