Built for Drag and Drive: Devin’s New S550

Devin Vanderhoof is currently assembling a new drag-and-drive build based on an S550 Mustang chassis, with fabrication work being done at Performance Fab. The second part of the build has been posted by Matt, with Devin dropping by as color commentary.

“You don’t have to be Sherlock Holmes…”

Let’s talk about the elephant in the room: this S550 is getting a big block Chevrolet, not a Coyote. Matt joked, “You don’t have to be Sherlock Holmes… to deduce that it wasn’t getting a Coyote.”
While the engine in the car is a mock-up, it’s dimensionally identical to the real deal Devin’s having built — same deck height and same footprint. The last big block pushed the convertible to low 6 second timeslips and more than 235 mph!

The car will run a pair of HPT Turbos, mounted with Parker Speed mounts. The system is amazing, using billet 90* bends, a billet merge on the intake (that Devin says may have some “fingers and a thong to the side airbrushed on…”) and enough room between the firewall to place some heatshielding. The thought process of this car is much more about streetability while also being very very fast.

Ditch 40 lbs off the back in minutes

The Fuel System is all about flexibility and speed. As Matt put it, “If we need weight in the back, we can leave it in… but if we don’t, we’re gonna take it out and try to go as fast as possible.”

Starting with a rear-mounted 11–12 gallon pump gas cell that has a tapered bottom, in-cell twin Racetronix 255 pumps with a Corvette deadhead-style filter/regulator, mounted on foam pads with hard stops top and bottom, the tank is “free-floating and just strapped in” for durability. This is done to hopefully help the life, and integrity, of the fuel tank. A methanol tank will be moved to the front (as opposed to the convertible setup) to help weight and parts removal like the crank driven fuel pump cable. A dry break quick disconnect lets the team yank it fast: “Pop the dry break out. Zip these two bolts out. Fuel cell’s out.”

The hitch can also be removed with a few bolts to drop the additional weight. Devin estimates 40 lbs can be dropped in a few minutes.

A Racecar with Street Manners

Matt and the team are working hard to give the car as many street manners as possible. As a racecar build, the transmission was exposed. For street drives, you may “end up with squirrels in the car” as Devin said in the first update. The team has built a quick-remove aluminum panel that may be replaced with carbon fiber to shave a few pounds. The rear top piece is made of titanium, attached with rivets or bolts. A Motion Raceworks shifter is installed, with Devin joking about the cupholders and 7-8” of mounting adjustability.

Devin jokes about lighted cupholders, heated/air-conditioned seat pads and ipad mounts to add even more comfort.

“Just the little stuff is what makes these cars last… and be bearable at the same time.”

Headers are close to being done (with ~10 hours left), air jacks are being mocked up, and custom Racecraft limiters are going in. Even the radiator mounts are built with the street in mind, using rubber inserts like a factory radiator mount.

Matt summed it up best:

“It’s a drag car, but we’re trying to make it as streetable as possible, honestly. Just the little stuff is what makes these cars last… and be bearable at the same time.”

Built for Drag and Drive

To say this car is Built for Drag and Drive is an understatement. Devin says they plan to begin testing by Nov 1st, which leads us to believe that he has his eyes set on Sick Week 2026 as the drag and drive debut, but that isn’t confirmed. Devin and Josh are some of the most proficient at setting up a car, so we expect it won’t take long to get sorted and going very fast!

We will keep you updated on this build, and many others, here at Drag Drive Repeat.

You can watch the build from Devin’s perspective at his own channel for HCR Innovations!

Built for Drag and Drive: Devin’s S550