Horse Sense:
APC's mission to promote the Mustang as a viable import alternative is certainly one we support. V-8 aficionados or not, more Mustang customers mean good news for Ford, and the trickle-down effect will be good news for the rest of us with a hunger for cubic inches. Besides, APC bodywork would just as easily be apropos in a big-horsepower V-8 application-assuming you like being noticed for more than your chassis-dyno exploits.
Laid out before you is a machine that clearly represents one end of the modified automotive continuum. Call it over the top, in your face, extreme, or whatever you will, but the bottom line for American Products Company's '02 Mustang convertible is that it was meant to be seen-big time. Of course, building a rolling showcase is the perfect marketing tool for a company in the body kit and accessory biz, and here you have APC's Mustang wares all wrapped into one outrageous package-just as it debuted at the SEMA convention in late 2002.
While APC's Demon body kit...
While APC's Demon body kit is currently available only for '99-and-newer models, the company does offer items for the slightly more aged body styles. Carbon-fiber hoods are available for both '87-'93 Fox bodies and '94-'98 SN-95s, as are LED mirrors, projector-beam headlamps, and EuroTec tail lenses. APC's Larry Ashley told us that body kits for earlier 'Stangs are currently under development.
Mustang traditionalists may not be familiar with APC, but the company is a major player in the import aftermarket, and it is making a move to do the same on the domestic side of the equation. Its Ford realm includes a large selection of Focus wares, but our obvious interest here is the company's newly introduced Mustang componentry. APC's Larry Ashley and Brent Hattan joined forces with Ford to hatch one of the wildest six-cylinder Mustangs on the planet, highlighting APC's new Demon body kit, carbon-fiber hood, and three-piece rear wing. So why the 3.8 V-6? APC and Ford figured doing things a bit differently would garner more attention than a traditional, hot V-8 car, and they may be right. Call it appealing to a different crowd, perhaps the import types. No matter, it's been a long time since we've seen a six-cylinder Mustang taken to the nth degree, and there's no denying the maximum effort put forth here.
Nothing against V-6 power,...
Nothing against V-6 power, but an interior such as this might make us forgive APC even if it had powered its convert with a bunch of squirrels. Imagine the vantage on a California beach. In the unlikely event the outdoor scenery becomes dull, there's the DVD and a veritable surround-sound theater right in the cockpit. Then again, proper positioning and the killer electronics might draw the sights right to your doors. Yep, APC's demo car is all about fantasy.
The Demon body kit, currently available for '99-and-newer Mustangs, features a urethane front fascia, ABS side skirts, and a rear fascia extension. Optional Medusa fender flares weren't present on the car during our photo shoot, but they are designed to mate exclusively with the pieces previously described. As for APC's carbon-fiber hood, "W3" rear wing, LED mirrors, and EuroTec tail lenses, they're all present and accounted for here, providing the perfect look-at-me statement when combined as a whole.
Prior to fitting the body mods, the '02 was stripped to bare metal, followed by a new PPG topcoat in Volkswagen Snap Orange via the hands of Doug Starbuck and Matt Etchinson. Hot Wheels graphics seem appropriate for a car that's a full-size incarnation of every kid's favorite miniature, but that's not the entire story. It seems the APC 'Vert will be added to the Hot Wheels lineup in the near future, so anyone with $1.99 will be able to pick up their own rendition from a nearby toy store.
Whether full-sized or pint-sized, wild styling is what Hot Wheels are all about, and nowhere is there a bigger contributor to the effect than the 20-inch Maido GR5 rims-measuring 9 inches in width up front, and a whopping 11 inches out back. Pirelli rubber bands wrap the gunmetal-finished, three-piece beauties in an out-there 245/35ZR20 front and 285/35ZR20 rear size, while a four-piston Force 10 brake kit from Stainless Steel Brakes puts the halt to forward motion. Hotchkis suspension bits complement the steamroller rubber, including the company's springs, sway bars, control arms, and caster/camber plates.