KAR Motorsports’ 1,000hp 2015 Ford Mustang S550 Is a Carbon Fiber Knockout
A fringe contingent of car enthusiasts has
always loved getting their hands dirty. Not dirt dirty—greasy dirty.
Hanging-over-an-engine-bay dirty. Their cars looked unconventional and
were usually loud and certainly abrasive. The civilians often witnessed
these free-thinkers in speed contests. Miscreants for certain, criminals
at least, therefore condemned and categorized unfairly. And anyone
wanting to do that dirt thing must surely be suspect of other nefarious
thoughts or deeds.
To a great many, it is still the reason they get out of bed every day and put their feet on the floor. But the landscape has changed. Social media websites have seen to that. Word spreads ferociously, accompanied by images that are immediate and undeniable. Such constant scrutiny is terminally influential, firing the desire to outdo the competition, driving them to take the next step out.
Nowhere
is this more evident than in the S550 Mustang that Carlos Gomez
shepherds. It sports equipment from a compilation of vendors that he
uses at his KAR Motorsports in Chula Vista, California. Gomez got the
S550’s gears turning at Fuller Ford (Chula Vista). He wanted to make it
as much a looker as a tough-as-nails stomper, so he spent time on the
fastback’s ability to make a lasting impression. Without disturbing an
ounce of sheetmetal, KAR transformed the looks with graphics, outsized
fender flairs, carbon fiber sheets, wide-wide 20-inch rollers, and
distinctive front- and rearend treatments. Um, yeah, that paint isn’t
exactly a shrinking violet, either.
But no matter how intimidating
the Competition Orange Mustang might appear, it would have to talk the
walk before another word was spoken. Looks are one thing. Ripping gears
like a crazy man is another. Since the engine is endowed by the factory
with premium internals, it was a natural for a forced-air infusion.
Hellion Turbo, in Albuquerque, New Mexico, has just the tool. For the
2015 S550 5.0L, Hellion markets a top-mount twin installation featuring
62mm Precision turbochargers, an air-to-air intercooler, a Turbosmart
boost controller, and four-into-one tubular shorties. Typically this
collection produces about 550 rwhp with just 5 psi positive manifold
pressure, but a series of “bump-ups” can mushroom crazy output. At the
16 psi Gomez runs (the maximum for a stock block), the turbos typhoon
935 hp to the tires, requiring 95-lb/hr Deatschwerks injectors and a JMS
ignition booster (24 volts, 44 amps). He said that the E2000 Turbosmart
controller allows him to easily adjust the level of boost at will.
For
as much guff as the engine can give, Gomez decided to leave the Tremec
6060 (except for the MGW shifter), clutch assembly, 3.73 gears, and
Torsen differential unenlightened.
But he improved the already potent suspension and rolling stock, to set
the stance and give it octopus grip. Rather than adopting traditional
mechanicals, Gomez went with an air system, which provides adjustable
damping and ride height, camber adjustment, and the necessary low-rider
drop. The conversion includes an air management system (adjustable for
height as well as pressure). Since he’d ordered the Performance Package,
his S550 came with six-piston 15-inch Brembos in front and 13-inch
single-piston brakes in the rear. Gomez deemed them more than adequate
for Agent Orange.
A big part of the visual presentation is the rim
and tire combination. Gomez shucked the original 19s and got himself
some mondo Rennen R5 forged 20-inch modulars fitted with Pirelli P Zero
rubber. The front hoops are 11 inches wide and carry 285/30 tires; at
the business end, he adopted 13-inch-wide rims and 335/30 aspect-ratio
skins.
From
the roof down, KAR dressed the Mustang. The company infused the roof
with sections of carbon fiber style, split evenly (as with painted
racing stripes) to match the pattern on the scooped and louvered
Trufiber carbon bonnet. From there, the Trufiber wheel arches complete
with visible screw heads and perimeter gaskets. KAR continued with this
medium for the upper and lower grille sections. The company crafted a
deep, multilayered front spoiler supported by link struts. In the rear,
KAR included a Trufiber bumper (modified in-house) and accommodation for
quad exhaust.
When all those carbon fiber hairs settled down,
Gomez surveyed his charge. He loved the Competition Orange but thought
that adding some Blue Pearl would “give it that pop!” So he did, but
before he quit the outside, he added some carbon covers to the door
mirrors and plugged in Diode Dynamics LED headlight bars.
Though
it is doubtful that the KAR S550 will be much more than a halo car that
will likely not experience serious tarmac tests, Gomez knew the
interior would have to be safety minded and well rounded. The equipment
includes a Watson four-point roll bar and five-point Simpson harnesses
on the OE Recaro seats. There’s more carbon fiber in there, too—swaths
on the sill plates and more of it marching straight across the face of
the dashboard. Happily, the Performance Package includes Recaro seats,
which are real hard to improve upon. So he didn’t. But he did trim them
with Katzskin leather.
But by now, he’s got emails to answer and
doesn’t have the time. It’s late and Gomez wants to head for the door.
“My favorite thing to do with this car is take it for a drive,” he says.
“Even though it’s all modded, it still feels smooth and new. I can’t
help but spool those turbos up and then let go, to hear the blow-off
valves release and hear the turbos unwind.”Yes, a passion above everything else. Carlos Gomez steppin’ out.
