"Game Changer"

     Scott Hartick's '88 GT

    Having seen so many killer foxes over the years, there has always been one thing that bugged me. That would be when a car was so near perfection, but fell short in one area. Maybe the paint was absolutely perfect, but under the hood just didn't live up to what I was expecting. Or maybe the engine bay was perfect, but the interior left much to be desired. To put it in simple terms, I wanted to see the whole package. A car where no stone was left unturned, where the level of workmanship went through the entire car. I know that is a lofty goal, and I totally get the level of time and money it takes it to do that. I've seen it on tons of cars, just not many fox body Mustangs. Many times at shows I have spotted what looks to be the whole package, but upon further inspection the quality just wasn't there. This is where Scott Hartrick's '88 GT comes in. This car is the example I would offer up as the cream of the crop.  

    Before all the trophies, awards, and magazine coverage; this car started life as a black 88' GT. Scott bought the car in 2003, when he was just 15 years old. Scott's father had to go with him to buy the car, because Scott didn't even have his license. Aside from a few suspension mods, wheels, and the obligatory Flowmaster mufflers; it was bone stock.

    Five years ago, Scott decided he wanted to embark on the most extensive build he's ever attempted. His '88 was getting a bit tired, and instead of just a rebuild, Scott was going all in.

    To start, the car was stripped to nothing but a shell, not a single screw remained. Even all the glass was removed. Scott then built a rotisserie in his garage, and stripped every inch of the car down to bare metal. The deal was, the bottom side would be as nice as the topside, and it is. Under the hood, Scott spent hundreds of hours to get everything perfect. Sure we have all seen smoothed engine bays, this is much more. The fender aprons were custom fabricated to flush the turbo in, and allow a smooth transition for the air inlet to enter the engine bay. Meticulous. 

    On the inside, Scott fabricated a false floor to run from the hatch, to the back seat area. Raising the floor allowed him to hide all of the wiring for the Holley EFI, and a custom stereo system. The dash area received no less detail. The gauges are all Autometer, and the center stack houses a Custom Autosound head unit, along with led indicators for the fan, methanol, fuel pump, and line lock. Two PLX multi gauges also reside in the center stack, to monitor boost and A/F ratio. Those sexy seats are '05 model frames, wrapped with custom TMI upholstery, adding to the rich look of the cockpit.

    Enough of all these little details, what motivates a car of this caliber? Scott started off with a Dart block, and filled it chock full of forged internals. Up top are AFR 185 heads, Holley Systemax lower intake, Cartech box upper intake, custom FTI cam, and a completely custom fabricated turbo kit based around a 76mm comp turbo with a billet wheel. To handle the over 700RWHP, a Tremec Magnum T56 trans was installed. Moving on back, a fully built and detailed IRS from a 2003 Cobra was bolted in, adding another level of detail to the car.

    Obviously with this level of power on tap, the brakes would need to be addressed. Using a hydroboost system, Scott installed a complete Cobra brake conversion, as well as drilled and slotted rotors. The icing on the cake comes by way of True Forged Mach V wheels, measuring 18x8-9, and wrapped in BF Goodrich comp T/As which check in at 235/40 up front, and 275/35 in the rear. 

   Simply put, I don't have enough room to cover all of the details built into this fox body Mustang. Only seeing it up close and personal can you truly appreciate it fully. In a world of half hearted builds, this GT is a game changer. CR