A couple of years back, the crew at Whipple created a mild-looking '01 Ford Excursion for the 2001 SEMA Show. This particular SEMA creation rolls incognito bearing only mild graphics on its outer skin. Lifting the hood exposes its mighty muscle, a Ford V-10 engine with a twin-screw Whipple Supercharger producing 8 pounds of boost that generates 504 hp at 4,700 rpm and 680 lb-ft of torque at 2,800 rpm. The huffer is routed through an air-to-water intercooler, improving the supercharger's reliability and power. An interface computer system monitors the engine's O2 sensors and knock system, which reduces the boost when it senses any fuel starvation or detonation. It also lowers the boost during shift points, improving drivetrain reliability. A pair of JBA headers exhaust the engine's burnt gases directly into the Borla Cat-Back exhaust system.
A mild facial makeover was performed by the team at RW Automotive in Sylmar, California. The crew at RW Automotive removed the factory emblems, moldings, and steps, then installed Xenon wheelwell flares, mirrors, door handles, and a rear bumper. Barefoot Graphics laid out the blue and orange pinstripe and tribal flames down the sides. The stock grille insert was removed and replaced with a racy mesh grille from Street Scene. APC clear side marker corner lights were installed up front. The ride height was elevated with a Fabtech 6-inch lift. Due to its double duty as a boulevard cruiser and a tow vehicle for Whipple's 28-foot Eliminator Daytona Cat, its stopping power had to be increased, which was accomplished by installing larger AP Racing brakes from Stillen, as well as four-piston calipers and 15-inch-diameter rotors. A set of 18x10-inch Boyd Coddington eight-spoke wheels is wrapped in P325/65R18 Toyo Open Country rubber at all four corners.
The interior was also refurbished with a suede headliner, then the floor was covered with black Mercedes-Benz carpet. Mobile electronics consists of both Audiobahn audio components and Alpine video, with four monitors in the rear pivot on tilting mounts. A healthy 3,000-watt stereo system pounds thundering bass through the three subwoofers, four 6-1/2-inch mids, and four tweeters. The speakers are powered by two Audiobahn chrome amps, a bass driver, and a large-farad capacitor. The subwoofer enclosure was covered in matching leather then laid up against the rear bench seat. Clear Lexan panels cover the amplifiers, protecting them from the elements.
This might look like a mild SUV on the outside, but that's not all. The 28-foot Eliminator Daytona Cat that it pulls really completes the package. Art Whipple, President of Whipple Superchargers, has always had a passion for horsepower and speed, whether on land or water. Art won the NHRA US Drag Nationals in 1971 with Ed "The Ace" McCullough at the wheel of the record-shattering Revellution top-fuel Funny Car and liquid quarter-miler, "Mr. Ed," top-fuel hydro. Both were powered by big, bad, blown 426ci Hemi engines. The hemispherical or Hemi cylinder heads allow you to run more boost with less detonation, which is a perfect match for the Whipple twin-screw supercharger.
When Art and son Dustin decided to build a boat, they did it with style and muscle. It's not just your average river runner. The engine package used in their latest water toy, a tall deck 28-foot Eliminator Daytona Cat, is a duet of 528ci Hemi marine crate engines. Art built a pair of supercharged, fuel-injected engines with the help of Brian Olson from Olson Racing Products, who designed a custom high-capacity oil pan that would hold up to the marine environment. Whipple and Ross Pistons designed a lightweight low-compression piston, allowing them to run high boost levels and sustain high rpm. The team at Crane Cams designed and ground a couple unique custom hydraulic camshafts for low maintenance and high horsepower. A pair of Imco Power Flow Plus exhaust manifolds expell the burnt gases. Art finished the engine with a MSD Ignition system, including 6M-2 ignition boxes. Because there were no new 528ci Hemi aftermarket parts or accessories available yet, Art designed and built a complete six-rib serpentine belt system with adjustable idlers. A billet adapter plate was machined to mate the GM bellhousings to the back of the two Hemi powerplants. After matting the mighty Hemis with the adapted bellhousings, it was dyno time. After some break-in time on the dyno, the engine was shut down. The oil was changed, the hoses were checked for leaks, and the engine was fired back up. After some healthy dyno pulls straining the mighty Hemi, it posted some impressive numbers, with more than 1,200 hp at 5,900 rpm and more than 1,200 lb-ft of torque. The second engine was then bolted up to the dyno, broken in, and tested.
Art called his longtime buddy Gary Teague at GT Performance in Montclair, California, to design and install the boat's rigging. The crew at GT Performance shoehorned the twin 528ci Hemi engines side-by-side, then ran all the cables and wiring. After closing the engine hatch, Dustin thought the hull didn't look fast enough, so he had the team at Eliminator build a couple of massive engine scoops. The twin air scoops give the Daytona hull an intimidating appearance. Next on the list was two drive units. The crew at Imco Marine in San Dimas, California, installed a pair of Extreme XR drives with 1.25 gears, stand-off boxes, and hydraulic steering. All of the hardware was painted a candy blue to match the exterior graphics. A pair of Heiring five-blade propellers with 36-degree pitches were bolted onto the drive unit output shafts. A full set of Livorsi controls and gauges maintain vital signs of the twin Hemi engines. When the wind is a whisper and the water is glassy, Art has reached 154 mph; it cruises comfortably at 130 mph. For the interior, a wild Rockford Fosgate sound system creates the thunderous river-rockin' tunes. The system is powered by four amplifiers, two 15-inch subwoofers, two 12-inch subwoofers, and a dozen mid- and high-range speakers.
If you hear the unique twin-Hemi thunder rumbling on the water, echoing down through the canyons, it's Art Whipple at the helm cracking the whip.