At the heart of Mike’s super clean stock-body Talon is the ubiquitous 4G63T powerplant. Having made 585whp on the stock block (other than ARP head studs), this bulletproof mill has survived more than 600 drag runs including a best of 10.60 at 132mph, proving a meticulously maintained and AEM EMS tuned 4G63T is tougher to beat than “The Natural” Randy Couture. But wanting to break the 10-second barrier at the drag strip meant stepping up to a fully built engine, so not too surprisingly Mike turned to David Buschur from Buschur Racing for one of their Stage 3 longblocks including Ross 9:1 pistons, Eagle rods, and a ported and o-ringed cylinder head stuffed with Manley valve springs, Ti retainers and HKS 280 camshafts. Forcing gobs of compressed air into the Buschur-enhanced combustion chambers is a honkin’ GT37R turbocharger, mounted to a Shearer Fabrications tubular manifold. Add to that a set of 1000cc PTE fuel injectors, a Cosmo in-tank fuel pump and an external secondary Aeromotive A1000 fuel pump and Mike‘s got all the juice needed to reach his target of 675whp and sub-10 seconds in the quarter mile.
Even though Mike drove his 3,000 lbs full-interior Talon to the track last season, ripped off five 10-second runs and then drove it home, there have been a few bumps along the road. 1g DSM’s are known to have weak transmissions and Mike has blown up a few of them himself, but thanks to John Shepherd and his Stage 4 transmission and an ACT 2600 clutch kit and Streetlite flywheel this is one Talon that can really bang through the gears pass after tire-shredding pass. Other than that, Mike’s Talon still rocks stock axles, rear end, transfer case, and front axles, all of which have proven to be remarkably reliable. The “going fast with class” part enters the equation when you start to look over the rest of Mike’s spotless and rice-free Talon. No wild body kit. No crazy graphics. Just the original Carrera Red paint looking as good as the day it rolled out of Chrysler’s factory paint booth. In fact, the car is so fresh and clean inside and out that Mike often gets questions about how he’s managed to keep a 14-year old car looking so new. The only thing differentiating Mike’s ride from a bone-stock Talon on the outside is a subtle set of 16-inch Rota Slipstreams, some sticky Nitto 555R street tires or Hoosier Quick Time Pros for the strip along with a slightly reduced ride height thanks to a set of DSS coilovers. Throw in some Buschur Racing strut tower braces and some Porterfield RS4 pads squeezing Powerslot rotors and you’ve got the running gear required for consist 10-second passes at the strip.
In the cockpit things have been kept just as purposeful and clean, where a Dan Page 6-point roll cage now lives in order to keep Mike safe at 137mph. Other than that there’s a Sparco Ultra driver’s seat and RCI harness to hold Mike in place during the violent launch his AWD monster provides, along with a custom laptop tray so that Mike can fine-tune his EMS from the driver’s seat. There’s also a Warner 60psi boost gauge and VDO fuel pressure, coolant temp and oil pressure gauges along with a shift light onboard. No unnecessary bling. No rice in sight. Just the essentials for embarrassing unsuspecting Mustangs owners who think their “muscle” car can out-hustle this super stealthy DSM. Mike Rizzotti has earned his DSM stripes the hard way – by doing his homework, turning his own wrenches, and listening to the early innovators from the glory days on ‘The Talon Digest’. Having paid his dues and learned his lessons over the last 14 years, Mike has undoubtedly earned the respect of his peers by building one of the fastest privately owned and street-driven 1st generation Talons on the planet. If that ain’t kickin’ it old school, we don’t know what is!