From Jonathan Lamas,
Your Guide to Mustangs.
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Every visit to Galpin Auto Sports is an adventure. The shop, located in Van Nuys, Calif., is the driving force behind MTV’s television show Pimp My Ride. Aside from its television gig, the shop’s primary focus is to create custom cars for those seeking a customized ride. In addition to their many cutting-edge projects, there’s always a "top secret" project floating around, and sometimes a celebrity or two.

On my most recent visit, I met with Sales Manager Steve Carpenter. Steve is a true Mustang guy through and through. Most importantly, he knows how to customize a pony car. His impressive resume includes the one-of-a-kind Warriors in Pink Mustang, given away in December as part of the 2007 Warriors in Pink Sweepstakes, as well as Alana Evan's Pink Mustang featured in the Avril Lavigne video, Lil' Mama. Whether it’s a 3.8L, 4.0L, 4.6L, 5.0L, you name it, Steve can customize it. As luck would have it, Steve happens to have his very own completely customized beast of a Mustang, known in these parts as the “Ultimate 302”. The Stang is capable of creating a naturally aspirated 630 hp, backed by an impressive 5.0L 302-stroker engine. Best of all, the Mustang is a head turner wherever it goes.

I was fortunate enough to have Steve tour me around the expansive Galpin facilities in his custom Stang. Let me rephrase that. Fortunate enough to have Steve tour me around the expansive Galpin facilities in his “Ultimate” Boss 302, and what a tour it was.

A Modern Day Muscle Car

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On the outside Steve’s Mustang features a shaker hood and classic-Mustang-style directional signal mirrors. The hood has a vintage Boss 302 matte-stripe look which conjures up memories of muscle Mustangs from long ago. The Mustang also features headlight splitters, which spice things up for an endurance car look.

Aside from the car’s awesome display of power and intimidating looks, Steve’s Mustang features a Wilson manifold 150 hp NOS fogger unit with Bassani long tube headers and 3-inch Bassani exhaust pipes. In addition to throwing down tons of horses at the flip of a switch, this Mustang sounds ever-so-sweet. The exhaust note is deep and seemed to intimidate other cars as we blew past them during a cruise through Van Nuys.

The inside of the Mustang is equally impressive. The Stang features handmade racing seats, a color keyed roll cage, and an original Boss Hurst shifter. The shifter allowed Steve to shift gears with little to no effort, and is quite an improvement over the short stubby featured in other Stangs. The car also features an impressive custom ABS-plastic gauge pillar pod, a Momo steering wheel, and a red push start button.

On the road the Mustang handles ever so precisely with its Ford Racing FRC500 suspension. The ride is complete with its eye-catching 20-inch wheels and tires, which have been known to smoke from time to time!

The Sky's the Limit

In all, Steve’s “Ultimate” Boss 302 is a testament of what can be done to a Mustang when you get creative. The sky’s the limit if you have the time, money, and a shop like Galpin Auto Sports to help you along the way. Steve’s one-of-a-kind Pony car is a perfect example of Galpin's ability to customize a ride. In all, Galpin has been into customizing cars for more than half a century. No matter what you’ve got, they can probably make it better.

As Steve toured me around the shop, I asked him if he has any additional mods planned for his Mustang. He told me he’s happy with the car, but might be looking to start fresh with a new Mustang project in the near future. What about his prized Ultimate 302? The car was even autographed by Parnelli Jones. Well, Steve said he’ll sell it if the price is right. For any interested buyers, I’m sure you could strike up a deal.

For more information about Galpin Auto Sports, read our G.A.S profile, or visit www.galpinautosports.com

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Do you own a custom Mustang you'd like to see profiled? If so, drop me a note.