Jonathan Ozeretny is used to extreme, over-the-top cars. The 25-year-old Nitto Tires marketing manager drives a Vortech-fed '03 Mach 1 Mustang daily, so when it came time to find a car suitable to promote the Nitto name, the final product had to take things to the extreme. With the advent of the S197 Mustang, it was only natural to grab one of Ford's retro-Stangs and turn it into a showcase of what can be done both mechanically and visually.
"The car was bought three weeks before the '05 SEMA show as the Nitto Tire booth vehicle," Jonathan explains. There was one slight problem, however. With the car's pink slip changing hands a mere three weeks before the biggest show of the year, there was little time to wave the magic wand over the flanks of the new Pony. "It was decided that for the '05 SEMA show, just the exterior and appearance would be modified," Jonathan says. "For the '06 SEMA show, it would be in the Nitto Tire booth, fully rebuilt."
With a plan of attack settled on, it was time to get cracking on the visual portion of the car. Stance, paint, and the critical wheel/tire combo were needed to not only make the car look good, but to draw people in. South County Customs got the call, and the result speaks for itself.
Enhancements of the classic-looking lines come in the form of a 3dCarbon "Boy Racer" body kit. After the new front and rear bumpers, side skirts, door caps, and fender flares made their way onto the Stang, an RKSport ram-air fiberglass hood replaced the factory piece. The old-school look of the hood is combined with functionality, as it works as a fresh-air induction system to feed the Three-Valve modular engine between the rails. After the body components' installation was finalized, South County contrasted the Stang's factory black finish with Mercedes Benz silver paint. Finishing off the outside looks of the car is the custom pinstriping job done by Jeff Styles, along with a billet grille, quarter-window louvers, a rear spoiler, tinted windows, and a Steeda rear emblem.
Setting off the looks are the 20-inch Konig Beyond rims. As you might expect, Nitto rubber is found on all four corners. Nitto Extreme 555-series shoes wrap around the menacing-looking Konigs, with 255/35ZR20s up front and 285/30ZR20s under the rear quarter-panels.