This week in Las Vegas thousands of cars and companies look to stand out from the crowd at The SEMA Show. As the automotive aftermarket convenes to show off its latest wares the real stars of the show are the cars built with these products. Among those cars is the Track Attack 2017 Mustang created by VMP Performance to fly over the crowd.
Each year Ford Motor Company supports a handful of aftermarket companies with new vehicles to customize specifically for this show. For 2016, Ford spread out F-150s, Fusions, Focus, Fiestas and, of course, several Mustangs. VMP applied for one of these cars and was selected based on the strength of its Track Attack proposal.
We are going to give you a reason for the speedometer to say Ground Speed“One of the first things I said in the little narrative on the Ford application was ‘We are going to give you a reason for the speedometer to say Ground Speed,’” BJ McCarty, General Manager at VMP Performance, said.
The reason the speedo is emblazoned with those words is that designer Doyle Letson called on the aerospace world as an inspiration for designing the latest Mustang’s cockpit-style interior. The VMP project takes that concept sky high, as BJ looked to US warplanes for inspiration.
Inspired by Aviation
“It’s really kind of a collaboration of things, but the F18 Hornet is one that I really took a look at and thought this is the one that looks mean,” BJ said. “It’s sleek. It’s mean. It looks like it’s ready to attack just sitting on the runway.”
It’s sleek. It’s mean. It looks like it’s ready to attack just sitting on the runwayA key part of giving the car its fighter plane personality was the paint scheme. VMP had hoped to score an Avalanche Gray Mustang, but just missed the production cutoff for this color. They settled for a black 2017 Mustang and had it repainted in the desired color.
While gray was important to give it the Mustang an airplane look, BJ knew it had to have a proper livery—and nose art. It had to have nose art. While trying to settle on this crucial imagery, Rebecca Starkey, noted racer and wife of VMP president Justin Starkey, was struck by inspiration. She sketched a patriotic lady sitting on a bomb and it fit. All they needed was someone to paint it, so they entrusted Chris Cruz of Chris Cruz Artistry in Deland, Florida to do it justice.
One of the things I really wanted on this car was nose art. That really did pay homage to the history of military aviation“He did the nose art. One of the things I really wanted on this car was nose art. That really did pay homage to the history of military aviation,” BJ said.“One of the things that Ford looks at is to keep the Ford branding as many places as possible. They really don’t want you taking that off, and I certainly don’t blame them because they have spent millions of dollars building an incredible brand. So we took off the 5.0 emblem and we wanted to find a way to integrate that and we did so in the nose art.”
Of course, before the car could be painted the VMP team had to imbue this S550 with the fighter plane vibe with some carefully selected modifications. Ford links its SEMA project partners with mentors. In VMP’s case they worked with Ford Motor Company Design Manager, Garen Nicoghosian, who was a lead designer on the Ford GT. He grabbed the stick and steered the Track Attack to a cleaner look and inspired one of its most unique features.
Vroom with a View
“He kind of mocked up something with a pen and pencil and shot me a quick look at a hood and I thought ‘That really gives me an idea.’” BJ explained. “…He used the GT350-style extractor, so then I thought ‘What if we take all that room, that real estate, and got rid of the extractors elsewhere on the hood, really clean that thing up?’ Then we ended up putting a Plexi window in this thing so people could see the VMP Gen2, which is being introduced at SEMA.”
VMP 2017 Mustang Mods
Powertrain- VMP Performance Gen II-R 2.3-liter TVS supercharger kit
- VMP Performance triple-pass, dual-fan heat exchanger
- VMP Performance plug-and-play fuel pump boosters
- VMP Performance TwinJet 67mm throttle body
- VMP Performance custom HP Tuners calibration
- Dynatech long-tube headers with catted mid-pipe
- Cervini side-exit exhaust
- Ford Performance coil covers
- Mantic 9000 series sprung street twin-disc clutch
Chassis
- Roush three-way adjustable coilover suspension
- Baer Eradispeed+ slotted and drilled brake rotors
- Ford Performance Brembo brakes
Wheels & Tires
- Forgestar F10D directional 19- by 9.5-inch front, 19- by 11-inch rear matte black wheels
- Michelin Sport Cup 2 305/30-19 front, 315/30-19 rear tires
Exterior
- Avalanche custom paint and airbrushed with military tribute
- Cervini custom hood with active air extractors and Plexiglas sight window
- Cervini grille delete
- Cervini front splitter
- Cervini side rockers with side exhaust ports
- Cervini rear exhaust delete
- Cervini Stalker low-profile rear wing
- VMP Performance rear-facing outboard mirror, camera system
- ZL1 Addons tow hook
Interior
- Recaro GT350R seats with custom inserts and embroidery
- Simpson five-point safety harness system
- Brey-Krause R-1180 harness bar
- Shrader Performance Mustang rear seat delete kit
- Ford Performance GT350R steering wheel
- Roush performance pedal upgrade kit
- VMP Performance integrated rear-facing camera, with Ford SYNC 3 screen
- Aeroforce Technology Interceptor dual digital scan gauges
VMP had already turned Cervini’s Auto Designs for several of the company’s S550 styling enhancements, including its splitter, side skirts, side exhaust, rear wing and rear valance exhaust deletes. So, it was only natural they asked the Cervini team to work a little SEMA miracle. Creating a one-of-a-kind hood that fused Ford parts, fiberglass and a clear window to show off that new blower.
“The middle of this is a GT350 hood. We purchased a GT350 hood, and Cervini’s cut it, took the skin of this thing and integrated the fiberglass to make this all work, on top of the fact that we obviously cut the metal for this Plexiglas window. This hood took a monumental amount of expertise and time. The time, the expertise, the craftsmanship that went into this hood is mind-boggling, but it also looks really cool.”
The blower on the other side of that window is what makes it really cool. It pushes the stock Coyote 5.0 engine beyond 850 horsepower and 700 lb-ft of torque. If you are familiar with VMP’s Gen2 series of TVS superchargers, these 2.3-liter blowers feature a flow-enhanced inlet that provides better airflow to the efficient Eaton rotors inside the case. Positive-displacement superchargers like the Twin Vortices Series thrive on a free-flowing inlet and the Gen2R takes the inlet flow a step further.
“…It is 2.3-liters same as it was, but (on the Gen2) the airbox behind the rotor has always been larger as far as capacity. What we have done on the Gen2R is honed the inlet out even more,” BJ said. “There were people that were porting the Gen2, so we are pre-porting this version, for lack of a better term.”
We’ll have complete details on the VMP Gen2R supercharger in the near future, but suffice it to say it will allow the owner of any Coyote 5.0 to bolt-on some serious thrust. If you want your new Mustang to look like the VMP Track Attack ’Stang, however, that’s going to take a more dedicated plan of attack.
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