The SEMA show in Las Vegas is THE place for the keen motorsports connoisseur looking for the best in cutting edge ingenuity, the latest product releases and anyone who wants to obtain a vast wealth of powerful information. It is a virtual playground for executives, engineers, race teams and anyone involved in the industry to come together to share in the experience, form new bonds and strengthen lasting ties.

We had the chance to sit down with Steeda President Dario Orlando and expand on one such special relationship between Steeda and longtime ally Nitto Tire, who featured Orlando’s 2013 Steeda Q Series Mustang in the Nitto Tire booth at SEMA.

StangTV: Dario, why did you choose this specific year Mustang?

Dario Orlando: “I wanted the chance to explore the possibilities of the last of the S197 body styles before the changes that will come with the new 2015 design. The S197 chassis and body lines while based on a retro design are modernly bold and eye-catching, what better platform to add excitement too.”

STV: You seem to have chosen the color red on more than one occasion for both your personal and race vehicles, does that color have any significance?

DO: “I like red because it pops, it stands out of the crowd. Red is an extremely photogenic color which draws the attention of the magazines and the people who read them. Red says performance! It is the classic color definition of FAST, red means business!”

STV: How did the car end up in the Nitto booth at this year’s 2013 SEMA show?

DO: “Steeda and Nitto Tire and have been performance partners for over two decades, I was honored that they asked me and for both companies it was a win-win situation. I couldn’t refuse.”

STV: How often do you drive the car? A lot of people claim street driven “race” cars but rarely is that the case. Is it a true daily driver?

DO: “I drive it every other day and most weekends. It is a fully streetable car with exceptional ride quality and that’s one of the things we build at Steeda: reliable, functional power.”

STV: What would be your advice be to someone just starting out in the Mustang world and wanting to modify their new stock ride?

DO: “For the S197, cold air intakes, sport springs, adjustable panhard bar and tune would be the first things I’d recommend followed shortly by improving on the suspension, upper and lower control arms, and also front and rear sway bars. All of these performance products are a great start, because you get a nice balance of upgraded power performance and the suspension you need to properly handle the power increase. Never forget it’s all about balance. These are the most common upgrades for a base mustang and the best thing is you can always add on from there.”

STV: What is the best thing you like about the Ford Mustang?

DO: “The most exciting part about these late model Mustangs is how well they respond to performance upgrades! The Mustang is a great vehicle and gives someone a perfect platform to start with.”

For specs on the Steeda Q Series line of performance Mustangs visit ww.steeda.com and click on the vehicles tab. To see what Steeda has to offer you, visit www.steeda.com.