Every once in a while we spot a Modified Mustang with a combination of parts and pieces that look just right, and yet under the hood is a V6 engine. In the inaugural issue of this magazine we featured a then brand new 2005 Mustang V6 built up to look like a GT. That car got a lot of reader response. Jim Pauly did not build his '07 to resemble a GT, instead, the Floridian moved up a notch and went with the Boss theme. He chose the color Grabber Orange, which is an original Ford factory hue. With the black stripes and elevated black carbon fiber hood, another feature car comes to mind from a recent issue of this magazine - none other than Saleen's Parnelli Jones Mustang.
Pauly told us he really admired the PJ Stang, but simply couldn't afford to buy one. He could order a V6 with the same factory color for a starting-point for about 20 grand. He admits to having owned a plethora of Mustangs with "the big motors" and currently, his home in Florida has a 400-horse '83 GT residing in the garage. With the '07, Jim wanted to build a show car the whole family could and would enjoy. We found Jim, his wife and 15-year-old daughter enjoying Mustang Week in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina this past July.
They actually stayed the entire week for the festivities. Driving the V6 Boss up and down the main drag - Kings Road, in Myrtle Beach, Jim says, "It was incredible, the looks I was getting behind the wheel of this car."
DA' Boss Rules
We believe the 'Boss' has an assortment of parts and pieces to look hot - not overdone, but not sedate either. And it appears a lot of other people agree. On the weekend, at the big Mustang Week car show, Jim added, "Even the guys with the Shelbys - the GT-500s - were coming over and were impressed with the way the car looked."
The 'Boss' build started out with a set of ROH ZS wheels, Jim said. "I had the rims and tires sitting in my garage for the '83. I was going to do a 5-lug conversion on that car, but never got around to it." From our vantage point, the bigger wheels and wider B.F. Goodrich tires set off the Gen 5 Mustang, especially a V6 car. Although Jim wasn't after big time horsepower, he still did want a muscle look. He chose a Boss theme that started with a Boss stripe package from Graphics Express. The rear spoiler, sourced from a new Mustang GT, follows the black theme, as does the 3D Carbon fiber front air dam. Jim got the idea for the hood from a feature car in this magazine.
Said vehicle proved to be none other than the 'Evil GT,' a car this author photographed out in the desert near Las Vegas, Nevada and which appeared in our February, 2007 issue. I can attest that it made yours truly actually feel quite good in some respects, to think that a car I actually shot gave another Mustang builder a bit of inspiration for their own head turning ride. I suppose features are good for giving all of us ideas on what might look good on a built-up Mustang. The Boss stripes are definitely what stopped me in my tracks at the car show that day. As soon as I saw the car I just had to inquired who might be the owner. A man pointed at Jim. My first question was, could he pop the hood as I wanted to see more. Most people display their cars with the hoods open at shows like these.
"It's just a V6 that's pretty much stock," Jim said. Actually, the V6 looked pretty cool with a few mods. Jim admitted the engine was "pretty respectable," being factory rated at 210 horsepower - the same as the top dog Mustang GT boasted back in 1985.
"It's a little heavier than the Fox-bodies from the 1980s, but the car still gets up and goes for what I want to do. I just want a nice looking car to go to the car shows." A side benefit in these gas price conscious times is 29 highway miles per gallon on the highway from his home near Orlando, Florida north to Myrtle Beach.