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Feature: SVTP 2015 Mustang GT Intro

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By EditorTurner

Feature: SVTP 2015 Mustang GT Intro

Third Base

We picked up Project Triple Threat in Vegas and modded it on the dealer lot

By SID297
Photos by Stacy Stangz

You had to know that we weren’t going to stop with just one 2015 Mustang project car. Just a few months after picking up our 2015 Fiesta ST project car and taking possession of our EcoBoost Mustang we finally got word that our S550 Mustang GT had arrived at the dealership. So once again we hopped a plane to Sin City to pick up some American iron from Gaudin Ford.

Who says you can’t drag race in style. We picked up our latest project—a 2015 Mustang GT Premium—from Gaudin Ford in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Who says you can’t drag race in style. We picked up our latest project—a 2015 Mustang GT Premium—from Gaudin Ford in Las Vegas, Nevada.

The car in question this time around is a Triple Yellow GT automatic with the premium package, and if you guessed that we plan on building this car for quarter-mile duty you would be correct. While our EcoBoost 2015 Mustang is being modded with the road course and high-performance driving events in mind, the GT will be built to drag. That’s the reason we chose the 6R80 for our project GT this time around, it is hugely popular with drag racers due to its strength and consistency on the track.

Since this GT is an automatic we had to forego the optional Performance Package. I must say that the inability to combine the PP with an auto tranny on the current production S550 Mustangs is quite a disappointment. This is especially true considering that combination was available on the later S197 cars.

Gaudin has a wide variety of 2015 Mustangs to choose from, but from the moment we saw the S550, we knew a Triple Yellow GT was in our future. To make sure it was just what we wanted, we ordered a 2015 GT Premium with an automatic transmission and flew out to Vegas to pick it up—and what better place to celebrate taking the keys to a new Mustang.
Gaudin has a wide variety of 2015 Mustangs to choose from, but from the moment we saw the S550, we knew a Triple Yellow GT was in our future. To make sure it was just what we wanted, we ordered a 2015 GT Premium with an automatic transmission and flew out to Vegas to pick it up—and what better place to celebrate taking the keys to a new Mustang.

However, the GT Premium Package makes for the most luxurious Mustang interior to date. When you’re riding around the Las Vegas desert landscape the standard air-conditioned seats are a godsend. After a quick bit of tuning the audio system was soon sounding great. Speaking of sound, the increased levels of sound-deadening insulation are instantly apparent on the road. The better seals and thicker glass creates a much quieter driving experience.

I suppose I should have prefaced the last statement with an important exception; there is a pleasant level of engine noise tapped into the cabin. That’s right, just like the S197 Ford uses the Induction Sound Tube to pipe in just the right tones of induction noise to the driver’s ears. Many members of the Mustang community consider this a ‘fake’ sound, but it sounds fine to me and it will certainly suffice until some quality aftermarket exhaust can be added to the car.

Take a good look at it because it didn’t stay this way long. Yes, the 435hp new-school Coyote in the latest Mustang GT is a potent powerplant, but for us it’s just a starting point. Soon we snapped this picture, we headed to Whipple Superchargers to bolt on more power.
Take a good look at it because it didn’t stay this way long. Yes, the 435hp new-school Coyote in the latest Mustang GT is a potent powerplant, but for us it’s just a starting point. Soon we snapped this picture, we headed to Whipple Superchargers to bolt on more power.

This new version of the Coyote 5.0-liter V8 not only sounds great, it has legs too. The new 5.0s have taken the Mustang aftermarket by storm and that’s definitely not going to stop with the S550. Leaning heavily on the skinny pedal to let it eat deep into the rpm is an instant stress reliever.

The latest Coyote is also capable of producing some thoroughly impressive mileage numbers. On a trip from Las Vegas to Fresno, California, we managed to average 31 mpg. Though that trip is mostly downhill those mileage numbers are impressive for a rear-wheel-drive V8 performance car; Gotta love the miracles of modern technology.

You may be asking yourself why we drove west to California’s central valley when our HQ is on the East Coast? Well if you know anything about SVTP you could probably figure out what the first thing we would do with this brand-new project car.

We were bummed that the Performance Pack option was not on the table for our automatic. However, we did enjoy the plush air conditioned seats as we headed west across the desert from Las Vegas, Nevada, to Fresno, California, for a supercharger upgrade at Whipple.
We were bummed that the Performance Pack option was not on the table for our automatic. However, we did enjoy the plush air-conditioned seats as we headed west across the desert from Las Vegas, Nevada, to Fresno, California, for a supercharger upgrade at Whipple.

If you guessed that we’d drive it from the dealership—after a stop in the desert for a piece of pie—to California to have a color-matched 2.9-liter Whipple Supercharger installed you would be correct. Sure, the car only had 600 miles on it when we bolted on the blower, but that sounds broken-in to us. Keep an eye out for the install story in the near future.

Of course, we didn’t wait to leave the dealership before we installed some mods. Triple Threat gained and MGW license plate frame and a set of Redline Tuning hood lifts before we hit the road.

MGW isn’t really in the billet accessories business anymore, but we were lucky enough to score one of the company’s gorgeous billet GT license plate frame. We made it Triple Threat’s first official mod.
MGW isn’t really in the billet accessories business anymore, but we were lucky enough to score one of the company’s gorgeous billet GT license plate frame. We made it Triple Threat’s first official mod.
The modding didn’t’ stop there. We couldn’t pull out of the dealership with a prop rod on our S550. Nope. We popped open a tube and installed Redline Tuning’s popular QuickLift Plus. Installing these is as easy as it gets. Start by bolting on the mounts using factory hardware.
The modding didn’t’ stop there. We couldn’t pull out of the dealership with a prop rod on our S550. Nope. We popped open a tube and installed Redline Tuning’s popular QuickLift Plus. Installing these is as easy as it gets. Start by bolting on the mounts using factory hardware.
Here’s a look at the installed driver-side mounts. The passenger side is a bit more complex, as you have to trim the battery cover, but it’s no big deal.
Here’s a look at the installed driver-side mounts. The passenger side is a bit more complex, as you have to trim the battery cover, but it’s no big deal.
With the mounts installed you simply pop on the gas spring. Once you’ve installed them on both sides, you can unbolt that prop rod and kiss it goodbye.
With the mounts installed you simply pop on the gas spring. Once you’ve installed them on both sides, you can unbolt that prop rod and kiss it goodbye.
Next stop, Whipple Superchargers. Stay tuned as we install and test Whipple’s front-feed 2.9-liter supercharger on Triple Threat.
Next stop, Whipple Superchargers. Stay tuned as we install and test Whipple’s front-feed 2.9-liter supercharger on Triple Threat.

SVTP Triple Threat 2015 Mustang GT Gallery

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