2005 Ford Saleen Mustang

In 1964, Ford Motor Company introduced the first Ford Mustang to compete with Chevrolet and Dodge/Chrysler/Plymouth sports cars. Originally named "Project T5," Ford released the Mustang to the public when $2,400 could buy you a standard Mustang. For twice the money, you could get the top-of-the-line interior and exterior options on the big V-8. The new Mustang was so popular that 22,000 sold on the first day, over 100,000 were sold in the first four months, nearly 420,000 were sold by the end of the first year, and the 1 millionth Mustang rolled out of Dearborn, Mich., in 1966!

The passion for the vehicle and its design has resulted in the introduction of several specialized versions, ranging from the Mustang Grande, Mach 1, Boss 302, Boss 429, GT500, and GT500KR. Over the years new enthusiasts and gearheads have rediscovered the Mustang as the vehicle to express their imaginations and live their automotive dreams.

Phil Smith, owner of FRP Customs in Redding, Calif., was oddly enough turned off by the styling and design of the Mustang. Then, in 2003, while visiting a friend he found an original '70 Mach 1 that he immediately fell in love with. Since then, Smith has expanded his collection to 10 Mustangs ranging from 1970 to 2007, purchasing his '05 Saleen Mustang in September of 2007 with the intention to make it a daily driver as well as an addition to his collection. Smith left the car in its original glory until he was introduced to Demitrios Karabinis, CEO of Arc Audio, who asked the crew at FRP to build an affordable and driver-friendly vehicle to be on display at this year's Consumer Electronics Show.

With no time to spare (five weeks until CES) and the assistance of his crew at FRP Customs, Smith went into action with the complete teardown of his Saleen, allowing them to address more than just the audio system.

Since the factory Saleen already was home to a 4.6L 435hp V-8, the crew at FRP left the factory powerplant alone and focused the start of the project on the suspension of the vehicle. For this, they installed a complete Air Ride Technologies air ride system, featuring front and rear dual adjustable strut bags. To control the air ride system, the crew at FRP installed an Air Ride Technologies Level Pro system with pressure monitoring system and preset controller, allowing the car to be raised or lowered to preset levels at the push of a button.

With the suspension complete, Smith decided to beef up the already disturbing aggressiveness of the Saleen's exterior. Smith, along with lead installer Chris Merrill, decided to go with an all-black phantom theme to the vehicle, naming it "Darkside." For this, Smith and Merrill started by blacking out all accenting trims on the car, installing tinted covers to the factory headlights, tinting the rear light lenses, and tinting all side and rear windows using 5 percent limo tint. Using matching paint, the crew at FRP installed upper and lower sidescoops from 3dCarbon, as well as a Boy Racer front spoiler and rear race wing.