Loud exhaust. Large wheels. A power adder. These are all the attributes that fill our heads and create horsepower dreams. They’re the plans that nearly every Mustang owner wants to execute, but few take the plunge. Few step off the plank and dive into the deep end.

That wasn’t the case for Stephanie Stokich. When she purchased her stock 2016 Mustang GT, she knew it was the perfect canvas for the a custom Mustang — to create a real “head-turner.” So with a little help and a garage full of enthusiasm, she pulled together a dream-like S550.

First Stephanie wanted the fender wells to kiss the tires. So installing an Airlift Performance air-lift suspension kit did just the trick. With the flick of switch, the car can slam down in a gentle hurry. Although dropping down to a stock set of cast wheels didn’t accent the look well, she decided on a set of 20-inch Ferrada FR3 wheels wrapped in Toyo Proxy T1 Sport rubber. To complement the FR3s and get a grip on the corners, a Baer braking system was installed with red powdercoated calipers and Eradispeed drilled and slotted rotors.

Using an angle grinder and cutting out the plastic mesh on the stock grille are how the body mods began. With the help of her father, she say’s the job was a more difficult than it seemed, but after a few hours of fit and finish, the front end received a new look and breath of fresh air. Along with the custom grille, she added an APR Performance carbon fiber chin splitter and with the help of Anderson Composites in Los Angeles, they installed a their carbon fiber heat extractor hood, black suede trunk lid and carbon fiber rear diffuser.

For the interior, Pacific Stereo in Riverside, California, stepped in and replaced the stock audio system with a custom-built trunk enclosure encasing a JL Audio 1,000-watt amp and 10-inch JL subwoofers that are covered in grey suede leather and accented with red LED lighting.

Stephanie then continued the red color theme by installing a set of red Katzkin leather seats, GT350 Alcantara steering wheel and GT350 shift knob. While she upgraded the console with a Rosen 8-inch navigation in-dash system and for a little fun, Hornblasters Shocker XL train horn kits found their way under the carbon fiber hood.

To accent the carbon fiber, she decided on a solid vinyl wrap which didn’t take place until the eve of the 2016 SEMA show in Las Vegas, where she was scheduled to display her car in the  StreetGlow vendor booth. Gator Wraps in Ontario, California finished stretching on the semi-metallic grey vinyl and accents that Friday night, then shipped the car off.

“Getting the car ready for SEMA was the craziest experience I’ve had,” Stephanie said. “We had so much to do in so little time and literally worked night and day to get everything ready on my car… I didn’t even see the final color until it arrived at Las Vegas.”

Showcased at SEMA, spectators soaked up her modifications and overall the week went by with success. But like most that attend SEMA, we seem to find more inspiration. Which was the case for Stephanie. By the time she arrived back home, a power adder was on the priority list.

So with the help of GTR High Performance in Rancho Cucamonga, California, she added a Paxton 2200 SL supercharger kit, and dialed the car to a clean 615 horsepower and 508 lb-ft of torque to the rear wheels.

Stephanie then swapped out a previously installed exhaust for a Borla Atack catback exhaust with cat deletes and upgraded the shifter to a short-throw Steeda Tri-Ax shifter. Lastly, she blasted down to Color Mill in San Diego, California, to have LED Tri Bar turn signals, halos and demon eyes installed in the headlamps.

Along with being featured at the 2016 SEMA show, she won first place at the 2016 Autocon Show in Long Beach, California, for Finest Domestic Vehicle and a second-place finish and the 2016 Annual Saleen show in Corona, California. But without the help of her boyfriend, family sponsors, she says that none of this could have ever been accomplished. Ultimately her plans are to switch up the look and continue to show off the off the car.

“I’m actually eager to redo the entire car even though I love the way it is…  just so I can make it completely different than it is now…” Stephanie added. “So I have a lot of saving up to do first!”

But what we can say? Isn’t debt what dreams are made of?