He’ll be doing that with a stampede of 300 horses. All 243 King, 43 King Premier, and 14 King Premier convertible models will come standard with a Ford Performance supercharger that cranks horsepower up to 670. TrakPak Ford Performance halfshafts, three-way adjustable sway bars (front and rear), and a beefed-up rear axle will put that heightened output to the pavement through staggered-width 20-inch wheels and Continental Extreme Performance summer rubber. Each car will also include custom engine calibration, a cold air intake, and a center-exit Magnaflow exhaust system.
Of course, each car will get the royal treatment cosmetically. That includes a rear diffuser and spoiler and various interior touches such as embroidered headrests and a special shift knob and door sills. According to the Blue Oval, “The King signs every model on a special dash plate.”
The King Premier Mustangs feature different wheels, a big brake kit with six-piston calipers up front and four-piston calipers in the back, a custom leather interior, and a tri-color stripe package and body cladding featuring clear-coated crushed and tumbled glass.
If you want one of the King Edition Mustangs, you only have to go as far as your local Ford dealer to order one. Each car comes with a three-year, 36,000-mile powertrain limited warranty. Prices start at $67,495 for the King edition and $90,495 for King Premier Mustang GT.
Available upgrades include wheel hop-reducing wheel bushings, a coil-over suspension, and a blower that boosts horsepower up to not 707 horsepower, but 727 because, apparently, felines are not welcome in the The King’s realm.
Derek Shiekhi's father raised him on cars. As a boy, Derek accompanied his dad as he bought classics such as post-WWII GM trucks and early Ford Mustang convertibles.
After loving cars for years and getting a bachelor's degree in Business Management, Derek decided to get an associate degree in journalism. His networking put him in contact with the editor of the Austin-American Statesman newspaper, who hired him to write freelance about automotive culture and events in Austin, Texas in 2013. One particular story led to him getting a certificate for learning the foundations of road racing.
While watching TV with his parents one fateful evening, he saw a commercial that changed his life. In it, Jeep touted the Wrangler as the Texas Auto Writers Association's "SUV of Texas." Derek knew he had to join the organization if he was going to advance as an automotive writer. He joined the Texas Auto Writers Association (TAWA) in 2014 and was fortunate to meet several nice people who connected him to the representatives of several automakers and the people who could give him access to press vehicles (the first one he ever got the keys to was a Lexus LX 570). He's now a regular at TAWA's two main events: the Texas Auto Roundup in the spring and the Texas Truck Rodeo in the fall.
Over the past several years, Derek has learned how to drive off-road in various four-wheel-drive SUVs (he even camped out for two nights in a Land Rover), and driven around various tracks in hot hatches, muscle cars, and exotics. Several of his pieces, including his article about the 2015 Ford F-150 being crowned TAWA's 2014 "Truck of Texas" and his review of the Alfa Romeo 4C Spider, have won awards in TAWA's annual Excellence in Craft Competition. Last year, his JK Forum profile of Wagonmaster, a business that restores Jeep Wagoneers, won prizes in TAWA’s signature writing contest and its pickup- and SUV-focused Texas Truck Invitational.
