Kentucky native Mike Thomas is no stranger to fast street cars. Having started racing a little over a decade ago, it’s no surprise that after getting his hands on his first ’06 Mustang GT that the adrenaline bug would sink its fangs in. After owning several different Stangs through the years, Mike settled on a new sleek black 2012 Mustang GT. Once the Coyote-equipped car was paid off a few years back, he decided to take the freed up monthly payment and begin to modify the GT. And he’s not afraid to admit that he partially blames the hit show Street Outlaws for the inability to leave the car alone.
The 2012 Ford was purchased as a base model, with only a Brembo brake upgrade, and originally it was a 6-speed manual transmission car. “I raced the car with long tube headers, a cold air intake, drag pack, and a tune for a few years,” Mike explains. He ran a personal best at the time of 11.44 at 120 mph in the quarter-mile. Although respectable, it wasn’t quite enough to keep up with his friends who were just a bit quicker. So it was time to get to work and close the gap.
In 2015, with the help of Anthony Peck at Fast Track Performance in Louisville, Mike swapped the MT82 manual transmission over to a factory 6R80 6-speed automatic that he had purchased from a friend and the car now appears as though it came straight from the showroom floor with an auto. Mike didn’t cut any corners doing the swap and not a single detail was overlooked, as he replaced everything down to the shifter, brake pedal, and even the brake fluid reservoir. “The transmission was built by Lee Blankenship of Shelbyville, Kentucky with Exedy clutches, a billet intermediate shaft, and a Circle D converter.”…. Read more of this article. Just click on the digital feature below this introduction.
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