I think at this point it’s safe to say there’s an established blueprint used by many builders in the creation of a SEMA car. Start with a popular model, preferably something fast and sporty, then add a heady dose of visual flair to the exterior with plenty of custom touches. Under the hood, tune the powerplant to produce an absurd amount of output, then upgrade the chassis and handling to keep a grip on it all. Spruce up the interior with some premium materials, and voila – one SEMA car, ready for the show floor. That’s pretty much what SpeedKore Performance Group did with this 2017 Ford Mustang GT fastback, which boasts a composite body kit, blown V-8 motivation, and hide-heavy interior.

SpeedKore Performance Group is a custom auto shop based out of Wisconsin, specializing in both new and old domestic muscle cars. In addition to engine upgrades and design work, the shop deals in the production of custom carbon fiber parts, adding a nice bit of modern lightness to iron-clad performance machines. Not only that, but a quick Google search identifies the shop location in Grafton as a “Place of Worship,” so you know they take this stuff seriously.

The attached press release describes this SEMA concept as a mix of “technology and refinement,” packing enough extra goodies to catapult the iconic muscle car into the realm of the supercar. No doubt about it, this ‘Stang is an impressive, well-rounded package, but the question is this – does it have what it takes to stand out at SEMA?

Continue reading to learn more about the Ford Mustang Fastback by SpeedKore Performance Group.

2017 Ford Mustang Fastback by SpeedKore Performance Group

Specifications
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  • Model: 2017 Ford Mustang Fastback by SpeedKore Performance Group
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Pros
Cons

Exterior

The SpeedKore Mustang has yet to make its official public debut at the Las Vegas Convention Center, which means for the moment, we’re stuck with just a rendering of what it’ll look like, rather than any actual photos. However, based on the drawings, I like what I’m seeing.

This modded Mustang will be running with the big boys at SEMA, but I think it’s got what it takes to turn a few heads. Probably the biggest standout feature of the whole build is the refabricated auto-claved carbon fiber body kit, an exclusive asset of the shop’s concept ‘Stang.

Not much info is available on this body kit, but by the sound of it, it’s the real deal. An autoclave is basically like a big, pressurized oven, which is used to bake carbon fiber parts and help give them that highly desirable combo of lightness and strength. The heat helps catalyze the chemical reactions to make it strong, while the pressure wicks away any excess resin and keeps the overall weight low.

Obviously, I’m simplifying it a bit, but the point is this – the SpeedKore carbon fiber body kit sounds like the real deal. This isn’t just some carbon overlay for a composite “look,” and the kit should offer some substantial weight savings over the stock body components.

And by the look of it, those are weight savings gained everywhere. The rendering shows literally every body panel replaced with new carbon fiber components. Thankfully, the SpeedKore Mustang isn’t afraid to show it off either, with the weaves left unpainted and bare in their full, composite glory.

That leaves the concept mostly black in its colorization, although it appears there is some blue woven in as well. The blue highlights can be found as a double racing stripe across the hood, continuing onto the roof, plus thin strips of blue for the front splitter, side skirts, rear spoiler, and rear diffuser. SpeedKore also says the exhaust tips are custom carbon and billet pieces, which sounds like an interesting combination that should work well with the rest of the look.

Speaking of the aesthetic, I like the lines. The kit looks quite similar to the stock Mustang, with muscle-bound and taut poise, but nothing that’s overly puffed out. It’s got a nice sleek sheen to it, and I look forward to seeing what it looks like in real life.

Rounding it out are large, 20-inch wheels from HRE. The rollers are staggered at 10 inches wide in front and 12 inches wide in the rear. The press release states the wheels are part of HRE’s P1 series, which according to HRE’s website, uses forged, monoblock construction and “aerospace grade” aluminum. It appears as though the wheels are the P103 model, although there aren’t enough spokes in the rendering to be an exact match. We’ll see if my assumption is correct in November.

Interior

Note: Standard Ford Mustang interior shown here.

We haven’t caught a glimpse of the SpeedKore Mustang’s interior yet, but we do hear it gets a “race-inspired” theme. What that means in reality is a bit of a toss up, but if I were to guess, I would say it probably includes new fixed-back bucket seats, racing harnesses, a rear-mounted harness bar that replaces the rear seat, new billet pedals, a removable steering wheel, and a digital gauge cluster.

However, it’s obvious this won’t be a stripped-down track rat by any measure. In addition to the competition inspiration, the SpeedKore Mustang is equipped with custom leather seating from Katzkin, plus a good deal of leather upholstery from Gabe’s Custom Interiors. That means it’ll be comfortable too.

Hopefully, SpeedKore didn’t go overboard with infotainment doodads. I’ve got nothing against custom builds sporting a veritable dance floor and DJ booth in the cabin, but when the focus of the build is on a lightweight carbon fiber body, it doesn’t make a whole lot of sense to add fiberglass subwoofer housings and bwide-screen televisions, know what I mean?

Drivetrain

Although there are a fair number of EcoBoost Mustangs headed to SEMA this year, the SpeedKore concept sticks to tradition with the Blue Oval’s 5.0-liter Ti-VCT V-8. In stock form, this powerplant produces 435 horsepower and 400 pound-feet of torque. But stock won’t do when surrounded by the best of the best from the automotive aftermarket, so SpeedKore did what any sensible tuner would do and strapped a gigantic blower on top.

Making the heavy breathing is a Whipple Stage 2 supercharger, which according to Whipple’s website, employs a 2.9-liter front feed twin-screw design and massive air-to-water intercooler. Also included is a 132 mm electronic throttle body and high-flow 72 lb/hr injectors.

With this bad boy strapped on top, the SpeedKore Mustang lays down an impressive 825 horsepower and 640 pound-feet of torque, making for an incredible 390 horsepower and 240 pound-feet gain over the factory set-up.

Responsible for tuning it all was Jet Performance. Incredibly, the kit is 50-state emissions legal, which means this thing can still see street duty.

Routing the muscle to the rear tires is a six-speed manual transmission.

Chassis And Handling

Over 800 ponies is a lot of grunt for any vehicle, let alone a two-door fastback. To make sure this thing has the control it needs to make use of that thundering engine under the hood, SpeedKore installed some basic suspension and handling upgrades.

Starting it off is Eibach’s Pro-Street coilover suspension kit. According to Eibach’s website, the kit includes height adjustment for up to 70 mm (2.76 inches) of drop. The components offer stainless steel construction, and come with the right mix of performance and comfort for a high-spec street machine.

Complementing the coilovers are new sway bars, also sourced from Eibach.

Throwing the anchor are new carbon ceramic brakes. Typically found on high-end supercars, I think the components pair well with the composite body and fire-breathing V-8.

Finally, Michelin’s Pilot Sport Cup 2 tires wrap the 20-inch wheels, sized at 285/30R20 in front and 325/30R20 in back. Originally developed as the stock rubber for exotics like the Porsche 918 and Ferrari 458, the Pilot Sport Cup 2 compound is about as close as you can get to a competition-spec tire without straying outside the confines of something street legal, once again complementing the overall build’s theme.

Conclusion

Taking a step back, the SpeedKore Mustang looks like a pretty typical build for SEMA. The power and performance are both quite impressive, but I think the biggest draw is that carbon fiber body kit. It’s not easy to make a full carbon exterior, but SpeedKore pulled it off. It looks great too, and odds are it’ll shave a lot of weight as well.

What I wanna know is if SpeedKore is planning on producing even more full-carbon Mustangs. It’s not a cheap proposition by any measure, but for folks who want supercar-level performance in a unique, carbon-clad package, this concept looks like it fits the bill.