Brandon Barry’s 2002 Ford Mustang GT
Brandon Barry’s Mustang Story:
“My journey with Ford started before I was born when my father took a job in Tool and Die. Always between Ford’s Dearborn Stamping Plant and the Woodhaven Stamping Plant, he’s not particularly passionate about cars, but there’s an unspoken loyalty for Ford within my family. First we had a Ford Ranger, then a Ford Explorer, then a Ford F-350, then a Ford Focus, and lastly, my father got a Ford F150: I really didn’t know much else besides Ford.
“When I was just 5 years old, there was only one path forward: I remember driving down Gratiot Avenue just north of Detroit, seeing a Mustang, and deciding it would be my first car. An obsession was born! I saved every dollar and cent I could find – from birthday gifts to bottle deposit returns – to buy my 2002 Ford Mustang GT with just 66,027 miles on the odometer. I got it when I was 15 years old so that I had it when I turned 16 and got my license. I was quick to make the typical modifications: wheels, exhaust, chin spoiler, and of course a Vortech supercharger.
“When I went off to college in Rhode Island at Brown University, I couldn’t find a way to bring my car with me. It was there that I caught wind that the Focus RS was being brought to the U.S. in 2016. I had always read about them in Europe, and it was finally coming to the U.S.! I remember coming home for summer break and seeing a manufacturer-plate Nitrous Blue Focus RS on Woodward Avenue. It stood out – a Ford Focus yes, but its looks and performance were something completely different. In 2017, I decided to pick one up as a new daily driver/weekend track car. Further, Ford Performance decided to sell the “Drift Stick” to turn the car into the ultimate daily driver/hooning machine. This inclination toward drifting was the first step down a long path for me.
“With a Focus RS, I asked myself what to do with my Mustang. Drag racing never appealed to me. At first, I considered road racing or autocross – but I think no matter how many performance parts I threw at my Mustang, my Focus would probably be quicker in that sport. Then it clicked – seeing Mustangs stand out in drifting as Vaughn Gittin Jr. entered into Formula Drift with a Mustang. I was dead-set on getting into drifting.
“So, in 2018, I returned back to Detroit to find my Mustang as I left it. It was time to get to work and turn it into a drift car. I knew absolutely nothing about drifting. I wasn’t a street drifter, I was always more focused on grip than spinning the tires. I did my research on the critical parts to get into drifting and showed up on the Mike Skudlarek’s doorstep at Detroit Drifting Co., asking for his guidance on how to get started in drifting. We both stood around, staring at my 600-horsepower, turbocharged, T56-swapped 2002 Mustang GT, silently agreeing that it was probably too much car to be learning how to drift in. But, since when was too much horsepower a bad thing?
“I’m a couple of years into drifting now, and Mike’s always helping me dial-in the car. I’ve learned more than I thought possible and attend any drift event I can. I’ve gotten the chance to get out on-track and drift with Vaughn Gittin Jr.! Most recently, I was able to swap in an Aluminator crate engine that I purchased directly from Ford Performance Parts. I then proceeded to take my newly powered Mustang straight to the big Gridlife event in in South Haven, Michigan, and ran it all weekend long!
“I’m always fascinated with what’s up-and-coming at Ford, so I was quick to pick up a 2021 Ford Mustang Mach E GT Performance, as my Focus becomes more track oriented. I’m very excited to get familiar with EV technologies, and I’m already cooking up ideas on what Ford Performance is making available with the Eluminator on the EV side of things. As you can see, there’s been a common thread in a lot of my endeavors, and it all started with my dad taking a job at the Blue Oval.”
(photo credit: Ford Performance)
