Legend Mustangs LM500 X

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Featured: Legend Mustangs LM500 X
Posted 7.31.2007 in Features

John Temple can’t remember a time in his life that he wasn’t into cars. Literally. He can recall as far back as age three that he had a love for automobiles. “I can remember standing on the seat of my Dad’s 32 deuce roadster with its green tuck and roll vinyl interior and chrome steering wheel looking at the Buick Nailhead engine. It’s amazing how that car and the sounds of it were embedded in my mind at such and early age. I even remember the two 57 Thunderbirds he was working on at the same time. The excitement just elevated from there with car shows and swap meets and the adventure of looking for parts for whatever project we were working on.”

That love for cars continued to grow when he became a teenager when he was able to purchase a car of his own. “I was always a huge drag racing fan and by age 16 had a Big Block Torino and was racing every weekend and flipping burgers to fuel the habit.” John eventually worked his way up to NHRA super comp which he competed in for several years.

Besides racing, John also had a passion for designing and building cars. He had always wanted a job in the automotive design industry, but eventually ended up in the aviation industry with Delta working on jets. This all changed with the release of the new Mustang. He was smitten with the vintage looks of the car, and it took him back to his Ford roots where his family owned a Ford dealership back in the 1970’s.

Legend Mustangs LM500 X

Despite falling in love with the new Mustang, John thought it could use some improvements, particularly in the visual aspect of the car. “I started the company because I felt the new Mustang just needed a little extra something,” he says. With little capital and no car to work with, John knew it would be difficult to develop parts without a Mustang to work on. Instead, he used individual body panels and rental cars to start developing parts. He also recounts how the small project turned out to be bigger than he anticipated. “We started with body scoops and when finished had a complete body kit.”

The hard work paid off, and Legend Mustangs was born with the first customer car being completed in June of 2006. The company now offers various stages of complete Mustang packages, as well as individual body components for sale. The base LM500 Stage II car features upgraded exterior components including a front splitter, twin scoop hood, brake and quarter window scoops, and a rear spoiler. Customers can choose any factory color as well as a color for the dual painted stripes and rocker stripes. An MGW billet interior accent package brightens up the interior, while 20-inch Carroll Shelby CS67 Wheels wrapped with BFG g-Force tires complete the retro look on the outside. Finally, Steeda Sport Springs are added for improved handling.

The Stage I kit includes all of the Stage II components, but also adds a serious dose of performance. Customers have the option of adding a Roush ROUSHcharger Supercharger Kit good for 415 horsepower that includes a full three year warranty, or an unwarranted Procharger HO Intercooled Supercharger System rated at 500 horsepower. Autometer boost and air/fuel ratio gauges are also included in the package.

Legend Mustangs LM500 X

If that simply isn’t enough for you, the ultimate package from Legend Mustangs is the LM500 X like this particular car. Included in the package is a stroker kit from Livernois Motorsports utilizing a forged steel crankshaft and custom forged rods and pistons that bumps displacement up to 5.0 liters. As if that weren’t enough, a Kenne Bell 2.6L Big Bore Supercharger Kit adds a serious amount of boost good for 550 horsepower at the rear wheels and 650 horsepower at the crank. All of that power runs through a new Tremec T-56 6-Speed Transmission, SPEC Super Twin Clutch, and Ford Racing 4:10 gears. The combination of the 6-speed and shorter gears is a perfect match, providing quicker acceleration while still allowing for low rpm’s and decent fuel mileage at freeway speeds in top gear. Stopping power is provided by a Brembo 1-Piece Gran Turismo Big Brake Kit with custom Legend lettering. Additional upgrades to the suspension include Steeda Lower Control Arms and suframe connectors. This particular car also sports a Bassani AFT-Cat Exhaust System, Carroll Shelby CS69 Wheels, GT500 front fascia, Hurst shift knob, and a start button mounted in the center of the dash.

The overall package is unique enough that people will not mistake it for an ordinary Mustang, but clean enough to look like it came from the factory. It also packs supercar performance into a car that is very streetable and can be used daily. For more information on Legend Mustangs, visit http://www.legendmustangs.com/.