Tune This: A Real-Life Drama.(Column)

Byline: Dutch Mandel

America's automotive taste masters and power brokers gathered in the Ford Conference and Exhibition Center the other day to conjure up some love. They are members of the Specialty Equipment Market Association, who fabricate miracle makeovers, and were on hand to put the Wonder Massage to the new Ford Mustang. Call it Fast Eye to This Pony, Guy. Though Mustang won't prance on roads until fall, at measuring sessions like this, tuners record vital statistics so they can create parts to make it go faster, stop quicker, and look better than when it rolls out of the showroom. Who needs reality television when you have real life?

Tuning is huge. Last year, total retail aftermarket part sales-identified by SEMA in the three categories of performance, handling and appearance-tallied $28.9 billion. Of that, the appearance segment dominated with 58.3 percent of the business (performance parts held a 17.6 percent share, with handling taking 24.1 percent). Clearly, these days it is more about looking good than going good.

"It really helps the image-and sales- to have people go out and modify the car,'' said Paul Russell, Mustang marketing manager. Russell emceed this gathering, peppering it with enthusiasm and insights. Among those nuggets: Thirty percent of Mustang owners will modify their cars.

Ford is not alone in encouraging this custom tailoring. Virtually every car company that wants to tap into the modification scene opens doors to SEMA members through these official visits.

To be successful, this new-generation Mustang has to sell 160,000 cars per year, and it must entice a younger audience. SEMA members can help, but Ford aims to do that with its own creativity, such as the instrument cluster that allows the driver to choose a rainbow of color hues to personalize the gauges. Chartreuse? Ochre? Cream of Palomino? Don't know if this will inspire more ...