TREMEC Debuts Two New Builds: A One-Family Owned ’65 Mustang and a ’99 Lightning Pickup
In case you missed the Detroit Autorama a month or so ago, TREMEC revealed two ground-breaking vehicles during the show; a world-class contemporary build of a 1965 Ford Mustang with a personal story 60-years in the making in addition to a Ford F-150 Lightning proof-of-concept build with the first-ever aftermarket Dual-Clutch transmission.
The ’65 Ford Mustang story begins 60 years ago when Jim Howe of Grass Lake, Michigan, wanted to relocate his Ford dealership to a larger space and offered a brand new Mustang to a local farmer as partial payment for some farmland to build his new dealership. The farmer, Gerald Memmer, took his offer and enjoyed the car for a few years before his son, Roger, used it to attend school at the University of Michigan. Upon graduation, Roger returned to the family farm, where he and his wife Diane still reside, and continued to drive the Mustang for several more years. Eventually the pony ended up in a barn on the farm, where it sat untouched for close to 50 years.
Thankfully, Roger’s son, Matt Memmer, who happens to be TREMEC’s Director of Engineering and Program Management, pulled the Mustang out of the barn, telling his father that he was going to take it to a shop to see what it would take to get it running again. The decaying Mustang was actually taken to Bonafide Customs in Napoleon, Ohio, where it was stripped bare and prepped for a complete rebuild – a serious rebuild that Roger didn’t know was taking place!
The team at Bonafide along with Mike Kidd, TREMEC’s Aftermarket Business Unit Manager, created a vision for a custom-car build, elevating the vintage Mustang’s performance to make the car standout visually, on the street and on the track. Roger saw his family’s Mustang for the first time when it was revealed at the Detroit Autorama!
The powertrain is a Ford Performance Parts 7.3L Godzilla Power Pack crate engine matched to a TREMEC TKX 5-speed transmission. Bonafide invested more than 1,000 man-hours into the custom metalwork, paint and bodywork, as well as fitting the world-class chassis components, assembling the interior and countless details. To say Roger was surprised is an understatement!
The other TREMEC build was a Gen 2 Ford F-150 Lightning that featured their first Dual-Clutch Transmission (DCT) for the aftermarket. Built by Livernois Performance in Dearborn Heights, Michigan, this ’99 Lightning had the body and interior restored while the powertrain received a significant upgrade with a Ford Performance 5.2L Carnivore Power Pack crate engine.
This Lightning serves as a proof-of-concept for their new TR-9070 7-speed DCT offered for use in the aftermarket. The mechanical components of this DCT are the same as the TR-9070 used in the 2000-2022 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500. This aftermarket version will give custom-car builders access to the performance and strength of the TREMEC DCT, including the ability to upshift in as little as 80-milliseconds. Check out the detailed video below to see how the TREMEC TR-9070 operates.
