Uncommon Core

CorteX Racing revamps the S550—from the suspension up—for The SEMA Show

By Steve Turner
Photos courtesy of CorteX Racing

CorteX Racing made a name for itself with a cutting-edge SLA suspension package for the S197 Mustang. The company set out to build a two-door sports car that would mop the floor with anything from America, Asia, or Europe on a road course, but its 2015 Mustang has a higher standard to live up to, and that’s the last-generation Mustangs that Cortex created.

“We have a tough reputation to uphold since our suspension package for the 2005-2014 S197 Mustang was refined and handles amazingly well. In fact it is good enough to run with Europe’s finest supercars. People might be shocked to hear me say that it could take a while for an upgraded 2015 S550 to equal the performance of our 2014 Mustangs with the Xtreme Grip suspension systems installed,” Filip Trojanek Partner/Founder at Cortex, said. “After upgrading our 2015 Mustang GT with our new coil-over package, adjustable sway bars, bump-steer kit, and massive brakes it becomes a capable track-day car, while being much more comfortable than any S197 Mustang we have built to that level with similar parts.”

That said, CorteX still set out to improve upon the all-new suspension under the S550 chassis. With the refinements already provided by Ford, the platform proved a perfect basis for a performance-oriented vehicle for The SEMA Show.

“We are a suspension company and cater to both the street enthusiast as well as the professional road racer. While most other builders will likely focus their SEMA builds on decadent, blingy parts and market hype, we wanted to build an S550 that had real-world parts people are going to want for improving the handling of the 2015 Mustang they already have or are about taking delivery of,” Filip said. “The car you see here was built in about six weeks. The changes have been extremely effective and have dramatically transformed the handling of the car. With that said, our work is not finished. We have only just begun to explore the potential of this new chassis. That is truly a satisfying, yet exciting direction to be headed.”

That’s not to say that they left the rest of the car alone. Quite to the contrary, the CorteX 2015 Mustang sports an aggressive road-racing look highlight be visual upgrades like a next-gen Tiger Racing hood, CorteX/G-Stream carbon front splitter, CDC spoilers, and a set of HRE FF15 Flowform Wheels.

Once this car is done representing the CorteX brand on the trade-show floor, this 2015 GT will hit the road attending various events—from shows to races—where Filip can show off the car’s full capabilities.

“We plan to drive the car a lot and attend as many events as possible. The car might even be used as a daily driver to put a lot of street miles on our parts. CorteX is a relatively new company and we are going to us this car to create brand awareness and to show people how well our products really do work,” he said. “You will likely find our 2015 Mustang at a road course event or even a drag strip several times a month as we test our products and show people that a Mustang with CorteX Xtreme-Grip is a world-class performer. What 1LE? What Z28?”

While the Cortex team is out displaying and demonstrating this combination, they will still be working on more new products for this all-new Mustang.

“We will definitely continue refining the S550 platform and bring the products we are already using on this car to market, including coil-over shocks, adjustable sway bars, control arm and subframe bushings, alignment products for toe control and camber adjustment plates, and chassis lightening components,” Filip added.

After seeing what the company was able to do with the S197 suspension, it should be fun seeing how far they can push the new double-ball-joint front end and independent rear.

The Mod List

Powertrain
• Vortech V-3 Si centrifugal supercharger
• Air-to-air intercooler
• Borla stainless cat-back exhaust with S-type mufflers

Chassis
• CorteX Racing, Xtreme-Grip complete front coil over suspension system featuring JRi dampers
• CorteX Racing, Xtreme-Grip rear coil-over suspension featuring JRi dampers
• Hypercoil springs
• CorteX Racing bump-steer adjustment system
• Brembo, Racing four-piston XB105 Calipers with full-floating, 380x34mm rotors
• Adjustable front and rear anti roll bars with adjustable end-links

Wheels & Tires
• HRE FF15 Flowform Wheels, 20×10-inch (front) and 20×11-inch (rear)
• Michelin Pilot Super Sport Tires, 285/30ZR-20 (front) and 305/30ZR-20 (rear)

Exterior
• Tiger Racing Extractor carbon louvered hood
• CorteX/G-Stream carbon front splitter
• Classic Design Concepts rear deck spoiler
• Classic Design Concepts rear roof spoiler
• Paint and graphics by Eric Reyes Design
• Addition paint by Blake’s Auto Body

Interior
• Sabelt racing seats
• Sabelt six-point harnesses
• Four-point roll bar with removable harness bar by CorteX Racing
• Custom adjusting seat mounts by CorteX Racing

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