Scott Erickson's '06 Mustang GT
Scott Erickson's love affair with the Mustang began at an early age. By the time he was 3 years old in 1966, he could point them out on the freeway or in a parking lot. That attraction for the first-generation Mustangs continued when he was older. "I had a roommate in the early '80s that had a '67 fastback and she let me drive on a regular basis," he recalls. "I loved that car!" It wasn't until 1995 when the SN95 Mustang was introduced that Scott came close to finally putting a Mustang in the garage. "We wanted to buy a new Mustang GT, but after going to the dealer and testdriving one with my knees pressed into the dash, I decided that it was too uncomfortable of a car for a 6-foot, 3-inch-tall driver."
The thought of purchasing a Mustang remained dormant until Ford introduced the S197 Mustang. "I first saw the concept car at the 2003 L.A. Auto Show," he recalls. "It was a red convertible on a revolving pedestal that had an immense crowd all around it with camera flashes coming from all angles. The car was stunning." It wasn't until three years later, however, that Scott and his wife Regina actually purchased a Mustang. "We actually had no plans of buying the car," Scott remembers. "We were out looking for a new Ford Excursion to replace our Expedition." Not finding the vehicle they wanted, Scott and Regina were about to leave the dealership when Scott suggested that they should take a quick look at the Mustangs on the lot. Scott and his wife both told the salesman that they had no intention of purchasing a Mustang, but the salesman sensed that perhaps this was the vehicle they really wanted. He gave them the keys and told them to start it up. After letting them listen to the V-8 and sitting in the leather seats, he suggested they go for a short drive. Needless to say, Scott and Regina left the dealership driving their brand-new Mustang, a Performance White five-speed GT.
The Process Begins
Since Scott's wife needed the new car, it was his intention to keep the Mustang relatively stock so that she could use it as a daily driver. However, those good intentions quickly evaporated almost as soon as they got the Mustang home. "We got back from the dealership at 9:30 p.m., and I was online looking for custom stuff until about 3 a.m.," Scott remembers. "I had the car at the exhaust shop at 10 the next morning." That first mod, a Magnaflow exhaust system, was the start of what became an obsession. Scott became afflicted with a disease common to many Mustang owners: the mod bug. After adding a few more custom parts and entering their first car show, Scott and Regina made the decision to turn the Mustang into a full blown show car.
With visions of the Mustangs of his childhood in his mind, Scott began drawing up various designs of what he wanted the Mustang to eventually look like. He couldn't seem to find exactly what he wanted in a complete body kit and wanted something unique that no one else would have, so he began piecing together individual parts to get the look he desired. "I especially loved the look of the Shelby GT350s and 500s, and began looking for pieces that resembled those cars." His search resulted in the addition of a Classic Design Concepts chin spoiler, a Cervini's rear ducktail spoiler, an Agent 47 lower grille with brake cooling duct, 3dCarbon headlight splitters, and several pieces from Street Scene Equipment, including a grille with center foglights, sidescoops, and rear valance. Stripes were next on the agenda, but again, Scott wanted something unique that no one else would have. "I didn't want two stripes, especially in red or blue, as I knew that look would become 'dime a dozen,' and I wanted the car to really stand out," he said. He finally decided on a triple-stripe design painted in Titanium Metallic Gray. As a final touch, thin red pinstripes were added for an extra bit of color.