With the drivetrain settled, talks continued on suspension. Knowing how well the Boss Hoss handled with its Martz front subframe and tubular control arms, one was ordered for Bud's project as well. Out back, a Unique Performance coilover and torque-arm setup got the nod. To round out the suspension package, Bud asked his good friend Chip Foose to fire up the CNC machines at Foose Design for some killer, one-off wheels.
At the Year One Experience earlier this year, Blackened was treated to some no-holds-barred track time at Road Atlanta where it ran 147mph down the backstretch. Bud says the car was firm and tractable the whole time with this suspension setup.
The interior wasn't neglected on Blackened, either. Cobra Misano buckets in black leather, a custom two-seater-style package tray, and a full Alpine DVD system with navigation were installed. While the idea of using an '05 dash was toyed around with for a while, Brewer ended up designing a custom dash bezel (which you can find in the Year One catalog now) to hold the brace of Auto Meters. The '05 Mustang's automatic shifter did make it into the final design, though.
Blackened has a sinister-looking outward appearance, but if you look closely you'll see it isn't just the black topcoat and satin black striping. Take a look at those sidescoops. Chip Foose tweaked them when he was in town for an event, with nothing more than a few strips of electrical tape. Then Brewer and his crew fabricated the revised scoops for the car. Foose also revised the front lower apron for a one-of-a-kind look, while Brewer and his body guys tucked the bumpers, added rocker extensions, and modified the hoodscoop. These are all subtle touches that add up to one slick-looking exterior.
Bud is emphatic about his love for the car. He says he wouldn't change a thing on it, and he's extremely satisfied with the work everyone did at Year One. When we asked him what the black clothes, cars, and so on meant, he told us, "Black is a powerful color in any medium. I do so much live television where we wear what is called 'stage black' to blend in, that it just kind of stuck. Now I like everything black, and that's why we did Blackened and its triple-black finish. I had dinner with Jay Leno when I first had the car back in L.A., and he loved it. My celebrity friends say it looks like me. It's perfect!"