It's been a hectic couple of months here at the Steeda Campus, but when you maintain your focus and work hard at your craft, some of the right people are bound to notice. And the payoff can sometimes exceed your expectations.
So it has been for Steeda Autosports, with the R & D of performance and appearance mods for the brand new Ford Mustang. As members of the SEMA Technology Transfer Program, we were supplied in advance with engineering data directly from Ford, so the design phase began early on. Yet between design changes from the factory (some parts we designed had to be re-engineered to suit), delays in receiving our first production car (despite the whale of a speeding ticket that came with it), and the occasional snafu with suppliers (you wanted it when?), Team Steeda persevered.
The result of these efforts are quite dramatic. Already 30 of the 100+ parts Steeda will have for the '05 are being inventoried, so we're meeting our goal of having these parts ready by the time dealers across the country have taken delivery of their cars. In fact, we've pretty much beaten the "after" right out of the aftermarket.
Unlike much of the industry, we were able to drive our display cars onto the trailer. With our focus on 'the real world' of production-based racing, we engineer parts that do-it-yourselfers can install with confidence onto their street cars. For those more interested in turning keys than wrenches, brand new Mustangs can be ordered through a growing network of participating Ford New Car Dealers. These cars will be covered by the Manufacturer's warranty with the modifications warrantied by Steeda, and will be priced in the "attainable range" of the Mach 1s and Cobras of the past few seasons.
And, as if to underscore that 'real world' aspect of our operation, the Steeda Autosports Screamin' Yellow Q was chosen by Ford for use in their official Press Conference on 11:00 am on Tuesday, November 2nd. Senior Ford Executives and select members of the Automotive Media will be among the first to drive the road-hungry racer; the rest of will have to be content to view it in the Ford Motor Company display for the balance of the show.
The Torch Red Q will be on display, too, thanks to a mad Sunday thrash to prepare that car for the trip west by Steve Chichisola, Chief Engineer of Steeda's Racing Division, and the Steeda Tech Team. The Wood brothers themselves would have been proud of the effort, as are our friends at Nitto Tire, who are using this car and the popular Steeda Ultralite Wheels to show off their new shoes for the pony car.
While many vendors are still showing 'renderings' of their intended designs, or will have un-drivable 'concept cars' on display, Steeda Customers will be able to see, and perhaps even experience, the actual Steeda Autosports parts on an actual production car. At Steeda, "Speed Matters" - always on the track, and in cases like this, in the marketplace as well.
We look forward to seeing our friends and fans this year at SEMA!