You'll have to forgive him. Matt DeCillis of South Plainfield, New Jersey, was into Camaros and Trans Ams--until he drove his friend's '88 LX. The car's performance must have knocked more than a little sense into Matt, as the '96 GT you see here is the fourth Mustang he has owned, not counting his fiancee Angela's (nice Jersey girl) '99 GT. With a desire to find out what the modular Mustang had to offer, he sold his '91 LX to buy the '96. He started out by adding Flowmasters and the usual headlight cover stuff.
As Matt continued to learn more about modular Mustangs, he was approached by John "Wimpdog" Paulson and Jimmy "Three Lips" Vaccaro to start SuperStallions of the Net (www.superstallions.com). Being a computer support analyst/ Web-design guru by day, Matt was chosen to be the site's Webmaster. That was in August 1999. Now Superstallions of the Net (SSOTN) averages 2,000 hits per day with a registered membership of 817 Mustang freaks.
LaRocca's Performance upgraded the otherwise stock 4.6 Two-Valve with an ATI ProCharger P-1SC. Horsepower numbers jumped from dial-up to broadband (186 to 323), while torque swelled from 250 lb-ft to 373 lb-ft. The blower also enabled Matt's GT to lose its "sled" status by improving his quarter-mile time from a 15.1 at 89 mph to a 12.9 at 109 mph on Nitto drag radials. The after numbers didn't result from power shifting or a 5,000-rpm launch either.
To improve on the GT's road interface, Matt added Eibach springs and FRPP chrome Cobra R wheels wrapped with Falken boots. SW Designs (www.stainlessbumperletters .com) supplied the Mustang type in the rear bumper cover.
The interior is mostly original with the exception of a pair of Auto Meter Ultra-Lite gauges (fuel and boost) residing in the A-pillar and a Pro-5.0 shifter with a 35th Anniversary knob telescoping through the transmission tunnel.
As for Matt's '96 GT, its modifications continue to grow like the Web site. Next, Matt plans to download an ignition upgrade and exhaust system, including headers and an after-cat.
Horse Sense: SuperStallions of the Net hosts two races during the year--the SuperStallions Nationals, held April 21, 2001, at Cecil County Dragway in Rising Sun, Maryland, and SSOTN's Smackdown Series, held May 18, 2001, at Norwalk, Ohio.