The 8-sec race car that's actually a street car...
In
2013, during Drag Mania, Gabe's S2K set a new record of 8.52 at 168 mph, and
all eyes were on the yellow Bullet.
Respectable, but based on the mods being
used by the roadster, its owner had expected more. He adds, “The car was
struggling with its performance. Fernando Reyes from King's Performance spoke
with me daily about letting them take on the project and to join their team.
One night, at literally like 2 a.m., I called Fernando and said, ‘When can you
pick up the car?'” Reyes sent a transport truck to pick the car up, and in just
two weeks-time, using the exact same setup from IFO, albeit with the King's
Performance touch, the car improved drastically, netting a best of 10.01 at 145
mph. Later that year, after the shop began digging deeper into the build, they
made the trip to World Cup Finals and let it be known that the car was to serve
as a contender, blasting an 8.9 pass, then later, in December of 2012,
improving upon that time with an 8.79 at 158 mph. After each event, data was
logged, adjustments made, and the King's Performance crew squeezed even more
potential out of the AP1. In 2013, during Drag Mania, Gabe's S2K set a new
record of 8.52 at 168 mph, and all eyes were on the yellow Bullet. Gabe says,
“King's Performance was able to prove that the project could do exactly what we
intended. They began getting sponsors for the car. Many people claimed the car
wasn't street legal [or street-able], so we made a video (as mentioned
earlier). The car is still fully insured and legal to drive on the streets with
current tags in Oklahoma.”
Breaking the 8-sec barrier in a Honda,
street car or not, is remarkable, but what's the secret? Take a look at the
spec list and you'll see that the majority of the mods are King's Performance
(KP) made goods, or parts built to King's specs. With a long roster of loyal
customers including a few 8-sec S2000s, the crew at King's has long perfected
its recipe for speed. Gabe's setup starts with an F22C block complete with
Benson open-deck sleeves, KP custom rods, and KP-spec CP pistons. A Garrett GTX4202R
snail abuses the Supertech valvetrain fitted KP Stage 3 head and is fueled by
KP2000 injectors. Under the watchful eye of an AEM Series II, the result is
over 1,200 hp—almost comical when compared to the 215hp the car made during
Gabe's first year of ownership.
Under
the watchful eye of an AEM Series II, the result is over 1,200 hp—almost
comical when compared to the 215hp the car made during Gabe's first year of
ownership.
Whether your loyalties lie with front- or
rear-wheel-drive performance, putting the power to the ground is key.
Anticipating quadruple digits from the F Series mill, King's opted for a Ford
8.8 conversion with modified LSD, and KP-spec 5.9 axles from the gurus at Drive
Shaft Shop, and run after run, the combination has held up.
From showroom stock, to mildly tuned, and
eventually running respectable numbers—Gabe's S2000, with the guidance from
King's Performance, was transformed into an absolute monster. “The next step is
to break our 8.52 record. When that happens, we'll be required to run a
25-point certified roll cage. We'll try to fit the 'cage inside while reducing
as little as possible to the interior. We want to keep the car in its original
state and fully capable of still driving on the street without issues.
From
showroom stock, to mildly tuned, and eventually running respectable
numbers—Gabe's S2000, with the guidance from King's Performance, was
transformed into an absolute monster.
