TJ RAY CAR OWNER

CAR NAME–YEAR & MODEL INFO

STELLA –2022 MUSTANG CALIFORNIA SPECIAL IT’S A MUSTANG LIFE FOR ME!

MEMBERS OF THE STANG MAG FAMILY ARE MORE PASSIONATE ABOUT FUN AND INCLUSION THAN THEY ARE THEIR CARS AND THAT SAYS A LOT!

I have drooled over Mustangs for as long as I can remember. I was a teenager in the 80s and yes I wanted a Foxbody Mustang in a bad way; 2 or 4 eyes, I didn’t care lol. But alas, the money just wasn’t there for me at the time. Then in my early 20s, when I could afford one, Mustangs weren’t practical and I let everyone talk me out of purchasing one.

Fast forward to 2007. I lost 100 pounds and as a gift to myself, I purchased my first Mustang (Annabel), a factory ordered 2007 Grabber Orange GT and it was everything I’d ever dreamt it would be and then some. I put over 220k miles on her in the ten years I used her as a daily driver before life situations changed and I found myself needing a more practical car once again. That started a 6 year journey of going through vehicle after vehicle. Nothing felt right, there was always a problem and whereas I was constantly working on Annabel, I never really got into working on any of those other cars. Even simple mods seemed like too much trouble.

If you asked me if I thought I’d be writing an article for STANG Magazine for my car this time last year I would’ve said no. If you asked me if I would be writing it about a different car than the 2005 Roush Mustang I had I would’ve said hell no. I loved that car but acquiring this one reinvigorated my passion for car shows and events!

I met Daniel Ramey at a Beltway Mustang show and won my spot with STANG Magazine in their Carlisle Ford Nationals display. Needless to say I wasn’t sure what to expect being that I didn’t know the people attending and was going by myself.

The STANG Mag family welcomed me in from the very

In 2022, I retired and no longer needed to have a practical car anymore. My wife gave me the go ahead to get my ultimate retirement gift and I ordered my new Mustang, Stella, in May of 2022. After a long 5 month wait, I picked her up in October. I’ve already replaced the tires, did a few cosmetic mods, and have an eye on some functional mods (hello Borla Stingers!). Stella still has under 5k miles and I’m guessing she’ll never hit the 220k that Annabel did but she proved to me that I have Mustang in my blood. It’s a Mustang life for me!

Members of the STANG Mag family are more passionate about fun and inclusion than they are their cars and that says a lot! I can’t wait to see what’s to come in