2007 Vortech Edition Ford Mustang

Baseball, hot dogs, and apple pie-they all equal summertime and being American. Of course, fast cars, gobs of horsepower, torched tires, and the Mustang nameplate also contribute to the patriotic appeal of being a citizen of this fine land.

Recently, it has been the all-American thing to create a special-edition Mustang. With the retro-styling of the S197 Stangs being a throw-back to the long-lost days of gasoline priced at 35 cents a gallon, open roads with little conges-tion, and a racing community that lived and breathed speed and burnout marks, it was only natural for All-American Supercars to step up to the plate with its own version of a one-off Mustang. Enter the Vortech Edition Mustang.

ASC teamed up with Vortech Engineering, and debuted the Vortech Edition Mustang at the '06 SEMA show. This is the first time in Vortech's long history in which it has permitted a specialty-car manufacturer to use the Vortech name as a benchmark for creating a car. The crew at ASC combined speed and looks to form the next great American icon. With only 100 examples being sold through select Ford dealers, this car will be hot in more ways than one.

Pensacola, Florida-based ASC starts each project by taking a brand-new GT back to its shop. In the interest of keeping each car docile enough for the street yet wild enough to spin the tires with relative ease, the stock 4.6 Three-Valve was left alone (well, as alone as it could be with the installation of a Vortech blower). The crew at ASC rigged up one of Vortech's V-2 SQ Si-Trim centrifugal blowers to the intake manifold. The intake charge is chilled thanks to the air-to-water charge cooler that accompanies the blower. Packing 8 pounds of boost, the mod mill now pushes out an estimated 515 hp.

With the Pony ingesting a hefty amount of atmosphere, ridding the cylinders of that used-up mixture is a must. To that end, ASC installed JBA shorty headers that funnel the exhaust fumes into a JBA axle-back system. Keeping the powerplant cool under fire is an LFP radiator, while beefing up the shifting chores of the factory five-speed stick are a SPEC flywheel and clutch. Giving the console of the Mustang a bit of old-school flavor is the white knob that graces the Hurst Competition Plus shifter. The Mustang carves around corners thanks to Ford Racing Performance Parts springs, shocks, and sway bars, along with BMR lower control arms and an adjust-able Panhard rod. The wild Pony is reined in with Baer GT-Plus front and Eradispeed rear brakes.

While the 515hp tag is great, the Vortech Edition Mustang really shines with its outward appeal. Once ASC finished the design of the custom paint job, California Custom sprayed the flanks with Vortech-inspired silver and blue hues. When the paint dried, the 3dCarbon ducktail spoiler was put on the rear decklid, while a CDC front spoiler and a Street Scene Equipment black and chrome grille replaced the factory piece. Breaking up the paint scheme along the body line is a custom-made side stripe sporting the Vortech logo on both rear quarter-panels. The engine compartment is spruced up with numer-ous chrome pieces, and replacing the stock GT fender badge is a model-specific "VPower" item that lets passersby know just what edition Mustang this one is.