The Ford Mustang GT 
is one of those cars that are just ripe for the aftermarket world. Part of that is because the Mustang GT is a muscle car and as such, there’s always a need to improve on the impressive performance numbers that Ford gave it. Hey, I’m not the type to complain about a car that already packs 435 horsepower and 400 pound-feet of torque. But there’s always that question of what more can do the Mustang GT do if it received a hefty engine upgrade. History has shown us that tuners always focus on that when dealing with the Mustang. But there are times that a tuner shows up and focuses on something entirely different.
That’s precisely what WRAPworks did with its own kit for the Mustang GT. As the name implies, WRAPworks specializes on body wraps and that’s exactly what it did to Ford’s pony machine. Now the trick with body wraps is that there’s rarely a consensus reaction to them. Some will love it while others will hate it. That’s just the way our eyes work. But WRAPworks still took up that challenge, convinced that it had a wrap package that could add an extra touch of personality to the Mustang GT. Whether it succeeded or not is entirely up to the pair of eyes that are looking at it.
Unfortunately, the body wrap is largely the extent of what WRAPworks did to the muscle car. Sure, it enlisted the help of Roush Performance – one of the best Mustang tuners in the business – but did Roush do enough to at least complement the crazy work put in by WRAPworks? Or you could ask it like this: did WRAPworks give Roush enough freedom to work on the ‘Stang GT’s 5.0-liter V-8 engine? Read on to find out.
Continue after the jump to read the full review.
Exterior
Given its expertise in body wraps, it’s no surprise that WRAPworks’ program for the Mustang GT mostly involved creating a flamboyant wrap for the muscle car. The tuner’s work started on a a standard Mustang with an Iridium Black Mica paint. WRAPworks left the paint alone on certain sections of the car, including the front section and the roof, but the flanks and the rear of the Mustang were given a matte silver metallic film, creating a dynamic two-tone paint scheme on the body.
The tuner mixed in neon yellow and neon green graphics throughout the body, highlighted by a pair of thin neon green stripes running from the front bumper all the way to the roof.
From there, the tuner mixed in neon yellow and neon green graphics throughout the body, highlighted by a pair of thin neon green stripes running from the front bumper all the way to the roof. A handful of fancy decals were also added to the exterior package, including a pretty funny one that says “2 liters is a soft drink, not an engine size” just below the two side mirrors. Finishing off the ostentatious wrapping program is a 95-percent tint on all the windows and a set of 19-inch alloy wheels that have been powder coated in the same two neon colors – green on the two front wheels and yellow on the two rear wheels.
But wait, it’s not over yet. It may not be evident from the get-go given how attention-grabbing the body wraps are, but this program also includes some aerodynamic upgrades that WRAPworks received from Roush Performance. The tag-team assistance from the Mustang tuner extraordinaire resulted in the muscle car receiving a new hood, window scoops, rear spoiler, and a rear diffuser.
Interior
Modifications in the interior are limited to just the new gearshift knob from Roush Performance. Other than that novelty, the cabin of the Mustang GT is about as stock as stock can get. Fortunately, owners of the Mustang GT don’t have to go far to get their upgrades. Ford already has that covered with special packages like California Special Package and the Performance Package, among others. The former, for instance, comes with premium items like ebony leather and Miko suede seat inserts with red contrast stitching and embossed logos, special door-panel inserts and premium carpet with red stitching, and a bespoke aluminum dashboard finished with a California Special badge. Not too bad, right?
Drivetrain
The performance modifications on the Mustang GT are limited to just a new cold air intake system and a four-pipe rear exhaust system that predictably enough came from Roush Performance. Neither Roush nor WRAPworks indicated the kind of improvements the new equipment had on the Mustang GT’s 5.0-liter V-8 engine. For what its worth, though, the standard Mustang GT is capable of producing 435 horsepower and 400 pound-feet of torque so the upgrades Roush made should be good to add a pinch of extra power on the muscle car.
Suspension
Since WRAPworks successfully gave the Mustang GT that flamboyant aftermarket look, it finished up its program for the muscle car by improving its suspension. Although the exact figures weren’t given, WRAPworks installed a new ST X coilover suspension to lower the car’s ride height. Wheel spacers were also put in place with the front receiving 1.6-inch spacers from Eibach and the rear getting 1.8-inch spacers from Velocity Wheel. The tuner finished off the suspension upgrades with a Steeda Autosports G-Trac underbody brace, designed to improve the Stang’s stance and overall driving dynamics.
Pricing
Neither WRAPworks nor Roush Performance made any hoot about the pricing details for this program. So as is the case in this kind of situation, the best and fastest way to get a quote is to contact the main tuner directly, which I believe in this case would be WRAPworks.
Competition
Ford Mustang GT HPE700 by Hennessey
Now this is what a tuning upgrade for the Ford Mustang GT should look like. Hennessey has always been at the forefront of tuning programs for the Mustang GT and it’s lineup of kits for the muscle car is living proof of that. You can pick one from a number of kits so I’ll choose the HPE700 program, which affords the ‘Stang a ridiculous 717 horsepower and 632 pound-feet of torque. Those numbers are impressive enough in it of themselves, but they also help improve the Mustang GT’s sprint times, including a 0-t0-60-mph time of just 3.6 seconds and a quarter-mile time of 11.2 second at 131 mph.
Just as important as the engine upgrade is the aero work that Hennessey is offering for the muscle car. In this case, the tuner is offering a new front splitter, side sills, a rear diffuser, and a rear lip spoiler, all of which are made from carbon fiber. Finally, the kit also has a set of 20-inch Hennessey H10 wheels that customers can get as an extra option. These wheels are shod in Michelin Pilot Super Sport 2 tires and buyers can also opt for a set of Brembo brake package that includes 15.1-inch front rotors to complete the whole setup.
Read our full review here.
Ford Mustang by Vortech
Now if a customer really wants something that borders on the absurd, they can opt to get this tuning kit from Vortech. Visual enhancements are available and there are aerodynamic bits to go with them too. Most of these items are available as customizable options so interested buyers are afforded the opportunity to mix and match on what kind of bespoke paint job they want. The same holds true for the aero kit and the wheels.
But none of those things are what makes this program for Vortech so mental. That distinction rests on the shoulders of the engine upgrades that the tuner is offering for the muscle car. Consider this: the mildest of these engine kits all, if you can even call it that, is the V-3 Si supercharger that brings the Mustang’s output up to 640 horsepower and 485 pound-feet of torque. Solid numbers, but I’m sure there are those who want more. That’s not a problem for Vortech because it also has a V-7 JT compressor kit that helps bring the output up to an incredible 1,000 horsepower. That’s ridiculous, right? Well, it would be if it wasn’t for the V-7 YSi supercharger that Vortech also has on offer. This one is good enough to send the Mustang GT’s output straight into the atmosphere to the tune of 1,200 ponies.
Read our full review here.
Conclusion
As solid as the wraps are from WRAPWorks, I still have trouble trying to understand why it didn’t focus on the Mustang’s engine as much as it should have. It could at least have asked Roush to fit more than an air cooler and a new exhaust. See, tuning programs for the Mustangs need to have performance upgrades. That’s always been priority number one for any aftermarket tuner working on a kit for the muscle car. WRAPworks not recognizing that makes this kit incomplete in my eyes. It’s tough because the Mustang looks race-ready and it should’ve had the performance upgrade to match that.