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Mustangs are funny creatures in the tuning scene. You’d be hard-pressed to find someone who doesn’t respect their heritage, styling, or potential – but it’s equally as easy to find a meme starring one. Often depicting them plowing into crowds of people or making short work of curbs – and subsequently their wheels. I’m glad to inform you that it’s not always the case – and it’s most certainly not with Jasiel Moreira’s 2018 Ford Mustang GT.
At first glance, Jasiel’s pony car may appear to be the creation of someone primarily interested in how their ride looks – and you wouldn’t be all that far off.
“I originally wanted to build a [flashier] car, hence the color choice,” Jasiel admitted. He got what he wanted- but didn’t settle there. “I ended up getting some great deals on parts and I moved towards a little more track focus.” And move he did, indeed.
Unlike most Mustang pilots, Jasiel does more than just terrorize stoplights, suburban neighborhoods, and drag strips. This crazy mofo is a weekend autocrosser. Yes, with the Mustang. It’s not unheard of at all. Many ‘stang drivers enjoy testing the nimbleness of their builds on the flattop twisties.
Aiding Jasiel in his time-quest is Ford’s performance Magneride Suspension found in their Performance Pack, along with sport springs and sway bars. Keeping him connected to the pavement is a set of Vossen HF-5 Hybrid Forged wheels snuggly wrapped in Nitto NT555G2. Bringing the car’s 3700lbs girth to a halt are 6-piston Brembo brakes mated to R1 Concepts drilled/slotted rotors.
In its stock form, the GT is rated at a healthy 460hp. As our kind does, Jasiel added several pieces to up those numbers – even if just a bit. To supplement its breathing ability, Jasiel installed a JLT Cold-air Intake. Exhaust gas is swiftly expelled by Texas Speed & Performance 17/8 Long Tube Headers linked to a custom 3” X-pipe and a Ford Performance active exhaust – all brought together with a 93-octane tune of the stock ECU.
The performance parts aren’t exactly what turns the beholder’s gaze on this little project. No. That’d be its audacious color and bold accent choices. This brings us back to Jasiel’s wish for a “flashier car”. Shifting the Ford between greens, violets, and blues hues is a ZTA Hypershift Plastidip sealed with AutoFlex. Funny enough – that’s not even the most daring part.
From the fenders forward, the car’s aesthetics are dominated by the presence of carbon fiber. In the place of the Mustangs stock fenders are a pair of GT350 Carbon Fiber pieces with a matching hood, supplied by Anderson Composites. Because we can’t just ball out unconscious 100% of the time – the 777 Performance GT500-style front bumper was wrapped by SNS Visuals in Hialeah, FL. No – he didn’t burn another two grand on a carbon fiber front bumper. I’m sure you’ll forgive him.
Topping all off is another 777 Performance piece – a chassis-mounted splitter. The functional aero helps Jasiel’s Mustang look the part as well as adding some much-needed downforce to the chariot whilst tearing down a straightaway. All this and Jasiel still manages to drive the Mustang daily without a problem – a testament to the reliability that Ford has built into the S550 platform.
There’s a lot left to upgrade on the GT. As Jasiel continues to track his car – or make trips to Walmart – he’ll find things to do to it. Like all of us gearheads – Jasiel’s project will probably never be finished until he’s ready to move on to the next. Or, you know… blows something up.
