Outside Justin wanted to give...
Outside Justin wanted to give his Mustang a sinister look while increasing the performance of the car. He turned to Steeda and fit its race cowl-induction hood to decrease underhood temperature, as well as Steeda's competition front fascia to improve aerodynamics for high-speed stability.
Justin purchased his first Mustang in 2000 when he picked up a '97 GT. Not satisfied with the stock setup, he made several suspension upgrades and added a set of Cobra R wheels within the first two weeks. Within a few months, he had added a few bolt-on engine upgrades and fitted a Cobra R hood. "I drove the heck out of it," recalls Justin, who put 60,000 miles on the car. All that hard driving took its toll, however, and a blown motor left him in need of another vehicle.
Next Justin picked up a '98 Cobra, but despite similar upgrades, he didn't think that it handled or performed as well as his previous car. "I got a little burned out on Mustangs and picked up another VW for SCCA Solo 1 racing," he admits.Justin's hiatus from Mustangs lasted until he saw the S197 Mustang in 2005. "I couldn't wait to drive one," he tells us. He finally got behind the wheel in 2006, and two months later purchased this black GT. As you may guess, Justin's new Mustang didn't stay stock for long. In fact, he started adding go-fast parts the day he drove it off the lot.
As with his previous Mustangs, the suspension was priority number one and received a complete makeover. Many of the parts came from Steeda, including the company's lightweight radiator support, front G-trac bar, rear billet lower control arms, upper third-link, Panhard bar, and rear chassis brace. The stock springs were replaced with Eibach's Pro Kit; both front and rear sway bars are now Eibach as well. Tokico D-spec adjustable shocks provide both firm and comfortable settings for the track and street.
Justin added a Roush rear...
Justin added a Roush rear wing, a Street Scene grille with center foglights, sequential taillights, Saleen HID headlights, and color-matched side mirrors and window trim.
With handling and braking done, Justin set about adding more power. He went with forced induction, specifically Saleen's Series VI twin-screw supercharger. A JDM Engineering 3.0-inch pulley combined with a C&L cold air intake, GT500 throttle body, and 90mm mass air ensure there isn't a shortage of air coming into the engine, while a full Bassani exhaust system keeps things flowing on the other end. Final tuning was done by Racers Edge Tuning in Downey, California, yielding 492 rwhp and 476 lb-ft torque.
While most project cars are constantly in a state of progress, Justin claims his Mustang is fully complete. He's found it to be a fantastic daily driver (27,000 miles on the clock and counting), as well as a great track car, both on the road course and the strip. The versatility of the car shows in the numbers-Justin recorded 1.1 g on the skidpad and 11.74 at 118 mph in the quarter-mile.
"I have one of the baddest daily driver cars around that I can take to any track, be competitive, and drive home that day without being trailered," he proudly says. "As of right now, the car is finished to my specs. Unless the new Mustang is better than this, my car isn't going anywhere."