Image via The Texas Mile/Facebook
While the Dodge Neon in its more aggressive forms was no performance pushover, to think of one hitting 200 mph even in the most favorable of conditions is a bit of a stretch. But that was the vision of Malcom T. Ward, driving him to keep fine tuning his little four-banger until he pushed the little Neon past the barrier at The Texas Mile, officially hitting 200.9 mph.
This guy details supercars for a living.
This was done without an engine swap. After all, shoehorning a Hellcat V8 or something like that would’ve made the feat much easier but also would’ve been less of a challenge. Ward’s journey to achieve the seemingly impossible should be inspiring for anyone struggling with their project car.
According to The Texas Mile, Malcom’s journey to 200 mph started back in 2012 when he showed up to the famous track with a different Neon. He was able to push that car to an impressive 169 mph using just bolt-on mods, including a turbo.
By massaging the car’s aero, he returned and achieved 179 mph. But that was all he could extract from the Neon without replacing the four-cylinder engine’s internals to handle more boost.
Building a stronger engine and dialing up the turbo pressure, he was able to push the little Dodge to the low 190s. That’s when Malcom realized he could hit the illustrious 200 mph barrier. To push the car just a little further and achieve that, he upgraded the fuel system so it could run E85.
Returning to The Texas Mile with this big change, the engine performed great. That is, it did until a head gasket blew, ending Malcom’s attempt in 2020. It was back to the drawing board.
That’s when Malcom realized he needed to transition from his one Neon to a clean slate, opting for a 1998 model he originally bought for his stepson. He also made the critical decision to do an engine swap, finding a 2004 SRT-4’s powertrain from a salvage yard after the car was wrecked.
It was the upgraded powertrain which made all the difference, being more robust than the engine in his other Neon. When he finally broke 200 mph in October 2023 the car was making about 700-whp.
Ward says he’s headed back to The Texas Mile again this year and hopes to break the 200 mph barrier once more.
Images via The Texas Mile/Facebook
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