For the average person who drives a bellybutton econobox, a Mustang probably seems like a wild departure from the norm. It would be plenty to keep them excited in its stock form. For one of us, a Mustang--even a new one--is simply a blank canvas on which we can express our personalities.
As you can tell by the windshield...
As you can tell by the windshield banner, Barry's ride rocks a TruFiber Venom hood designed for a GT500. That works because Barry also added a GT500 nose. One subtle change that really cleans up the lines is the addition of Agent 47 mirrors painted in body color.
The manifestation of that expression might be as simple as a new set of wheels or as extravagant as a whole new drivetrain. Variations on a theme are what Mustangs are all about. Some, of course, are more serious than others. In the case of Barry Snow, he was inspired by the Shelby Super Snake. Rather than build a clone, Barry embarked on a mission to create his own tuner Mustang--the GT/SS.
"Within the first two weeks of ownership, I had developed an overall goal and plan to build my own special-edition Mustang," Barry explains. "I thought to myself, Why should only famous race-car drivers or huge companies be the only ones who can create special-edition Mustangs?"
Part of the reason Barry started down this path is because his Mustang starting point was a bit more common. Barry was excited to have won a factory fresh '06 Mustang GT, but he learned he couldn't convert a Mustang GT into a Super Snake. With the thought of creating his own Mustang variant, Barry wanted to make sure he wasn't just copying an existing ride.
"The first thing I did was contact Joe Solemani (owner of the Oct. '08 5.0 Mustang & Super Fords cover car). We had become friends through the Mustang forums, and he put me in contact with the right people to start my conversion. Joe has been a great friend over the years, and we have both helped one another to continue to push the modification of our S197s to new heights."
Achieving those heights meant leaning heavily on Shelby styling, but taking some tasteful detours along the way. In front, Barry relied on a GT500 front fascia, a TruFiber Venom hood, a TruFiber splitter, and a Super Snake lower grille. In back, the car rocks a Cervini's Stalker rear wing, a GT500 rear fascia, and a Silverhorse honeycomb panel.
"During the build I also had the goal of making sure that when people viewed the car, it would look just like a Mustang model that you could go down to the dealership and pick up..." Barry explained. "Each modification needed to build on the next. However, they needed to maintain a factory-like look."
Barry's interior is as heavily...
Barry's interior is as heavily modified as the rest of the car. All of its stock seats were re-covered with Katzkins leather upholstery and the dash is fully adorned with chrome accents. The little stuff you don't notice, like the GT500 steering wheel, Saleen headrests, and custom headliner (striped to mirror the stripe on the roof) really set the car apart.
Barry's car isn't a clone,...
Barry's car isn't a clone, but it takes great inspiration from the Shelby world. With that in mind Barry had his own GT/SS dash plaque created.
Kicker's Mustang-specific...
Kicker's Mustang-specific audio upgrades give Barry's GT/SS some extra sonic horsepower. Barry showed his attention to detail by finishing out the trunk with custom carpeting.
Besides the off-the-shelf modifications, Barry also took great pride in making some unique mods to his ride, headlined by his own GT/SS fender badges. "I have made a number of one-off mods to the car, from designing my own fender badges to creating a unique headliner design..." Barry said. "I hope this idea will catch on throughout the Mustang community."
We certainly have to commend Barry from going beyond the basic bolt-ons when it comes to the appearance of his 'Stang. However, when it comes to making the car perform, it's hard to go wrong with what the aftermarket has on the shelf for Mustangs. To increase the power of his GT/SS, Barry selected a Paxton Novi 2200 set to 10.5 psi. It takes orders from a Bamachips tune and belts out a tune through a Pypes/Borla exhaust.
While Barry still has plans for his unique 'Stang--like bigger brakes, a forged engine, and an air suspension--he remains stoked about how his car turned out. And that's really the way you should feel about your ride.
"Some of the funnier moments have come from attending shows at Ford dealerships and watching the techs and salesmen scratch their heads trying to figure out what model it is," Barry added. "This tells me I have accomplished one of my goals--a factory-like look. I've even had people ask me, ‘Where can I order this model?'"
Horse Sense: Paxton rates its Novi 2200 supercharger for up to 1,000 hp and 27 pounds of boost. Obviously those are its limits, but as far as the -delivered kit on Barry Snow's car, the kit is rated at 470 horsepower.