As partial as I am to the S197 Mustang's neo-retro design, the factory rear wing just doesn't do it for me. The fantasy GT assembled in my head-real ones cost money-is a wing-delete car with a naked trunklid. It was just a fantasy until I was assigned the pleasurable duty of shooting Classic Design Concepts' SEMA Glassback with its understated prototype ducktail spoiler ("Good Looking Glass," June '05, p. 64.) That subtle wraparound lip had the look of being molded in at the factory and gave the S197's hindquarters the right amount of attitude. Thankfully, CDC boss George Huisman made the call to put the S197 ducktail into production in OEM-quality, blow-molded ABS. Better yet, it can be ordered prefinished in any of the Mustang's factory colors or can be had unpainted for the spray-it-yourself crowd. My fantasy GT is still going to be wing-delete-that way there'll be no imaginary holes to fill after I bolt on CDC's three-piece rear spoiler.
To harmonize with the restyled rear, the company also crafted a similarly understated chin spoiler that looks so right you'd swear it originated in Ford's own design studios. The chin spoiler-available in either textured matte black or primer-is made of injection-molded urethane, and it's even easier to install than the ducktail. Order both and after a couple of hours' work, you'll have the best-looking S197 on the block-next to my fantasy GT, of course.
Essential SequentialsAnother of CDC's trademark styling cues is sequential taillights, as originally found on mid-'60s Thunderbirds and Shelby GTs, and a CDC mainstay since 1994. For the S197, CDC offers its Dynamite Stick sequentials that are even easier to install than their predecessors since they basically plug inline between the vehicle harness and taillights.
There's no longer a traditional signal-light "flasher" in the '05 Mustang. Signal function is now controlled by the omnipotent Spanish Oak processor.