TREMEC Debuts World-Class 1965 Mustang Build with Incredible Personal Story and Ford F-150 Lightning Proof-of-Concept Build with First Aftermarket DCT at the 2025 Detroit Autorama

Motortopia Staff . February 28, 2025 . Press Release

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• 1965 Mustang re-envisioned by Bonafide Customs includes personal story 60 years in the making
• Mustang is powered by Ford Performance Parts 7.3L Godzilla Power Pack crate engine matched to TREMEC TKX 5-speed transmission
• Gen 2 Ford F-150 Lightning proof-of-concept built by Livernois Performance features first-ever TREMEC aftermarket DCT with Ford Performance Parts 5.2L Carnivore Power Pack crate engine

Wixom, MI, Feb. 28, 2025 – TREMEC revealed two ground-breaking vehicles at the 2025 Detroit Autorama today: a world-class contemporary build of a 1965 Ford Mustang with a personal story 60-years in the making and a Generation Two Ford F-150 Lightning proof-of-concept build with the first-ever TREMEC aftermarket dual-clutch transmission.

The 1965 Ford Mustang started its story when Jim Howe of Grass Lake, MI, wanted to relocate his Ford dealership to a larger space and offered a brand new 1965 Mustang to a local farmer as partial payment for some farmland on which to build the dealership. The farmer, Gerald Memmer, took his offer and enjoyed the car for a few years before his son, Roger, took as he attended school at the University of Michigan. Roger graduated and returned to the family farm, where he and his wife Diane still reside. He drove the Mustang for several more years after college and it eventually ended up in a barn on the farm, where it sat untouched for close to 50 years. Roger’s son, Matt Memmer, now TREMEC Director of Engineering and Program Management, rescued the Mustang from the barn, telling his father that he was going to take it to a shop to see what it would take to get it running again.

The decaying Mustang was actually taken to Bonafide Customs in Napoleon, Ohio, and stripped to an empty shell. The team at Bonafide along with Mike Kidd, TREMEC Aftermarket Business Unit Manager, created a vision for a custom-car build, elevating the performance to make the car standout visually, on the street and on the track. Roger was not aware of the transformation happening to his 1965 Mustang and saw the vehicle for the first time when it was revealed today at the Detroit Autorama.

The powertrain is a Ford Performance Parts 7.3L Godzilla Power Pack crate engine matched to TREMEC TKX 5-speed transmission. Bonafide has invested more than 1,000 man-hours into the custom metalwork, paint and bodywork, as well as fitting the world-class chassis components, assembling the interior and countless details.

The Gen 2 Ford F-150 Lightning debuted has a different impact than the Mustang, but very significant for the performance automotive industry. Built by Livernois Performance in Dearborn Heights, Michigan, this 1999 model has had the body and interior restored while the powertrain received a significant upgrade. The engine chosen for the project is a Ford Performance 5.2L Carnivore Power Pack crate engine.

This Lightning is the proof-of-concept for the TREMEC TR-9070 7-speed dual-clutch transmission (DCT); the first DCT that will be offered for use in the aftermarket. The mechanical components of this DCT are the same as the TR-9070 used in the 2000-2022 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500. This aftermarket version will give custom-car builders access to the performance and strength of the TREMEC DCT, including the ability to upshift in as little as 80-milliseconds. Click here to view a video showing how the TREMEC TR-9070 works.

Both vehicles will be on display in the TREMEC booth at the Detroit Autorama, held at Huntington Place in downtown Detroit from February 28-March 2, 2025.

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