Before Carlos improved upon the looks of the Mustang, he made sure the stance and underpinnings would match the abuse the powerful Two-Valve would dish out. Up front, a set of upper and lower control arms conspire with a set of Eibach lowering springs, a Maximum Motorsports caster/camber kit, and Tokico shocks to get the frontend hunched down. Out back, the same Tokico shocks and Eibach springs are found. Heavy-duty sway bars courtesy of Steeda are found front and rear, and a set of subframe connectors keep the frame straight and true. Stopping power is provided courtesy of a set of Baer 13-inch rotors and four-piston calipers up front, while the stock rear calipers wrench down on a set of 13-inch Baer rotors. The Pony rolls along on TSW Thruxton five-spoke rims. The front wheels are sized 19x8½ inches, while the rears measure 19x9½. Toyo Z-rated hoops are found on all four corners.
Thanks to a two-tone paint...
Thanks to a two-tone paint scheme of Torch Red and Midnight Black, Carlos' '99 Mustang GT shows both the good and the bad sides of its nature. Those who feel the bad are bound to get hurt by the car's power.
Carlos then turned his attention to the exterior and interior of the car, where he put in some major overtime in getting the job done. Front and rear bumpers from an '04 Cobra replace the stock GT pieces, and an '04 Cobra heat extractor hood and rear spoiler were put in place as well. A set of Cobra R taillights now sit where the old GT lights used to be. Once the body changes were made, Dave Etchinson of Etchinson's Custom Paint shot the top of the Mustang in Torch Red and the bottom half of the car in Midnight Black. Combined with the aforementioned TSW wheels, the car is more lit than Milton sipping Mai Tais on the beach.
Internally, a four-point rollcage provides a sense of security for Carlos and his passengers, while the rest of the interior improvements provide style and class. Brothers Performance (Corona, California) replaced the factory chairs with a pair of Flo-Fit custom grey leather buckets and then reworked the dashboard. The final touches come in the way of the full-on Clarion stereo system which Carlos installed himself.
When all was said and done, Carlos was quite happy with the result. "The retro '05s look hot," he says, "but I'll take this look and gladly suffer through it." Of course, if "suffering" means pulling a blown faux Cobra next to your boss' real Terminator, then we'll happily take the pain. Just don't take our stapler.
Minus the aftermarket seats...
Minus the aftermarket seats and a custom dash, Carlos' Mustang is pretty much as it was when it came from the factory in terms of the interior. Of course, there's that four-point rollcage, but we can overlook that.
The stock chairs were tossed...
The stock chairs were tossed in the scrap heap and replaced with a set of Flo-Fit custom buckets upholstered in grey leather.