If you’ve ever spent time on the automotive side of YouTube, you’ve probably heard this story: Someone had to hustle their custom build out the door with the annual SEMA show in Las Vegas only days away. That same ol’ familiar tale was just told by TJ Hunt, though his situation is a bit different. His Ford Mustang never made it to the show floor after early claims that it was banned, and what’s more, “a large auto manufacturer” hit him with a cease and desist order. (Let the reader be aware: He’s talking about Ford.)
The drama has gone on for days at this point. Hunt posted a video on Oct. 31 explaining to his 2.33 million subscribers how his Mustang project—which looks a lot like the new limited-run Mustang GTD—was in hot water. The whole purpose of the build was to show off a body kit made by Hunt’s company, Street Hunter Designs, and that’s what the unnamed automaker took issue with. Hunt read a carefully worded letter to the camera in response, as instructed by his legal counsel:
“A certain large auto manufacturer sent a threatening letter to us about our Street Hunter Mustang project with a vague letter that my lawyers say is baseless. The manufacturer then went a step further to attempt to take down Street Hunter by working behind the scenes to have the Mustang banned from being displayed at the SEMA show upcoming in the next week.
“We are disappointed, not because we did anything legally incorrect but because a certain large auto manufacturer is doing what large companies do to smaller companies, which hurts since we have respected and loved this auto manufacturer for many years.”
And while Hunt was careful not to name Ford for legal reasons, I reached out to the Blue Oval directly and got a statement from a spokesperson. It reads, “Ford takes its intellectual property rights very seriously. We have invested significant resources in design and engineering this highly sought after Mustang. Therefore, we must take appropriate action to protect the value and exclusivity for our Mustang GTD customers and to Ford.” So there you have it. Neither Hunt nor Ford is mentioning the other explicitly, but it’s all there in front of us.
As for the claims about being banned from SEMA, that’s a little less clear. I reached out to the event’s PR department who explained Hunt’s decision not to show the Street Hunter Mustang was his own.
“TJ Hunt is actually present at the 2024 SEMA show. He has been at the show doing autograph signings and displaying his RB26-powered drift Mustang with one of his partners,” a spokesperson said. “If you watch his videos you will see that his decision to pull displaying his latest build at the show was a voluntary one.
“We have a great relationship with TJ and value everything he does for the industry and look forward to having him join us at the show for many years to come.”
A quick look at Hunt’s S650 reveals several nods to the GTD—the hood, the widebody, and the fender vents front and back especially. Maybe the front bumper, too. At least there’s no high-mount wing or a honkin’ diffuser under the rear bumper. In any case, several commenters on Hunt’s newest YouTube upload agree: They’re mighty similar.
Hunt insists that even if this body kit never reaches the market, he wants people to see what they’ve built. He claims to have put more money into the development of the product than the entire car is worth, so it would be a financial hit if none are ever sold. In any case, Hunt could surely enjoy the supercharged ‘Stang along with the R34 Nissan Skyline GT-R and everything else in his collection.
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