The 2012 running of the annual Sebring Sensation presented by the Track Guys, and held annually at Sebring International Raceway during the Memorial Day weekend may be over – but everyone in attendance took home some really great memories of Steeda Mustang performance as a result of being there.

Annually, performance enthusiasts from around the country converge at the famed Sebring track to challenge its famous 3.7 mile full race circuit for two full days of on-track excitement. The Engineering and Speed Teams from Steeda Autosports were on-hand as we have been for every year, showcasing a variety of new products, and continually testing our vehicles under some of the harshest track conditions that you will find anywhere in the world. From the grueling tough track and its rough surfaces, to the intense heat – if something is going to break on a racetrack, it will happen here. Suffice to say – the Steeda equipment held up perfectly and provided many thrills and experiences for those lucky enough to be in the Steeda driver’s or passengers seat and also provided the perfect venue for our ongoing product development efforts.

As everyone expected, the weather was perfect, the track conditions were challenging, and the excitement was non-stop as the Track Guys coordinated yet another great enthusiast event that exceeded everyone’s expectations.


This year, we invited some of the leading Mustang publications to the event to see first hand exactly how our products perform under aggressive racing conditions. From Muscle Mustang and Fast Fords, Editor Evan Smith, Marc Christ, and Pete Epple were all on hand and from 5.0 Mustang and Super Fords, Michael Johnson was on hand to experience personally exactly what makes up the “Steeda Difference”. Sebring is an exceptionally tough track – not every car that runs there is built for the grueling punishment – as evidenced by the photo below showing a 2012 Z06 Corvette that just did not hold up like the Steeda vehicles did.

First up, we had our famed #20 red 2009 S197 race/developmental car – this is just one of the specially prepared and ultra competitive rolling testing platforms we use to evaluate our ongoing product research and to test new products. Pounding out over 600 supercharge horsepower and every bit of advanced suspension technology that we offer (and some pieces that are not yet in production), this ride completely surprised everyone with it’s road gripping tenacity and it’s brutal acceleration.

The performance of Steeda #20 is best described by Evan Smith, Editor of Muscle Mustangs and Fast Fords when he comments: ”…after just a few turns I…was running faster than just about any car on the track. I found the Mustang had a neutral balance, and it was unsurprisingly easy to drive at the limit. The Steeda suspension with Nitto tires was compliant and predictable, even on the bumpy sections of the famed Sebring track. Braking was amazing and confident-inspiring, turn-in was accurate, I was able to push much harder than I thought I’d be able to….It’s clear the years of racing has allowed Steeda to build such a powerful and capable Mustang.” As Evan so eloquently stated – there is definitely a difference on how a car performs – and our over 25 years of uninterrupted experience of racing Mustangs is unmatched in the industry today!

Here is a video of Evan Smith hitting the Serbring racetrack in the Steeda #20:

STEEDA Q650R driven by Evan Smith - YouTube

Also on hand was our newest creation – our 2013 Steeda Q450 that completely delivers on the Steeda guiding philosophy that “Speed Matters”. This latest beauty is based on the 2013 Mustang GT that Ford builds – but from that excellent starting point the Steeda speed gurus with their engineering expertise and ISO 9001-2008 Certified standards transformed it into a performance machine that is just outstanding. With performance characteristics that are so finely tuned, it just goes where you point it with speeds that are simply unbelievable. Precise handling, rocket-like performance, and breathtaking looks make for a truly unique Mustang – the 2013 Steeda Q450 – only from Steeda Autosports.

Not to be overlooked, we also had a variety of other race cars at Sebring including race cars from Tom Ellis and Tony Lorenz – each fully equipped with our products and each a record setting and championship holding vehicle. In addition, many production based Steeda vehicles make it to Sebring and strut their superiority. Here is a video of our own Glen Vitale driving a Steeda Q-Series Mustang at the famed track. Note his racing style, how he attacks the course at every turn, and how efficiently and accurately the car responds to every input he provides:

Proper lines of Sebring with a STEEDA Q350 - YouTube

Every time we are at a racetrack, and the annual Sebring Sensation is no exception, we are there with the primary intention of testing our products. From prototype and developmental products, to existing products that have been in production for some time – we continually test our products under real world race conditions. While some company’s simply put together and sell a “package” of parts or build a show vehicle to showcase their products without any real world track testing and refinement – we opt to test our products to the extreme so that our customers expectations will be fully fulfilled and Sebring is just one of the many race tracks we compete at every weekend.

Steeda – Speed Matters

See more photos here: Steeda Shines at the 2012 Sebring Sensation « Steeda Blog