July 2020 - Chris P. // "American Muscle"
My name is Chris Plump and this is my 2013 Ford Mustang GT. I’ve owned the Mustang for just about 1 year now. It was a super low mileage, bone stock garage queen when I bought it from the original owner. However it was not going to stay that way for long. No vehicle should ever be left stock so the modifications came very quickly. First thing was fixing the factory ride height with a set of Eibach Sportline springs. Next was multiple sets of American Racing wheels and Nitto tires (more on that later), then a Roush exhaust, K&N intake, R1 Concepts GT500 brake rotor upgrade, and of course, a full Rally Innovations aluminum splitter kit. I like to keep the outside appearance of my cars subtle and these splitters were the perfect touch. This is my daily driver that I use for my 100 mile a day commute. Some may say a 5.0 Mustang was probably not the smartest choice given the gas prices here in California but life is far too short to drive boring cars.
About those wheels and tires I mentioned earlier, it was not a difficult decision to go with American Racing. After all, I’m the Brand Manager for American Racing and US Mags wheels. I’m responsible for all aspects of these brands, including advertising, styling, social media, fitments, sales, etc. I’m lucky in that I’ve been able to make a career out of my passion. I’ve been in the wheel business for 15 years but my passion for everything automotive goes back as far as I can remember. My first Mustang was a 1966 coupe that I bought right after high school with a 289 and, of course, American Racing Torq Thrusts. After that I moved on to a 1989 Mustang GT, then a 2001 True Blue Bullitt, and now my 2013 GT. The first wheels I put on my Mustang were the AR924’s in the Charcoal finish. After running our new AR935’s in Gloss Black for a while, I switched back to the AR924’s but this time, custom powder coated gloss black.
However, I’m not just a Blue Oval lover. I also have a 1971 SS454 El Camino that I have restored. It is a factory Big Block car that I have built with a slight pro touring feel. It is stock appearing on the outside but with extensive engine, brake and suspension mods. And of course, it has a set of 3-piece forged American Racing wheels.
Work keeps me pretty busy traveling all over the country attending car shows and meeting new people so I don’t get a lot of free time. But when I do have the rare weekend off during the summer, you can find me either at a car show or in my garage working on one of my cars.