You ever wonder what happens to a SEMA car? After a ton of hard work and blood, sweat, and tears goes into one, does it spontaneously combust once the show’s over? Reveal that it’s a Transformer and wage war in your city with its enemies?
Probably not. I think a lot of them wind up like the 1969 Ford Mustang you see here: for sale. RK Motors Classics is offering this 2011 SEMA exhibit for $155,000*. For that amount of coin, you get a rotisserie-restored convertible with a little lot extra. For instance, there’s a 427 cubic-inch Keith Craft Performance V8 under the vented two-tone hood. The small block “creates 600 dyno-proven horsepower” and is fitted with an Edelbrock Victor Jr. intake, KCP heads, an MSD Pro-Billet distributor, and JBA long-tube headers.
Power is routed through a Tremec TKO600 5-speed manual gearbox, a twin-disc clutch, and a Chassisworks rear axle and suspension. Drilled and slotted rotors clamped by six-piston Wilwood calipers bring this “multi-trick pony” to a stop. Its custom DPE wheels (18 inches up front, 19 inches in the back) are wrapped in BF Goodrich g-Force T/A rubber.
The Street Seats interior features “Dakota Digital VHX gauges above Pioneer touchscreen audio that’s Bluetooth-wired, satellite-capable, MP3-compatible and navigation-ready.”
I think this Silver-and-Soft-Gray one-off looks pretty cool, except for its wheels. In my opinion, rollers with five thick spokes would’ve looked better. Check out the video tour of this restomod’s exterior and interior and let me know what you think of its looks – and its sound.
Derek Shiekhi's father raised him on cars. As a boy, Derek accompanied his dad as he bought classics such as post-WWII GM trucks and early Ford Mustang convertibles.
After loving cars for years and getting a bachelor's degree in Business Management, Derek decided to get an associate degree in journalism. His networking put him in contact with the editor of the Austin-American Statesman newspaper, who hired him to write freelance about automotive culture and events in Austin, Texas in 2013. One particular story led to him getting a certificate for learning the foundations of road racing.
While watching TV with his parents one fateful evening, he saw a commercial that changed his life. In it, Jeep touted the Wrangler as the Texas Auto Writers Association's "SUV of Texas." Derek knew he had to join the organization if he was going to advance as an automotive writer. He joined the Texas Auto Writers Association (TAWA) in 2014 and was fortunate to meet several nice people who connected him to the representatives of several automakers and the people who could give him access to press vehicles (the first one he ever got the keys to was a Lexus LX 570). He's now a regular at TAWA's two main events: the Texas Auto Roundup in the spring and the Texas Truck Rodeo in the fall.
Over the past several years, Derek has learned how to drive off-road in various four-wheel-drive SUVs (he even camped out for two nights in a Land Rover), and driven around various tracks in hot hatches, muscle cars, and exotics. Several of his pieces, including his article about the 2015 Ford F-150 being crowned TAWA's 2014 "Truck of Texas" and his review of the Alfa Romeo 4C Spider, have won awards in TAWA's annual Excellence in Craft Competition. Last year, his JK Forum profile of Wagonmaster, a business that restores Jeep Wagoneers, won prizes in TAWA’s signature writing contest and its pickup- and SUV-focused Texas Truck Invitational.
