After the shenanigans with rolling shots, Dalton took us all to the photo location. In hindsight, we both agreed we should have either done all this earlier, or spent the evening on either just rolling shots or just static shots, due to how fast the sun set. Regardless though, the spot was an amazing location, and we still got some pretty good light,although in these pictures I got tested in my Photoshopping abilities due to how washed out the sky became in a lot of them. I guess I really like yellowish-orange as a highlight color for the sky.
I met Dalton, the owner of the red Mustang, as I've said in my previous post, through one of our mutual friends. He's a 21 year old full-time engineering student at Arizona State University, born and raised in AZ, growing up in athletics. He's currently studying mechanical engineering, although he originally planned to be an architect but had a switching of majors. Although he never had an influence from cars until around middle school, he hopes to work as an automotive engineer, hence the switch to mechanical, which he certainly has a good start on with his car. He got into cars, and specifically, Mustangs, due to his brother Carter. Carter got a Mustang and showed Dalton all of the aftermarket possibilities for them, which hooked Dalton. Dalton's mentality for the car was originally aesthetics, which I have personally seen back when he still had his air suspension equipped and his Instagram handle was still @5pntlow. But, a new stage has started last summer and now he's going for function in hopes of autocrossing and tracking the car, hopefully with NASA and the SCCA, which has included going back to springs. His build is an imitation of a Texas racing company, Vorshlag's, 2011 GT TT3 car, with his own personal touches, of course.
I've seen Rachel around at car shows (it's inevitable anyways when you go to as many cars shows as I do; meeting these people become a certainty), but never actually talked to her until after a Pavs meet one night. But that was as short conversation because we got kicked off by the Tribal Police.
Rachel has been around cars for quite sometime, although not always in the modding sense. She would go to the Pavs meet with her family every Saturday for as long as she can remember. Her father is a BMW guy and she loved to go on rides in his cars, and her brother loved anything with an engine. Rachel's love was a red 1965 Mustang Coupe, which started the love for Mustangs. It also helps that she's into horses since the Mustang emblem is a running, er, Mustang. She owned a 1972 Mach 1 that wasn't street legal, so she would take it out to hoon on dirt neighborhood roads. After selling her SUV, she bought a 2010 triple black convertible Mustang GT, which is when the itch to modify and customize came in. She wanted aesthetics: loud and badass looking. But, as Arizona drivers are wont to do, this Mustang only survived three months because an older woman hit her and totaled the car. So, all the plans for it were pushed onto her new car, the one pictured here, a 2012 Mustang GT/CS. After this, she met Dalton and Carter, leading her to join Desert Stangs, meeting many new people, and having many install days with all of them. The Mach 1 was sold since she didn't have the money for a restoration and also to pay for modding the new Mustang. While she wants the boost life, she thinks she's started to settle for all-around performance and visual appeal. The same desire of looking mean and sounding even meaner is still in this car. Furthermore, she wanted low, but without scraping, which was made possible by putting the car on air via Airlift Performance. The color on the car is a wrap in Nardo Grey, inspired by her other dream car, the Audi S5. As she puts it, the wrap on the Mustang is "an effort to hold off my desire to switch to the dark side".
Dalton has quite an extensive mod list on his car, as you can see:
Custom Chassis Mount Aluminum 3/16” Front Splitter
GT500 Front Bumper
Custom Aluminum Grilles
Custom Tubular Front Bumper
4” Brake Duct Cooling
3” Aluminum Center Intake
Mishimoto Radiator
Mishimoto 12” Radiator Fans
Custom Ducted Hood
Steeda Adjustable Sway Bar
Whiteline Adjustable Sway Bar End Links
Steeda Strut Brace
Steeda Bumpsteer Kit
Roush Trak Pak KW V2 Coilovers
400F/250R Springs
APR Front Extended Studs
StopTech ST-40 Calipers
StopTech Slotted Rotors
Steel Braided Brake Lines
Hawk HPS Pads
Steeda G-Trak Brace
Jegs Cat Delete Pipes
GT500 Steering Wheel
Steeda Shifter Bracket
Steeda Rear X-Brace
Steeda Lower Control Arms
Steeda Relocation Brackets
Steeda Rear Adjustable Sway Bar
Muffler Deletes with Side Exhaust
RTR Decklid
RTR License Plate Surround
LMR SVE Drifts 18x10 painted silver
Nitto INVO 295/35/18 painted letters
Rachel also has quite the list of mods:
Performance:
Boss 302 Intake Manifold
Airaid CAI
UPR Catch Can
JBA Off-Road H-Pipe
Flowmaster Outlaw Mufflers
Lund 91 Octane Tune
Brembo Brakes
Suspension:
Airlift Performance Digital Kit
BMR Rear Lower Control Arms
BMR Relocation Brackets
Boss 302 Strut Tower Brace
SR Performance Sway Bars
SR Performance Panhard Bar
18Fab Harness Bar
Aesthetics:
EA Wraps Gloss Dark Grey
Cobra R Cowl Hood
Aeroflow Dynamics Canards
Ford Racing World Challenge Splitter
Roush Side Splitters
Euro Style Headlights
Diode Dynamics HID kit
Diode Dynamics Switchbacks
Varrstoen ES2s 19X8.5 Front 19X9.5 Rear
Boss 302 Engine Covers
Master Cylinder Cover
Painted Center Console
Galaxy Fabric floor in trunk for air setup
It's amazing what can be done to a car, and the passion behind it. It's also great getting to know the people behind the machine. While a car can have an impressive mod list and look amazing, it gains so much more once the owner is known and a true sense of appreciation for what was done can be felt. And, the curse of a car person is that the mods never end. Dalton already has a new wing installed on the back as he continues his build. Here's to seeing what else happens to these amazing Stangs.