Horse Sense: Despite the GT 500's place atop the Mustang pecking order, Steeda (www.steeda.com) offers a complete, $13,995 upgrade package for the GT 500, dubbed the KR-K. It includes parts to increase boost, tweak the tune, shorten the shifter throws, and completely revamp the handling. Having driven a KR-K-spec GT 500, we can tell you the resulting improvement in handling from this package is impressive.
We'll be the first to admit that, until recently, we had never heard of a company called Tulsa Car FX (www.tulsacarfx.com). Perhaps we can be forgiven because, first off, Oklahoma doesn't exactly light up the editorial radar screen as a hotbed of Mustang activity, except for the annual Mid-America Ford Meet. Secondly, the state is nowhere near our Tampa or Los Angeles offices. Excuses, excuses. But after laying eyes on some of the SEMA-quality S197 projects constructed by this family owned and operated business, we'll be paying close attention to Tulsa Car FX from now on. Maybe you should, too, because its main business is making customers happy.
As an example of what the company is capable of creating, check out this wicked, Steeda-ized Shelby GT 500 that's equally at home on the show field or road course. We base this statement not on mere supposition, but because a few short weeks after we shot it at World Ford Challenge X, the SEMA-bound Grabber Orange missile was hot-lapping Tulsa's 1.8-mile Hallett Motor Racing Circuit in the experienced hands of Steeda President Dario Orlando.
It all began when Will Williams, patriarch of the Tulsa Car FX clan, made the decision that a GT 500 was the logical choice for the company's '07 SEMA plans. On April 16, 2006, he placed an order for the Shelby, and as with any new baby, he had to wait nine months for delivery. After such a wait and writing his Ford dealer what was surely a hefty check, we think even Will had butterflies in his stomach as-with only 26 miles on the clock-the GT 500's roof sheetmetal was cut out to make way for one of Classic Design Concepts' stunning Glassback roof panels. This immense chunk of UV-reflecting laminate glass brightens the Shelby's cabin, as does Tulsa Car FX crew's painting of the dash face and center console to match the Grabber Orange exterior. That, a Steeda Tri-Ax shifter, and an aluminum e-brake handle are about all the GT 500's interior needed.
We want this in our garage. Take one '07 Shelby GT 500, add a plethora of carefully chosen parts from Steeda, 3dCarbon, Classic Design Concepts, Bassani, and Toyo, and the result is a SEMA-quality showpiece that can assault the street or road course at will-rather, by Will, as Will Williams at Tulsa Car FX was responsible for its design and construction. Want one? He can help you. | 
An impressive 577 rwhp resulted when Steeda's smaller blower pulley dialed in an extra 3 psi of boost. A full Bassani exhaust, including equal-length long-tube headers eased the process of exhaling. Steeda provided some underhood bling as well. |
Right from Flat Rock, the GT 500 has an understated interior, but bringing some Grabber Orange inside makes a convincing show car statement. The even interior lighting is the result of Classic Design Concepts' Glassback roof. All modifications to the Shelby-including interior and exterior paintwork-were done in-house at Tulsa Car FX. Total build time? A paltry three weeks. | |
There's nothing shy about a Grabber Orange GT 500 to begin with, but Will thought he'd toughen things up even more with 3dCarbon's Boy Racer fender flares, side skirts, and upper/lower sidescoops. He painted the towering Steeda race wing to match the Florida company's ominous, black powdercoated Pentar rims. The crowning touch-visually and functionally-was the addition of vents behind the front wheelwells. We've no doubt these help aerodynamically and in keeping the hulking 5.4 a tad cooler by providing a quick exit for all the air pouring in through the GT 500's massive grille area.
The big, blown modular is still internally stock, but it now benefits from Steeda's smaller billet-steel blower pulley with a Steeda tune flashed from SCT's XCalibrator2. The blower pulley is said to add about 3 pounds of boost. Downwind is a set of Bassani's GT 500 long-tube headers, off-road pipes, and race mufflers. Does it sound mean? It should-it's a meanness that's reflected in the 577 rwhp the "show car" now deploys.
The parts truck from Steeda (www.steeda.com) also carried a thorough list of Dario's always-serious suspension hardware, beginning with a set of chrome-moly three-point framerail and torque-box braces. Critical to ride height and handling are Steeda's coilovers-with 250-lb/in springs up front and 200-lb/in versions out back. The dampers are Dario's preferred Tokico D-Spec units, infinitely adjustable. They have sufficient range for comfortable street and aggressive track use. Up front, a G-Trac brace ties the lower control arms together; at the stern, Steeda's adjustable Third link and aluminum lower control maximize forward bite. An adjustable chrome-moly Panhard bar and brace fine-tune handling balance. Not to be forgotten is Steeda's 13-inch slotted-rotor rear brake upgrade kit.
The sum of all these great parts is an eye-watering GT 500 taken to the next level. They're a superb showcase for Steeda's GT 500 gear. Will, if you ever tire of it, we'd love to make it a 5.0 Mustang & Super Fords long-term tester. OK-we had to try.