1/10/2024 0 Comments Team z racingDuring the second round of qualifying, along with class standout Butch Kemp, Wolfe was part of the first side-by-side 7-second passes in the class. Those are the details, but what about the car’s performance, you ask - right? Well, in its very first event, the car debuted as the number-one qualifier with a stout 7.829 at 177.14 MPH, then repeated with a 7.831 in the first-round win over Todd Reiter’s ’55 Chevrolet before shaking the tires in a second round loss to Van Geibel. The crew consists of Wolfe’s wife Nancy, Tom Kline, Chris Hodyka, Larry Ferrin, and Paul Rodgers. Gears are from Dewco, axles are from Strange Engineering, both front and rear suspension arrangements are considered ‘stock’. A nine-inch rearend receives the power through a Joel’s on Joy three-speed transmission and A1 torque converter. There’s trick stuff happening here with a single 4500-style bolt pattern required for the single throttle body under the EFI rules, Wolfe selected one of Visner Engine Development‘s Big Dual throttle bodies. Wolfe also stepped into the 21st century with the use of electronic fuel injection, which is controlled by a Jason Lee/ PTP Racing-tuned Big Stuff 3 engine management system. Big difference!īoss Hemi cylinder heads sit atop the engine sucking through a sheetmetal intake manifold. Right - The car on its first day of competition. Holbrook also designed a custom-ground camshaft to control the valve timing events. Wolfe was intentionally vague with the details of the engine program, but he did reveal that the Holbrook Racing Engines-built Boss Ford engine displaces 695 cubic inches through the use of an aftermarket aluminum engine block, Bryant crankshaft, aluminum connecting rods, and Diamond pistons. Since Wolfe is running the big-block engine, he needs to cross the scales north of 3,300 pounds. The car itself is a 1999 Mustang that features the Team Z-built 25.3 spec chassis and has been modified to be one of the sickest stock-suspension cars in the world. It’s no longer the Bionic Banana as Wolfe has completely revamped the car from front to back, adding a new Lamborghini-sourced hue and dozens of upgrades and enhancements in an effort to place the car at the top of the heap in All Motor. A deal was struck, and the Banana found its way into the hands of the capable Team Z crew once again, as Wolfe had big plans to return himself to his former glory atop the racing world. Zimmerman had plans for the car himself, but booming business growth forced those plans to be put on the back burner – until Wolfe called looking for a new car. The chassis, which originally belonged to your author and was a Race Pages Magazine project car called the “Bionic Banana”, had found a home in the corner of the Team Z Motorsports shop in Taylor, Michigan, after Team Z’s Dave Zimmerman purchased it back in 2011. That’s exactly what happened when the Pro 5.0 pioneer, former head of Ford Racing, and current Ford Motor Company Powertrain Engineering Director – Europe set his sights on the Milan Dragway All Motor class in 2013. When a racer like Brian Wolfe decides it’s time to build a new car for a category, the rest of the class should be on notice that things are about to change - in a hurry. Action Photos Courtesy: Dave Rocheleau, Angry Spider Photography
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