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Chad Smith’s 2013 supercharged Mus tang GT was liter ally saved from a salvage yard and originally bought as a donor car to hop-up a previous ly purchased Fox Body. But when he got into it, Smith realized this S197 was a diamond in the rough and well worth saving.
Story: Steve Baur
As much as motor racing can be a singular sport, it often leads to personal relationships that make the sport even more enjoyable.
A local veteran passed on his knowledge and love of all things automotive to Chad Smith and his friends, and after taking a break from sounds, sights, and thrills of speed to buy a home and start a family, Smith eventually found his way back through his exploits with this 2013 Ford Mustang GT. Smith’s Mustang exposure began with a ’91 Mustang GT, that with enough mods, eventually clicked off impressive elapsed times.
“I was able to dip into the mid 10s, which was notable in the early 90’s,” Smith said. Once his first daughter was born, Smith saw the racing part of his life slow down while he focused his attention on hearth and home. After the Mustang sat long enough, it was sold to provide a down payment on a new home purchase.
Smith incorporated a host of trick chassis work and rear suspension parts to help get the power to the ground. Custom lower control arm brackets were installed to position the 4.10-gear-equipped, fortified 8.8 rear axle with Kelltrac coilover shocks and anti-roll bar.
As the years passed, however, Smith longed to get back behind the wheel.“After 15 years of working as an electrician, I was able to start my own company,” Smith explained. “I was able to build it and quickly became financially capable of building a car again.” Smith noted that the Fox-Body Mustang was his first love, so that was the first car he purchased. He’s had numerous others since, and currently has a pair of Saleen Mustangs.
To get back into racing, he purchased a notchback Fox-
Body coupe and planned to Coyote-swap it. Smith then purchased the 2013 Mustang GT you see here from Copart with the idea of using it as the donor vehicle, but once he started looking at it, he realized he could easily repair it and get it up and running quicker than performing the swap.
Putting his mechanical skills to good use, Smith rebuilt the Mustang in his one-car, detached garage, then upgraded it with bolt-on parts and a custom ECM calibration.
