While the current American tuning universe seems to revolve almost exclusively around the newest Ford Mustang—the S650, polished, promoted, and paraded endlessly on social media—it’s the previous model that still rules the roost. The S550, built between 2014 and 2023, remains the Mustang of choice for enthusiasts, modifiers, and people who believe cars should be loud, dramatic, and slightly unreasonable.

And frankly, that makes sense. This sixth-generation Mustang is the one that properly introduced Europe to the idea that a Pony Car could do more than just go very fast in a straight line. It could also turn. Occasionally even well.

The example you see here is a Gen6 Mustang GT, powered by Ford’s naturally aspirated 5.0-liter Coyote V8—a motor that doesn’t need turbochargers to shout about its intentions. This particular car was handed over to Nuding Performance, the tuning arm of Ford dealer Nuding in Remshalden, with one simple instruction: make it better.

Visually, the first thing that grabs you—apart from the general sense that it wants to pick a fight—is the wheel setup. These are Barracuda Project 3.0 wheels from the Flow Forged Ultralight Series, and they are not subtle.

Measuring a mighty 10.0×20 inches at both ends, they’re finished in “Flash Red,” a colour that highlights the machined surfaces of the five pairs of double Y-spokes and ensures pedestrians notice you from several postcodes away. Wrapped around them are Michelin Pilot Sport 4 S tyres—265/35R20 at the front and 285/35R20 at the rear—because if you’re going to deploy a V8, you may as well do it responsibly.

Now, while the S550 Mustang already marked a huge leap forward in handling compared to its axle-happy ancestors, Nuding Performance clearly decided that “good enough” is for hatchbacks. To sharpen things further, they fitted a KW Variant 3 coilover suspension, complete with adjustable compression and rebound damping. The result? More precision, more agility, and far less of that old Mustang sensation where the rear end appears to be making its own travel plans.

And just in case the chassis upgrades made the engine feel left out, the Coyote V8 also received a performance enhancement—because in the world of Mustang tuning, more power is never the wrong answer. It’s loud, it’s fast, it’s red in all the right places… and it proves that sometimes the best car isn’t the newest one. It’s the one that makes you grin like an idiot.