Looking from the Inside Out
Looking from the inside out!
Slowly the market is catching on to making interior products for you to “personalize” your Mustang. Though performance is usually thought of in terms of engine modifications or chassis set up, it also is important in terms of “performance feel” or “performance appearance”. When I was leading the Bullitt and Mach 1 programs for Ford, I applied a fully integrated approach to design these vehicles, which means that exterior appearance was not enough to make a Bullitt a true Bullitt. We defined engine modifications, suspension modifications, exhaust modifications, brake modifications, exterior styling modifications and also focused on the interior. The interior needed to have a retro styling appearance which complemented the exterior styling (I call this bringing the outside of the car into the interior of the car). It wasn’t just about looks for the interior; it was also about performance feel and performance appearance. What is performance feel? Simply stated it is the feeling you get with you sit in the car, if the seat fits well and is aggressively bolstered (padding on the sides of the seat base and seat back) then you will feel like this car will really move even before the engine is started. Performance appearance would be sporty queues that suggest that this is a performance car, such as the aluminum trim ring around the shifter, aluminum shift knob, stainless steel pedals, retro sweeping instrumentation all together tell of a performance theme.
In the recent years, we have been working with many companies to bring a wide array of products to refine the interior of your Mustang. They run the gamut from performance shift knobs, to interior trim appliqués, custom seat skins, floor mats, style bars and convertible top boots, gauges and instrument clusters. Let’s look at a few of these items and see what the excitement is all about. First, let’s look at gauges and instrument clusters, both of these items are now available to change the look, accuracy and information displayed to the driver. Many stock gauges are merely indicators and do not show actual gradients, so performance purists often replace these gauges for the functionality. For example, factory temperature and oil gauges display if the water temperature is hot or normal water temperature or if there is oil pressure. They do not indicate if water temperature is 180 degrees or 240 degrees or the oil pressure as 25 psi vs. 60 psi. Performance minded customers will usually add gauges to there car in the “A-pillar”, Cluster trim or on top of the instrument panel to provide specific data about how the car is responding to the driving conditions; thereby implying performance via interior appearance.
Usually performance cars are restricted to cars with manual transmissions. One exception to this case is the 2003-2004 Mach 1 where an automatic transmission was an available option. Performance appearance is important to customers of Auto and Manual transmission equipped Mach 1’s, so we incorporated the same performance feel to the interior of the car. How? we modified the automatic peddle covers with the same Stainless Steel look and included the same performance trim and instrumentation that was found on Manual cars. When you get into an automatic Mach 1 you get the same performance feel and appearance that you will by getting into a manual version.
Nice custom interior upgrades are available for any Mustang; they include high quality floor mats, billet knobs and controls, and carbon fiber to stainless steel overlays. Within the last year, we developed and introduced new seat skins that replace factory seat skins and transform your Mustang look to any mood you desire. The replacement seat skins are produced in both vinyl and leather. For the convertible owners, not only can you individualize the look of your seats, but you can add a “style bar” in solid or two-tone color to “bring the exterior into the interior”. Last but not least, how about adding a custom look to your convertible boot, this kind of attention to detail will give you great satisfaction with your whole interior package.
As a final step, you can also add reverse cameras, monitors in your visors, extreme audio entertainment systems, Navigation systems to your Mustang interior….the list goes on! The idea is simple: interior modifications improve the “fun factor” for you and your passengers even before you start the engine. Also, most our time is spent from the inside of the car, so don’t forget to finish the project by adding the appropriate technology or appearance to “jazz up” the interior.
Happy tuning! As always should you have any questions about what products will work best for your project, all you have to do is ask, we will be happy to set you up with the right stuff!!
- Scott Hoag
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