The Hunter is no poser. It hauls them down with ease at the local autocross or road course with owner Corey Weber doing the driving. The car is so good, it even won an American Iron Series event at Willow Grove.
If you're a hunter, there's nothing like the adrenaline rush of having a 10-point buck in your sight. You've taken into consideration the wind, the angle of trajectory, and other obstacles. Now, slowly and stealthily, you line up the shot, hold your breath, and squeeze the trigger. With any luck, Bambi falls, and you're rewarded with a freezer full of venison and a trophy for the wall.
For Corey Weber, Dave Postuma, and the rest of the Agent 47 crew, the exhilaration is the same-but the targets, the gun, and the venue are completely different. The place is any local road course or American Iron Series race; the choice of weapon is the company's '06 Mustang GT, dubbed "the Hunter," and the target (and likely victim) is anyone who tries to outbrake, outcorner, and outpower the green and racy S197.
"When we started out, we envisioned a car that was street legal but track ready," Dave explains as to the origins of this Pony. "A lot of other high-end shops and manufacturers create Mustangs that have a host of high-powered improvements, but all they do is make it a high-performance street car. Our goal was to create a legal track car, without taking away from the car's streetability. We aimed it at someone who wanted to drive the car to work on Monday, yet go to a track day, autocross, or other driving event on Friday and be competitive."
Knowing that a good working suspension would be key to making the car truly handle going around the twisties, the Agent 47 crew revamped the suspension substantially. "The car handles better around track more than other cars due to the suspension," Dave says. "The biggest reason for this is the changeover to a double A-arm suspension, which took a couple of seconds off of lap times compared to a similarly equipped Mustang without that change."
When it came to the underpinnings, Corey and the crew performed some wicked fabrication work, revamping the front suspension design substantially. As stated above, the front end was converted to a double A-arm SLA front suspension, replacing the single A-arm factory setup. Custom front spindles and Penske coilovers can also be found at the bow. As for the hind end, out went the stock setup and in went a custom-designed three-link suspension. Custom front and rear stabilizer bars control the movement of the body, while the frame itself is tied into the 12-point rollcage that was installed for both safety and chassis stiffening. Arguably the most difficult part of the build was the creation of the full-on bellypan that now resides on the underside of the car. "The bellypan was the most difficult part to come up with simply because it was something we have never done before," Corey explains. "Honestly, nothing else was difficult to make for the car because my other business is a rapid prototype company. I have the ability to create things quickly, and can do it right there with a short turnaround time." Aerodynamicist Paul Glessner helped with the design of the bellypan, which runs from front to rear, and creates a flat surface underneath the car la Bonneville. Throw in a functional front diverter and a rear diffuser, and this car is ready to rock and roll when it comes to swinging left and right at speed.
Wanting a car that could serve a dual purpose of everyday driving and passing tech at the racetrack, the Agent 47 crew devised one stout piece of machinery.
Aiding and abetting the handling characteristics of the Mustang is the brake package, along with the chosen wheel and tire combination. Baer was tapped to provide the braking system, and the company certainly did not disappoint. The six-piston calipers squeeze down on 14-inch rotors on all four corners. Knowing that the binders would be used hard at the track, Corey and company fabricated up a custom brake-cooling kit to feed the brakes fresh air and keep the fade away. The Pony rolls along on 18x9 front and 18x10 rear Kinesis wheels. "We were searching for a good, lightweight racing wheel that would have a certain look to fit the car, yet be strong enough for street and track duty," Corey says. The good-looking rims are wrapped in super-gummy 275/35 Toyo Proxes 888 racing tires.