TRAINED ASSASINS

MOTOR TREND

AMERICAN TUNERS TAKE AIM AT THE VIPER AND THE ZR1

FEBRUARY 1994

J Bittle Supercharged Mustang If you’re the type who’s repulsed by subtlety, prepare to meet wretched excess. From its bilging fender flares and roof-high rear spoiler to the huge tires and fire-belching supercharged V-8, the nasty noisy, non-politically correct Dominator GTB IV is the most intense street Mustang we’ve ever encountered. Only a deranged racer would consider using this car as an urban commuter, but J. Bittle Performance swears that there are enough power-mad individuals in American to justify this machine’s development Though individual components are available, the GTB IV is also sold as a ---brace yourself---$29,500 package. That’s on top of the price of the car itself, which just barely puts it under our $50,000 ceiling. A bargain? Not to those who judge a car by it nameplate. In terms of what’s important to hard-core drivers, though, it’s a sheer tire blazing terror that’ll make even a new Dodge Viper run and hide. Bittle offers lower-drama variation of the Dominator theme, for humans with less red mist in their psyche, at an entry package price of $10,000. For race-only use, there are parts to fortify a Mustang with even larger displacement or twin-turbo power. The Dominator IV delivers a Ford SVO high-strength 5.0 liter block, Ross pistons, TFS heads, a Crane Cam, and a Vortech supercharger pumping 10 psi of boost. Output is close to 450 horsepower. A Doug Nash five-speed and Gear Vendors overdrive unit provide driveline strength and highway cruising efficiency, though don’t look for this combination to be a Tercel-beater at the gas pumps. At the drag strip, the Dominator proved true to its name with a 12.2 second/118.3-mph quarter mile best that smoked the nearest challenger by several car lengths. Practice your power-shifts on the high-effort gearbox, then don the Kevlar-palm driving gloves you’ll need to handle this brute.