Real-world-do-ability. That is what struck us about the Hoss when we went over it at the Year One facilities. To be sure, it is not cheap to build a ride like this, but it is something any one of us could handle given enough time and effort. It is also a wealth of ooh and ahhhhh parts and pieces with a good dose of wow thrown in.
Simply put, we were blown away by the car even though it was not as wildly radical as the Ring brothers' flight of fantasy. The Hoss definitely caught our eye at the Mustang Club of America's 40th Anniversary celebration. As restomods go, the Boss Hoss is one that tickles all of our senses, and yet has enough of the original flavor of the '66 fastback it was built from.
The car was the brainchild of the Year One family in Braselton, Georgia. They wanted to put together a ponycar that would knock your socks off, as well as be a functional driver. The action words for the folks at Year One is 100 percent drivability, and we couldn't agree more-the car had 3,000 miles on the odometer as of this writing. We've not had the chance to pilot the beast (if you heard that growl and saw it move, you'd know why we call it a beast), but can attest to the aggressive tendencies that the 4.6 four-valve, supercharged modular V-8 has under foot.
Engine & DrivelineThe engine is an amped-up '03 Cobra V-8 with a Kenne Bell supercharger feeding the 4.6 its dose of squeezed air. With the mods and tweaks that were performed, they are pushing 600 horses through the T56 six-speed transmission. That is as of right now. They have not quite worked all the kinks out of the fuel system, and we're waiting with baited breath for the final numbers. See the sidebar You Could Win Too to find out how you can be a part of the whole dyno roller showdown for Year One. Though we were loath to drive the car prior to the big Street Machine Nats in Columbus, Ohio, we did ride behind the car and in front of it when we were shooting the cover shots. We were impressed with the crisp sound and sudden acceleration it displayed when pushed.
* Modified '03 Mustang Cobra engine (Ford Motorsport)
* Kenne Bell supercharger (909-941-6646, www.kenne-bell.com)
* DEI CO2 Halo Cooling System for Intercooler (800-264-9472, www.designengineering.com)
* Metco pulleys (800-YEARONE, www.yearone.com)* Accufab throttle body (909-930-1751, www.accufabracing.com)
* FAST engine management system (662-224-3495, www.fuelairspark.com)
* T56 six-speed transmission (800-355-0086, www.tremectransmissions.com)
* Kirban shifter mechanism (800-YEARONE, www.yearone.com)
* RAM clutch (800-YEARONE, www.yearone.com)
* DynoTech Metal Matrix driveshaft (800-633-5559, www.dynotecheng.com)
* Moser 9-inch Ford rear axle with 3.73 gear and Detroit Locker differential (800-YEARONE, www.yearone.com)
Wheels & Brakes
The Hoss runs on BFG fats and skinnies-if you can call P215/35R17-inch tires skinny. We definitely like the look and feel of these huge tires. Of course, the rear wheelhouses had to be widened to accommodate that kind of size, but it sure makes for a huge impact when you are looking at the car from the rear.
* 18x10-inch rear Fontana Dish, 17x7-inch front BudnikFontana wheels (714-892-1932, www.budnik.com)
* 295/35/18 BFGoodrich G-force drag radial rear, 215/45/17 G-force T/A radial front (800-YEARONE, www.yearone.com)
* Stainless Steel Brake competition disc brake system,13-inch front rotors, 14-inch rear (800-YEARONE,www.yearone.com)
* Lokar e-brake cables (865-966-2269, www.lokar.com)