Mustang Tech

“Reversion” Mustang built by Johnny Sparks. The 23-year-old took a standard 2011 Mustang GT and fitted it with hand-fabricated body panels from 1968 and 1969 Mustangs, then finished it off with a coat of matte red paint.

Sparks is back at SEMA again this year with Reversion, although he’s made a few updates to the car since we saw it last. A coat of custom blue paint with gunmetal gray accents has replaced the red hue, which we think gives the car a more finished look, and the body has been revised to include a new lower valence, a new hood and a tucked rear bumper. The 1968 rear 3/4 window has been swapped out for the modern version, which Sparks says fits with the body lines better, and Forgeline wheels and Baer brakes have been added as well.

This year's special Ford Mustang starts with a 2014 Mustang GT V-8 equipped with a glass roof. The car has been transformed with inspiration from the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds, a multi-jet demonstration team that flies the F-16 Falcon pictured here. Of course, Mustang would be complete without a set of huge wheels, and this 2014 Mustang GT rides on custom 22-inch Forgiatos. TS Designs crafted the front and rear wide body parts, while there's even a handpainted "belly pan" that ties the car to the F-16 Thunderbird. We've tested a stock 2013 Mustang GT with a six-speed manual transmission completing the 0-60 mph sprint in 4.3 seconds, but the 2014 Ford Mustang U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds Edition should be quicker than that. Ford has given the car a supercharger, as well as the suspension handling pack and Brembo brakes. The rear seat has been removed, and puddle lamps now show an aircraft silhouette instead of the Mustang logo -- a cool touch.