2008 Mustang GT California Special - Daily Devotion

Inside the car, a set of AeroForce Tech digital Interceptor gauges help monitor engine conditions, and an MGW short-throw shifter have been installed to improve e.t.'s. Other upgrades include the previously mentioned Eibach spings-which lower the car approximately 1 inch-a CHE K-member brace, CHE engine torque limiters, and a strut tower brace from FRPP to stiffen up the front clip. In the back, CHE adjustable upper control arms, along with CHE's fixed lower control arms and a CHE adjustable Panhard bar, help keep the tires planted on the asphalt. The rearend has been fortified with 3.55 gears, and the rolling stock is a set of 18x9.5-inch GT500 wheels wrapped in 245/40 R18 Sumitomo rubber.

On the outside, possibly the most striking aspect of this Mustang, are the vented front fenders. These are actually custom-made and one of the first products offered by Naughty Car Specialties.

"I was sitting in traffic back in 2006," Stacy says of the origin of these fenders, "and at the time I had an '05 Mustang. (Workers) were repaving I-85, and I was just stuck sitting there for three or four hours. I had a Mazda RX8 on one side of me and a Viper on the other side. The RX8's fender vents weren't functional, but they look really good, while the Viper's vents are functional. While I was sitting there, I put all three cars together in my mind and came up with this (pointing at the current Mustang's fenders).

"I went home and tried cutting the vents in my '05 Mustang with a grinder. It came out OK, but my limited metalworking skills kept me from getting them exactly as I wanted. When Rebecca bought this car, I had a friend who works in a NASCAR Sprint Cup shop help me out. I marked the pattern and he did the metalwork. He rolled the fender and removed the sharp edges, so it doesn't need body filler; then I added the mesh in the opening."

The idea of the fender vents is to help evacuate hot air away from the brakes. 3D Carbon's Boy Racer rear wing and an Eleanor-style hood with racing-style captive hoodpins help complete the GT-R look. Rebecca and Stacy have also installed strobes in the headlights, just to grab a little attention, and fabricated a third brake-light cover with the name of the car, SNG 500. ("SNG" is short for www.shifts-n-giggles.com, the company website, and "500" is the approximate horsepower at the crank)

Rebecca and Stacy say they still aren't done with their car, but who ever is? They originally planned to move to the interior but have since decided that nearly 500 hp at the rear wheels isn't enough. A complete engine rebuild with forged internals is the priority now, so they can twist the Rotrex supercharger a little faster and put more boost to the Three-Valve modular engine.

It's nice to know that by doing most of the work themselves, regular car nuts who are willing to replace a fat wallet with plenty of determination are capable of producing a fantastic Mustang.