Mustang of the Month

Tom & Roxy Schmitt
2017 Black Mustang GT

Life is a series of key dates and watershed moments. Mine was at the doctor’s office on January 16th, 2023. Little did I know, it would be over a year before my beautiful black 2017 Mustang GT would leave the garage. I received the news that I had an aggressive form of cancer that was quickly spreading. I was immediately referred to an oncologist and started chemo and radiation treatment. Suddenly everything I enjoyed doing had to be put on hold.

During the two years of ownership, I’d made numerous enhancements to the car’s performance and appearance. The car came with a Thrustmaster exhaust system courtesy of the previous owner. To that I added long tube headers for the performance and sound that enthusiasts crave. Then came a ported racing manifold and throttle body, a huge cold air intake and an aggressive custom dyno tune from Turbo Technology. All told, the tuner said the Mustang was putting out around 550 horsepower and the fun factor was easily the equivalent.

Hope can be a major tool of empowerment and an element for sustaining life and the will to live. During the period of chemo and radiation treatment, much of the time I was too sick to get out of bed. One of the things that kept me going was the thought of getting back in my Mustang and cruising around with her throaty roar that rattles the neighborhood. On better days, I would look through my Mustang catalogs and think about future upgrades I’d like to do. For me, the Mustang represented hope for better times, hope for remission.

One of the nicest, unexpected benefits of having my Mustang are the social connections and fellowship of PCMC. Invariably, every time I take the Mustang out, someone will comment on how nice it looks, and we usually end up chatting for a few minutes about our cars and their histories. As a consummate introvert I’d have never guessed that this would be one of the more fun aspects of Mustang ownership. The experience has made me appreciate the normal everyday things of life and hopefully my personal odometer has a few miles left.