SEMA Twisted Mustang 572 HP Supercharged 5 Speed

If you've been to the SEMA show in Vegas, you know the kind of hardware that shows up there. Companies use the vehicles not only to showcase their hardware and talent, but also to one-up the competition, resulting in some of the most spectacular, over-the-top cars you've ever seen. In 2005, this Mustang GT, nicknamed “Twisted,”” was voted one of the top 20 cars at the show, no small feat considering the competition. Custom built by Wheelz-N-More, it ostensibly showcased their new body kit, but there was so much more to the car than just a body kit. With a suspension by Mustang tuner Steeda, and a Vortech blower under the hood, this is a car that will take your breath away, before and after you turn the key.

The foundation is a 2006 Mustang GT that was disassembled and transformed before it even had 100 miles on the clock. Originally black, it's now a brilliant Grabber Green. The Twisted body kit was a prototype setup that went into production sometime in 2007, but this is the first and was used to prototype all the parts that eventually went into the catalog. It was this original form that took SEMA by storm and won so many awards.

Fast forward two years and the Twisted Mustang finds a new owner, who is attracted to the bright green paint and affectionately names the car Kermit. Looking for an even more radical piece, the original Twisted body kit is augmented with select pieces from Cervini's, including the front bumper and spoilier, hood, rear bumper and taillight assembly. Now sporting a combination of Twisted and Cervini's Stalker components, this is truly a spectacular car that will absolutely knock people out at car shows. The paint and bodywork are expertly done, and looking at the build photos, it's easy to see that the guys who built it took their challenge seriously.

At the SEMA show, EVERYONE has spectacular paint and flawless bodywork-to really stand out, you need to go above and beyond. The most striking addition is the oversized C-scoop in front of the rear wheel opening. One of the traditional design cues from the original 1965 Mustang, its exaggerated proportions on this car give it an aggressive mean stance. Taking a page from Shelby's playbook, the C-pillars now have scoops, and out back, traditional Mustang 3-element taillights look right at home. Lower side skirts have integral openings for the side exhaust system that sounds like a full-race GT350 under load. A pair of driving lights located in the center of the lower grille opening pays tribute to the 1967 Shelbys with their short-lived center-mounted high-beams (which were quickly outlawed by several states). Also note the fairings on the outside of each headlight which recall the design of the 1970 Mustang parking lights, and the NACA-style hood scoops (yes, it's NACA-the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics-not NASA, which came later) which recall the 1969-1970 Shelby hood. The car was given a second full paint job in Grabber Green, again to show standards, and it was topped off with black stripes along the rocker panel-can they be called subtle? Maybe, maybe not.

In the horsepower department, there was no need for additional tinkering. The GT's original 4.6 liter SOHC V8 was treated to a Vortech supercharger system that was expressly designed and tuned for this car. Cranking out a staggering 572 horsepower and 488 pounds of torque, this car has the horsepower to keep the promises made by its outrageous body. The computer was custom tuned for this combination, so it idles, drives, and operates like a stocker, and everything works as if the factory built it this way.

From the ABS brakes and traction control to the cruise and A/C, it's 100% functional. Dressed up with a ton of polished aluminum castings for the various blower components, including the supercharger itself, the engine bay is a densely-packed horsepower factory that sticks with the green theme. A Twisted logo lives atop the intake manifold, and even the air cleaner is a specially-designed piece. Exhaust duties are handled by a set of beautifully made JBA shorty headers dumping into a custom made dual exhaust system fabricated by the twisted guys at Twisted. For positive control of all those horses, the builders turned to the chassis experts at Steeda, long renowned for their race-winning Mustang suspension systems. Virtually every stock suspension component was replaced by a race-quality Steeda piece, from the springs to the sway bars to the Panhard bar that was added in back for positive control of the live rear axle. The shocks and struts are Tokico D-Spec units custom designed for this application, and the front end has been heavily reinforced with a strut brace and G-load brace underneath. Braking is compliments of SSBC, who supplied massive 14-inch front rotors clamped by 4-piston aluminum calipers, and 13-inch rear rotors that use the stock Mustang calipers. Originally sporting a set of Halibrand replica wheels (Halibrand was one of the car's original sponsors), it now wears gorgeous 20-inch Petrol wheels with 245/35ZR20 Toyo Proxes performance radials.

When the Mustang was redesigned, the interior was one of its strongest features. With that in mind, the guys building the car left the great design virtually intact, adding only a few small modifications to complete the Twisted theme. A trio of performance gauges was installed atop the dash, and a short shifter was installed atop the 5-speed manual transmission, but otherwise, the factory got it right. Black leather “comfortweave” seats look Steve McQueen cool, but support you better than the buckets in his '67 ever did. The leather is in excellent shape, showing very little wear and with a comfortable, broken-in look that you'll appreciate every time you slide behind the wheel. The wheel itself is leather-wrapped an in excellent condition. Powerful speakers live in the standard locations, and provide enough audio performance to drown out the side exhausts (not that you'd want to - it sounds amazing). Everything great about the Mustang remains in this car, from the retro-styled gauges to the brushed aluminum dash to the usable back seat. The trunk is finished to factory specs and I doubt anything other than a few SEMA flyers have ever been back there.

To someone who has been to the SEMA show, there aren't many things more exciting than the opportunity to own one of the exotic machines that make the show so remarkable. With a great list of contributors and experts helping in the build, this Mustang is not only show-stoppingly beautiful, but it accelerates, corners, and stops like a supercar. The work that has been done is first-rate throughout, and with a body like that, you know the paint is brilliantly done. The price tag on this car would not even cover the purchase of the parts, let alone the professionals who installed and tuned everything to perfection. This is a rare opportunity to acquire a show-winning car that will still bring home trophies no matter where it goes. And look again at the price - this is a one-of-one machine that will out-perform a new Shelby GT500 in every way except price, where it's a screaming bargain. It's not easy being green - unless you're the biggest, nastiest frog in the pond. Call now!