East Coast NJ Ford Mustang & F-Series Club

Not surprisingly, Steve’s wife Nikki had a major impact on his decision to get a Mustang of his own. “Nikki has been exposing me to Mustangs for 8 years now and a person can only take so much temptation without finally succumbing to the desire to own one. I did not think I would like one as much as I do, but now I cannot see myself driving anything else, except perhaps a Shelby or Boss,” says Steve. Being Nikki’s “Event Coordinator” for her first NJStanger shows and escorting her to events led Steve to meeting other NJStanger members.

After completing a couple of modifications to Nikki’s car, Allura, he became her pit crew for the Downs and American Muscle Shows, which was fun, but it was time for Steve to get a Mustang of his own. This led him to the purchase of Angelica, a 2010 GT Premium model in Torch Red. This would be Steve’s first American car and the first car that he ever owned that wasn’t silver.

Quickly catching mod fever, Steve added a Rousch  CAI, SSS axleback exhaust, Stack throttle body spacer, Steeda lower control arms, Ford Racing tower strut with chrome billet tower caps, chrome flame logo and additional chrome accents inside and out. Steve would like to add a decklid panel, SHR Billet GT fuel door, SCT tuner with a Brenspeed tune, stripes, chrome fuse cover, Ford Racing throttle body, Hurst shifter and additional interior chrome accents as well.

Not to be outdone in the trophy department, Steve’s first show with Angelica at the Hackettstown Cops’n Rodders show yielded a top 50 trophy and became one of Steve’s favorite outings. It was also the first time he had to throw an over-enthusiastic fan out of his car, thus creating his tag line “Get the (*&% out of my car”. Angelica also took home a top 50 trophy at the 2011 Road Runners Halloween Show, but Steve luckily didn’t have to throw anyone out of his car at that show.

The Driver’s Spotlight for this month is a special one in honor of Valentine’s Day, on a married NJStangers couple Nikki and Steve! First we’ll focus on their Mustangs, then we’ll hear about their romantic love story in closing. Enjoy!

Nikki’s love of Mustangs started at an early age as her father was not only a mechanic but also a truck driver. He had his own garage in the backyard that he built himself where he would buy cars cheaply, fix and then sell them in his spare time. He would work on all types of cars, but was a Ford man at heart. Unfortunately, her dad developed adult onset diabetes, became more and more ill and ultimately passed away when Nikki was only seven years old.  Passing along the tradition to Nikki’s older brother, he himself started to buy cars, fix and sell them. During this time, he often drove a Mustang and promised Nikki a 1989 GT for when she was old enough to drive.

However, it was not only stolen but also set on fire consequently ending that plan. But Nikki was determined to get a Mustang of her own and her first car was a 1999 V6. Her current ride is a 2010 Grabber Blue V6 Premium that is fondly called Allura. She’s outfitted with black gloss racing  stripes, four piece stainless steel billet grill, Raxiom black projector headlights, a black fuel door, GT500 rear diffuser, color-matched hood lift kit, Pypes true dual exhaust conversion and Pypes shorty headers.

Currently in talks with a customization shop, Nikki plans to work on the interior by adding color to the seats and carbon fiber to the dash. Black rims and blue anodized lug nuts are on the wish list along with battery and master cylinder covers, blue anodized caps for the engine, window louvers, a new spoiler, new tail lights, decklid panel and mirror covers. A tuner and a CAI would be really nice too.

Looking for an online Mustang community, Nikki came across the NJStanger website, took a look around and decided that it was the perfect place for her needs. “What a great group of people that all love Mustangs! It’s exactly what I wanted to find, a lot of people to hang around with who also like cars” says Nikki.

Winning first place in the 2010+ Stock Class at the Downs Ford Car Show in August 2011, is one of Nikki’s favorite times so far with the club along with the NJStanger’s picnic held in July. Going on to win two top 50 awards at the Hackettstown Cops’n Rodders show and the Road Runners Halloween show has whetted her appetite for upcoming shows in the new season.

Currently residing with her husband Steve in Sellersville, PA, Nikki is a Librarian Assistant which is perfectly suited for her as she is a huge history buff. “I enjoy studying Roman and Greek history and art. I love to go to museums and will get stuck in the ancient Roman section if you don’t make me leave,” says Nikki. A lover of cats in particular, both big and small, Nikki has a general love of all animals, just not spiders, so she pretends they aren’t part of the animal kingdom at all. Nikki also enjoys exploring old sites in the area, especially old buildings that have a haunted, supernatural aura about them. Halloween is her favorite holiday as her birthday happens to be the day before, she loves autumn,  high heel shoes, dabbling in writing and art, shopping and rock  music. “I grew up listening to my brother’s music. One of the first songs I could sort of sing along too was AC/DC’s Hells Bells! My dad just loved what my brother was teaching me!”

Nikki’s love of the Mustang eventually rubbed off on her husband Steve, which leads us to the second part of our Driver’s Spotlight this month: Learn more about Steve and his beautiful 2010 Torch Red Mustang GT.