As it rolls down the road,...
As it rolls down the road, the Fastlane Motorsports 10th Anniversary Edition's blue brake calipers tie in with the blue accents over the body. This combination was hotly debated amongst the Fastlane crew, but the end result is striking.
Caleb Skinner's pop does have the ultimate set of tools. However, Caleb's dad is no TV repairman. His father, Melvin, is the patriach of the family's performance shop, Fastlane Motorsports in Benson, North Carolina. More importantly, Fastlane has specialized in building and tuning performance Mustangs of all shapes and sizes for over 10 years. They do everything from building wild performance cars like Melvin's own Pro Street S197 (
"Nightmare On Any Street," June '11, p. 46) to adding basic bolt-ons to customer's street drivers.
"I started Fastlane Motorsports in the early 2000s," Melvin explained. "However, I have been a member of the Ford Family since 1970 when I purchased my first Mustang. Owning and operating a Mustang performance shop was always in the back of my mind, and in 2001 that thought became a reality. With my son Caleb by my side, we have worked to build Fastlane Motorsports into a full-service Mustang performance facility servicing '87-to- current Mustangs."
While the 5.0&SF license plate...
While the 5.0&SF license plate is not an option on the anniversary car, it should be. What are features of this ride are the tinted taillights, GT500 rear wing, and GT500 rear diffuser.
You gotta love a shop that targets injected 'Stangs, and while you'll certainly still find Foxes and other on the shop floor at Fastlane, these days it's the newer cars that fill up most of the schedule. From Coyotes and Three-Valves to GT500s and Terminators, the action is fresh and the numbers are usually big. If you walked into the shop today you would see a fully built GT500 getting a big Twin Screw upgrade, while next to it a Fox is getting a cam swap..." Melvin explained.
Mustangs are Fastlane's business, and business is good. As we know, Mustang shops are all over the nation, but keeping any small business charging along for over 10 years is a milestone worth celebrating. If building cars is your gig, what better way to celebrate than to build your own anniversary edition Mustang. At least that's what the Fastlane crew thought when they were once again approached by Capital Ford to build yet another Fastlane Edition Mustang. You see, Fastlane has built a few other Mustangs for this performance-oriented Ford dealer. This time, however, it seemed appropriate to blow out the candles with some boost
"Will Prichett and Robbie Palmer of Capital Ford in Rocky Mount wanted us to build something special for them to market and sell," Melvin said. "...We wanted to do something to commemorate our 10 years of hard work in the Mustang Performance Industry. We had a few ideas but none of them seemed fitting for the occasion. When Will and Robbie asked us to build an over-the-top combination to add to the Fastlane Motorsports Edition line we instantly knew what we were going to build--a 10th Anniversary Edition."
Obviously when it comes to creating a tuner Mustang the styling is an important part of standing out from the crowd. In this department, Fastlane was able to draw on its prior experience with Fastlane editions. They have mixed and matched a variety of Ford and aftermarket bits to create a clean, but purposeful persona for the car. The main players are a California Special front splitter, a Roush seven-bar grille, Roush side splitters, a GT500 wing and a GT500 rear diffuser. Like dialing up a combo in Ford's online customizer, this mix looks both factory and unique at the same time.
Of course, it was key to diverge a bit from the prior vehicles for this special occasion. "Since we had already built our regular edition cars in Black, Grabber Blue, and Kona Blue we wanted to use something different to make these anniversary models stick out from the rest," Melvin explained. "During the first meeting about the car, Taylor (Fastlane) and Will (Capital Ford) both spoke up about using a white car with blue and chrome accents. The others involved in the project weren't too keen on the idea at first. I liked how the color combination resembled the '69 Dan Gurney and Cale Yarborough Cyclones. So after some discussion and persistence on Taylor's part a white 401a car was ordered from the factory."
This is the Fastlane Motorsports...
This is the Fastlane Motorsports crew. That's Taylor Childs inside the passenger door, Melvin Skinner behind the car, Michael Scott by the Fastlane sign, and Caleb Skinner in front of the car. Caleb pilots Fastlane's 7-second drag car, so he know's a fast car when he sees one.
A UPR polished, shorty antenna...
A UPR polished, shorty antenna supplanted the expendable factory receptor.
