50 years on the market is a long time, and the Mustang is coming up on 53 years as of 2018, the year that the sixth-gen model gets a serious facelift. That facelift brings new looks, updated technology, and more power to one of America’s favorite muscle cars, and now, it’s serving as the basis for at least seven concept cars at the 2017 SEMA show in Las Vegas. The one we’re looking at here is developed by Tucci Hot Rods, and it’s one of the most intensive Mustangs that we’ve ever seen. We’re talking about engine modification, custom exterior work, custom interior work, and a supposed top speed of 200 mph. Whether or not it can really do that remains to be seen, but I’ve seen the modification list, and I have to admit, it’s not that farfetched.

Needless to say, Tucci Hot Rods had to put some serious work into the Mustang to get it to this point. Not that it’s necessarily a slouch. This concept is based on the 2018 GT, so we’re talking about a starting power output of 460 horsepower and 420 pound-feet of torque (yes, that’s 25 ponies and 20 pound-feet more than the pre-facelifted model.) At this time, technical specifications are still shrouded in mystery, but we do know what the standard model’s “less-than-four-second” sprint to 60 is probably easily topped by this custom GT. This Mustang will be fully revealed when SEMA kicks off, so until then, let’s talk a little more about what Tucci Hot Rods did to push this Mustang over the top and faster than 200 mph…

2018 Ford Mustang By Tucci Hot Rods

Specifications
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  • Model: 2018 Ford Mustang By Tucci Hot Rods
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Pros
Cons

Exterior

- John’s Auto Restoration paint - Tucci Hot Rods aluminum pro mod wing and rear diffuser - Ultimaker 3D-printed hood vents - Stroud parachute

If you know the 2018 Mustang, then looking at the picture above should hit you right in the feels. To put it simply, it’s still got most of the stock ‘Stang styling, but there’s a completely different front fascia that has the corner vents closed completely off (this could be for extra downforce on the front end) Speaking of downforce, Tucci Hot Rods added a much more prominent spoiler to the front and to the sides to help keep the ‘Stang planted as well. We can’t see much of the rear, but you can bet that there is a massive diffuser and there’s most certainly a large spoiler in the rear too, most likely of the active variety. Considering the car is designed to break the 200-mph barrier, it’s likely there’s a parachute strapped to the rear end as well.

With that in mind, there’s a lot of extra engine work going on under the hood, and that’s why you’ve got those deep intake bellows sitting on each side of the grille – just waiting to channel air into the monster lurking under the hood. More about that later, though. For now, you’ll have to make due with the knowledge that Jon’s Auto Restoration took care of the matte-grey look while Tucci Hot Rods threw on the aluminum pro mod wing and rear diffuser. Those hood vents, while appearing stock are actually 3D-printed by Ultimaker, and as I mentioned before, there is a parachute out back, supplied by Stroud. The car rides on Forgeline GTD1 Open lug wheels. They are 19-inch units, but measure just nine-inches wide up front and 11-inches wide out back. Those wheels just so happen to wear Hoosier rubbers -- 265/25-series up front and 315/35-series out back.

All told, it’s not too bad, but we’ll have to see what it looks like in the metal once the doors at SEMA open and we can get a good look. Until then, let’s talk a little about what’s going on inside this 200-mph beast.

Interior

- Cobra Sebring Pro-Fit GT driver’s seat - Cobra Suzuka Pro-Fit GT passenger’s seat - Schroth Pro-Fit II 6 pt. HANS harnesses - Tucci Hot Rods 8 pt. roll cage - TMR Customs interlocking roll cage clamps

For the most part, the interior was left alone. By that, I mean that the dash, center console and the rest of the stock goodies still exist in their natural habitat. What has changed, however, is pretty important for a car that does 200 mph. I’m talking, of course, about the seats, the roll cage, and the racing harnesses to keep asses in the seats should things go awry. So, Tucci Hot Rods threw in a Cobra Sebring Pro-Fit GT seat for the driver and a Cobra Suzuka Pro-Fit GT seat for the passenger. And, those who get the glory of riding in those seats will be held in place by Schroth Pro-Fit, six-point HANS harness. Finally, Tucci Hot Rods threw in an eight-point roll cage that’s held in place by TMR Customs interlocking roll cage clamps.

Drivetrain

- Hellion twin turbo kit - Mishimoto radiator, transmission cooler and oil cooler - Turned by HP Tuners - G-Force driveshaft and rear axles - DEI exhaust wrap - Ford Performance by Borla exhaust - RideTech triple adjustable air ride suspension - Wilwood Aero (six-piston front / four-piston rear) brakes - Ford Performance front and rear sway bars

Ah… we finally get to the real meat and potatoes of this custom build. Of course, there’s still a little while before the car is shown off in all of its glory, so specs are limited at best, but we do know what has been done under the hood, and it’s nothing short of magnificent. First, let me start off by explaining where Tucci Hot Rods had to start. They picked themselves up a 2018 Ford Mustang Fastback – you know, the one with the 5.0-liter V-8 and a 10-speed automatic transmission. Out of the gate, that engine is good for 460 horsepower and 420 pound-feet of torque. That’s not bad, and it’s enough to get the Mustang to the 60-mph benchmark in “less than four seconds.” But, that’s not good enough for a modded out muscular beast, now is it?

Of course, it’s not, and that’s why it’s been fitted with a Hellion twin turbo kit to cram as much air as possible into that intake sitting up top. And, that’s why this baby has those custom intake bellows on either side of the radiator grille. And, with all of that extra intake, there’s bound to be a need for a custom exhaust, so the Ford Performance Borla exhaust system is a perfect fit for this application (and it’ll sound good too.) In addition, there’s some DEI exhaust wrap applied within the vicinity of the turbos to prevent too much heat exchange under the hood while a Mishimoto radiator, transmission cooler, and oil cooler will keep the necessary fluids within a safe operating range during the most extreme conditions. Finally, to help handle all of the extra add-ons, HP tuners was commissioned to do a custom tune for this monster of a Mustang.

As of now, there’s no word as to how much horsepower or torque this baby produces, or how fast it can get to 60 mph. But, it has been promised that it can hit the 200-mph benchmark. If I had to guess, I’d say we’re looking at somewhere around 800 horsepower, that would be enough to justify the addition of the G-Force driveshaft and rear axles – a necessary evil when you have that kind of power going to the rear wheels. Of course, we’ll know more about the specs by the time it debuts at the SEMA show, so stay tuned for updates.

Conclusion

At this point, I have to say that this build looks highly impressive, but a Mustang Fastback hitting 200 mph seems like something out of a wet dream for Ford fanboys as opposed to reality itself. Then again, Tucci Hot Rods did put some serious work into this ‘Stang as well. Since it’s a concept for SEMA it’s hard to say whether or not we’ll ever know for sure that it can hit that magical speed, but it sure would be nice to see, don’t you think? Either way, the build list is outrageous and promising at the same time, so we’ll be keeping our eyes open at SEMA. Check back with us at the end of the month for the latest update on this mean beast!

References

Ford Mustang

Read our full review on the 2018 Ford Mustang.

Read more 2017 SEMA Show news.