Galpin, Fisker Offer Rocket Speedster Concept

The all-new Ford Mustang is selling briskly – 86,769 deliveries through August and clobbering the soon-to-be-replaced Chevy Camaro. So what better time than the present to capitalize on the mystique of the reskinned Mustang?

Earlier this year, Galpin Auto Sports and Danish designer Henrik Fisker began low-volume production in California of a coach-built, heavily modified version of the new Mustang, dubbed The Rocket.

With a carbon-fiber-reinforced plastic body crafted by hand at GFMI Metalcrafters in Fountain Valley, as well as significant interior and suspension upgrades, the Rocket is a 4-passenger coupe with a starting price of $109,100.

At the recent Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance in California, a new 2-seat convertible version dubbed the Rocket Speedster Concept shared space on the lawn with design concepts from Bentley, Lamborghini, Rolls-Royce, BMW, Audi and Maserati.

Plans to produce the 2-seat convertible depend on customer demand. “With sufficient interest, there’s a strong likelihood that the vehicle will be produced,” says Galpin Auto Sports spokesman Kyle Donovan.

Like the production coupe, the Speedster can accommodate Ford’s base 5.0L naturally aspirated V-8, rated at 435 hp and 400 lb.-ft. (542 Nm) of torque, as well as a potent upgrade: a supercharged version of the 5.0L churning out a ground-shaking 725 hp and 572 lb.-ft. (776 Nm) of twist.

The supercharger tacks on an extra $15,900 to the vehicle’s base price. A 6-speed manual transmission is standard, while a 6-speed auto with paddle shifters is optional.

Creativity Sparks Were Flying

Fisker says the “creativity sparks were constantly in the air” as he was working on the Speedster project with Galpin Motors President Beau Boeckmann.

“When I was designing the speedster cover, I gave it extreme sculpture and dynamic lines that flow with the muscular body of the Rocket and created a new interior graphic to go with it.”

In creating the Rocket, Galpin and Fisker started with a factory-equipped ’15 Mustang GT with Brembo 6-piston front brakes, an upsize radiator with an oil cooler and a 3.73 Torsen rear axle.

Standard upgrades for the Rocket include 5-spoke 21-in. wheels, high-performance tires, unique springs and sway bars, custom sill plates, carbon-fiber rear taillight covers and a Bassani Cat-back exhaust system with quad tips.

Performance options include a beefier suspension, lightweight 20-in. racing rims and rubber, 21-in. 10-spoke wheels and Brembo Gran Turismo brakes at the front and rear with 15-in. (38-cm) 2-piece drilled rotors.

The Rocket interior package will bathe the cabin with Italian leather on the seats and micro-suede on the headliner and A-, B- and C-pillars, as well as leather on the door trim, instrument panel and center console.

Exposed carbon-fiber accents also are available on the hood, mirror covers and lower front fascia.

The original Rocket Coupe prototype was unveiled at the 2014 Los Angeles auto show. Within five months, the first production model debuted at the 2015 Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance.

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