The wheels really can make...
The wheels really can make the car. In the case of the Fastlane anniversary car, they turned to True Forged wheels for a quartet of chrome 20-inch Chicanes. As a little extra touch, True Forged created these custom 10th Anniversary center caps. Nitto's Invo tires provide the traction and smooth demeanor.
A few blue accents on the body and brakes took care of the blue part, but adding the chrome carried over from the outside to under the hood. Most obvious are the 20-inch hoops from True Forged wheels. These custom, chrome Chicanes feature unique anniversary center caps and measure two inches wider out back to provide a little extra traction. That traction is absolutely necessary thanks to the other shiny bit under the hood. That piece is a 2.8-liter Kenne Bell supercharger that's shiny from pulley to inlet tube. Rocking a Fastlane 93-octane tune, the anniversary car pounds the pavement with 522 hp.
In total, this combination of reserved style and Twin Screw brawn is an attractive combination. It's one that can be yours without event touching your dad's tool kit. As of this writing, Capital Ford has this anniversary in stock, as well as one each of Fastlane's Stage 1 and Drag Pack editions. "We plan to build only five anniversary models but the other editions are based on sales," Melvin said. "The more the dealer sells the more we will build." Sounds like a fitting way to celebrate 10 years of fast times.
Horse Sense: The anniversary car is not Fastlane Motorsports' (www.fastlanemotorsports.us) first foray into building tuner Mustangs in conjunction with Capital Ford (www.capitalfordrockymount.comwww.capitalfordrockymount.com) in Rocky Mount, North Carolina. In 2010, the company built its first Fastlane Edition Mustang, which featured some similar modifications to the anniversary car. The major differences were that that Grabber Blue Fastlane Edition rode on RTR wheels and featured a naturally aspirated combination.
The blue accents on the seats...
The blue accents on the seats carry the color theme inside the anniversary car, but the mods are limited. The key addition is the Auto Meter Cobalt boost gauge in the Roush vent pod.
From the side you can see...
From the side you can see that the just a few choice body mods, a sweet set of True Forged wheels, and a simple stripe treatment gives the anniversary car a sanitary visage.
Perhaps we should retool that...
Perhaps we should retool that old saying that basically said cars with chrome are slow. Sure, this Kenne Bell 2.8LC is polished, it sure does bring the bling to the top of the otherwise stock Coyote 5.0. Of course, it also brings along some boost too, 7 pounds to be precise. That forced air is a direct contributor to this ride's 522 at the feet.
5.0 Tech Specs
2012 Mustang GTEngine and Drivetrain
Block Low-pressure-cast 319 aluminum w/pressed-in, thin-wall iron liners
Crankshaft Forged steel, fully counter-weighted and induction-hardened
Rods Powered metal forging, I-beam without balance pad
Pistons Hypereutectic, short-skirt, flat-top w/four equal valve reliefs; moly friction reducing coating; and oil-cooling jets
Camshafts DOHC w/twin independently adjustable timing
Cylinder heads Aluminum, four-valve per cylinder
Intake manifold Kenne Bell
Power Adder Kenne Bell 2.8LC Mammoth at 7 psi
Fuel system Port fuel injection, returnless w/47-lb/hr injectors
Exhaust Stock manifolds and H-pipe w/Kooks Custom Headers 3-in axle-back exhaust and 3-in oval race mufflers
Transmission Getrag MT-82 six-speed manual
Rearend Stock 8.8-in w/3.73 gears
Electronics
Engine management Stock Copperhead processor w/Fastlane tune
Ignition Stock
Gauges Stock w/Auto Meter Cobalt boost gauge in Roush vent pod
Suspension and Chassis
Front suspension
K-member Stock
A-arms Stock
Struts Stock
Springs Steeda Sport
Brakes Stock Brembo w/custom-painted calipers
Wheels 20x9-in, chrome True Forged Chicane w/custom Fastlane Motorsports center caps
Tires Nitto Invo 275/35-20
Rear suspension
Shocks Stock
Springs Steeda Sport
Control Arms Stock
Brakes Stock
Wheels 20x11-in, chrome True Forged Chicane w/custom Fastlane Motorsports center caps
Tires Nitto Invo 315/25-20