The finished Shelby from Denton...
The finished Shelby from Denton enters the paint booth at Unique.
Ambler explained that Unique's parts list for early Mustangs is long, from side gas-cap relocation kits to fuel injection, a fiberglass rear package tray, side-exiting exhausts, and even an Eleanor body kit for those who want to build their own.
Although Unique assembles the cars at its facility, there is another important shop a few miles away. I heard Brent Fenimore, vice-president of business operations, mention driving to Denton. I figured he meant Denton, Texas, but he meant the other shop on Denton Drive.
Starting with 35- to 40-year-old cars is much more difficult than starting with new vehicles as Shelby did in the glory days of the '60s. Rough and not-so-rough Mustangs are delivered to Unique's sheetmetal fabrication shop on Denton Drive.
Before visiting Denton, as the shop is called by Unique employees, we visited with another cog in the Unique wheel, Tess Neilson, who works out of a plush office located near DFW Airport. As part of her job, Tess maintains an expansive Web site (www.uniqueperformance.com) that includes photos of employees, as well as the products, news, and press releases. She takes great stock in the people who are proud to be part of the organization.
This '67 fastback is still...
This '67 fastback is still undergoing body and prep work at the Denton facility before moving on to 13950 Senlac Drive.
Unique sprung out of an even larger organization, with several companies operating out of this office. Hasty, Kearby, and Layne had already developed other successful businesses, including Personnel Advantage and KHL Insurance. Basically, Unique Performance utilized existing personnel, such as Tess, to promote and sell cars. Most of them believe the car business adds sparkle to what they do. That's why dealing with Unique Performance is very much like dealing with a larger, Fortune 500-style company. Unique is not the typical start-up hot-rod shop. When the company puts out a new model, they have press releases with photos to distribute to magazines and newspapers.
Layne and Kearby are involved in the other businesses. We spotted the affable Layne in a back office at the Personnel Advantage facility. The next week we saw him at the Barrett-Jackson auction in Florida. He obviously wanted to witness the three Unique vehicles selling at the auction.
The Denton shop was busy. As we walked around, Shift Leader Manuel Contreras explained, "We strip 100 percent of the car. Then it's soda-blasted. We bring it back to our shop, and build the car from scratch. All the sheetmetal work and bodywork is done to get it ready for paint."
Assembly Supervisor Jerry...
Assembly Supervisor Jerry Flynn (left) and Gregg Bond, research and development of new products, install a DC&O fuel-injection system on a Shelby.
Manuel pointed to a stack of old doors that won't be reused. Instead, they'll hang new doors. According to Contreras, about the only thing left of the original car is the VIN, roof, A-pillar, B-pillar, grille, top cowl panel, and dashboard.
Brent Fenimore works in the office but knows car construction inside and out. He led us through the manufacturing process in detail, picking up the steps where Manuel left off. "After soda-blasting, the cars come back to Denton for sheetmetal evaluation to see what will be cut out and what can be reused. There may only be 20 to 50 percent of the original sheetmetal on the new build. Quite often we replace front rails, rear main rails, trunk sections, and all the flooring throughout the vehicle. A typical vehicle has 35-40 new sheetmetal panels welded into it."
When the Mustangs leave Denton, they're ready for painting and assembly with body kits already installed. From there, they move to the building at 13950 Senlac Drive.