Bagged and Dragged: Josh Baker’s Honey Badger Is Show, Go, and Drag

It’s safe to say that people who opt for a blazing yellow Mustang that can be seen from outer space don’t mind a little attention. This would hold true for Ohio native, Josh Baker. Josh and his new bride, Melissa, currently reside in Rocky Mount, North Carolina, where he is a quality engineer in the pharmaceutical industry. Their shared passion for everything pony-related runs deep. After being raised by a family of mostly GM employees and growing up an LS fan, Josh broke the seemingly inevitable Brand X bond and went with the Blue Oval instead. He found himself test driving a 4.6-liter 3-valve 2006 Mustang GT that he would ultimately purchase and nickname “Mojo.” It was then that he would develop an unshakable love of Mustangs and shortly thereafter, added a 2004 GT and 2003 Mach 1 to his lineup.

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The boosted “Honey Badger.”

Fast-forward a few years as the new 5.0-liter platform is beginning to gain momentum. Josh hit a low-point in his life and needed to supplement income in some way. He was offered an opportunity to build a website for a performance shop owner and friend of his, and he jumped on the chance to get his feet wet on the other side of the car scene. The dedication to the project yielded him great experience and invaluable contacts that would serve him well in the Mustang performance industry. It wasn’t long before Josh was back in the pharmaceutical industry, and found himself in the market for something more current than his ’06 3-valve pony. One thing was paramount in his search—it had to be equipped with the new 5.0-liter Coyote platform.

His sights were set on a boosted yellow 2013 Mustang GT. But before he committed to any one car, his beautiful wife had a logical idea that was music to Josh’s ears; don’t buy someone else’s project or acquire their headache—just buy a brand new car and make it your own. We don’t know of a single person who wouldn’t jump at that kind of encouragement or spousal “permission” to build a brand new hotrod. And with that, Josh ordered a manual transmission equipped Triple Yellow 2015 Mustang GT — plighted to be one of the first batch to roll off the assembly line.

Upon ordering his dream steed, Josh decided it was a good time to reach out to the contacts he had acquired during his brief time working in the industry to see if any manufacturing companies had the need for a ’15 Mustang for research and development of the new product lines. Corsa Performance Exhaust was one of the first to get on board with Josh. He obsessively checked the COTUS (Ford’s special order system), then waited for what seemed like an eternity to take delivery on the custom-ordered stallion. Josh began to panic, afraid the company would simply find another car to use for R&D. In a mad rush, he managed to locate his exact build at DeLancy Ford of Buffalo, New York — about 600 miles from his home.

TVS/VMP powered 5.0.

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True Forged 20-inch Chicane wheels and street tires.

He dropped off the car to Corsa and let the techs work their magic building a new Xtreme catback exhaust system. Josh was so pleased with his new exhaust, he created a consumer-level video review and was appointed “brand ambassador” for the company. His efforts reached big players like VMP Performance and Hypermotive Performance who also utilized him in a similar fashion.

Josh’s yellow 5.0 went from the showroom floor to being a test pig for new products, and it didn’t take long for the mods to start to fly. The most obvious detail of this chariot that immediately sets it apart from the rest of the pack is the wicked slammed stance provided by Airlift Performance’s V2 digital kit that can be raised or lowered with the push of a button. One would assume this kind of air suspension would destroy drag racing abilities, but with stiff damping, progressive-rate air springs and adjustable camber, it can actually be track-friendly. This is an air ride coilover setup using air bags, as opposed to the typical McPhearson strut, and works harmoniously with his Viking double adjustable “Warrior” shocks and a seemingly entire S550 catalog of Steeda bushings, links, braces, and front and rear sway bars.

Baker-101

Triple yellow, bagged, and boosted.

The intense yellow exterior is offset by black 20-inch classic True Forged Chicane wheels wrapped in Toyo tires for daily driving. A lightweight set of 18-inch Weld Racing wheels with 28×10.5-inch Hoosier drag slicks awaits Josh for the days when his pony will need extra bite at the dragstrip. The drivetrain has been changed from front to back with nearly bulletproof upgrades. The Driveshaft Shop supplied the 1,400 hp-rated half-shaft axles and one-piece aluminum driveshaft. Since Josh is using his handiwork to row the gears, a great clutch is a must. He opted for a McLeod Racing RXT clutch with a lightened flywheel and stainless braided clutch line.

Under the hood is where the boosted 5.0 beast lives. A VMP TVS supercharger sits on top of the robust engine and produces a stout 10 psi with all the supporting mods—a Roush cold air intake, VMP twin jet 67 mm throttle body, VMP plug n’ play fuel pump booster, Injector Dynamics ID1000 fuel injectors and a VMP dual fan heat exchanger round out the necessary mods for the power adder package.

This thing floats like a butterfly and stings like a bee! Corsa Performance exhaust combined with Stainless Works 1 7/8-inch long tube headers and off-road x-pipe provide the perfect breath of air to the lungs of this steed and the unmistakable sound that can only come from a forced-induction modular 5.0-liter engine. Bringing the entire package together is Lund Racing with a killer custom tune that yielded an impressive 656 horsepower and 559 lb-ft of torque to the rear tires.

This Mustang has many talents, from street driven show car to weekend warrior at the track. On the street, Josh is hitting air bag switches and taking names, but on the track, he still has to nail down a solid quarter-mile ET. His 60-foot needs refining and some small things tweaked, but this thing blazed a 130mph number on the dragstrip which says a lot about how quick this car really is. Gone are the days of the “fast” 12-second street car. The new generation Mustang platform has set the bar really high and eleven, ten, and even nine second daily drivers are becoming commonplace within the Mustang community.

Josh has big plans for his triple threat stallion that he has nicknamed “Honey Badger.” Making this totally unique stunner a solid 9-second daily driver is definitely at the top of his list. In the meantime, he and his wife are just enjoying every aspect of this beautiful piece of American engineering and the current mods that make their ride a reflection of who they are. We have a feeling we haven’t seen the last of this ride and rumor has it we might see it in the True Street class at NMRA events. We can’t wait to see what is next for Josh and the bright yellow Honey Badger.

About the author

Elisa Coon

Cars have been a true life passion for Elisa since she was a child. Turning her passion into a career, she has been involved in the aftermarket performance industry for a decade. Elisa has had many roles, from running one of the web's leading Mustang forums, to marketing and design for industry leaders, to being a regular freelance contributor. A deep-rooted devotion to everything automotive drives her to create unique content from a fun, female perspective.
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