Fabrizio, the Boy who Loved Mustangs (and his S197 Vert) AKA the story of MustangMania.It

We hope that after reading a few of our feature car posts, and indeed even by being on the Steeda website, you know that cars aren't just cars for some people. They are our passion, our hobby, our pastime. They are a vehicle yes, but for us, they are a vehicle for emotion, and to help us travel through life, not just along roads, meeting like minded people, making friends and having fun. We think that perhaps no one exemplifies this more than Fabrizio, better known as "MustangMania.It" the Italian Mustang blogger, Mustang globetrotter and lifelong Mustang fanatic.

We asked him to tell us his story, and share his experiences, and of course tell us more about his own personal pony car history.... and what a story it is. In this feature car post we will try and let Fabrizio tell the story to us all...

It starts when he was small, growing up in a small village, Carpaneto Piacentino, in Italy in the 80s. In this village, as fate would have it, was a small garage specialising in American cars, only 800m from his house and Fabrizio used to cycle there regularly to see what they were working on...

"My legacy with the mustang started the 27th of July 1991: my 8th birthday. The owner of that garage, offered me a ride in a 1969 MACH1, 4 speed manual, red with black hood. I still remember that ride, inside and outside of my village. At the end of the ride, he said to me “Son, you could own a mustang in the future, if you will really desire it”....
I never forgot those words. They tormented me for quite a long time..."

The passion was ignited already, but the next big step came in 2004, on holiday in the Dutch Antilles, when a family friend there told him they had a friend who had a Mustang. Fabrizio jumped at the opportunity to meet him, but to "earn" the chance, he had to help load and unload a 40 foot container, which in 40 degree heat and wearing flip flops, while on holiday was quite a big ask! However the deal was made and two days later, he turned up in front of their holiday house, with the Mustang and took him for a ride....

"After a while he said: ”Do you want to drive it?”.... 
I will never forget that moment. I was seated on a 1966 Mustang Convertible, under restoration, but still amazing! Top down, the sun…unforgettable!"
Pic below: The first drive in the Dutch Antilles! 

The bug had well and truly bitten and on returning to Italy, Fabrizio set about trying to earn more money and took on a second job to speed things along...

Just two years later, after some discussion with his family, he flew to Florida with his savings and spotted his own first Mustang, in the Coconut Point Ford dealers yard in Estero, Florida...  

"It was love at first sight! A red GT Fastback, 5 speed Manual transmission. I drove it with a temporary plate till Miami port. It was one of the best rides of my life!"

Fabrizio's passion had gone from dreaming to reality and that was just the start of things.... As soon as the car arrived back in Europe he set about modifying it (as all good mustang owners should do!) with an exhaust, then suspension brakes and more over the years...

In 2013, after he realised his passion had not faded as he grew older but was still a major part of his life, he decided to do something more than just ownership and he set up the Mustangmania blog. And that decision lead to a dream unfolding that he couldn't have imagined at the time! 

It all started when Fabrizio; wanting to do things correctly, asked Ford for permission to use their Logo and the Mustang name on his blog.... a simple (but NOT straightforward!) request, which lead to contact by pure chance with one of Fabrizio's heroes, John Clor, of Ford USA.

John Clor was the author of the book  "Mustang Dynasty", which Fabrizio had bought and read in 2009, and a conversation started that would change Fabrizios life...

John Clor: Author "Mustang Dynasty"

In 2014 he got permission from Ford to use the logo and name and the conversations continued and built and in 2016 Fabrizio received a dream invite from Ford USA to lead some of the members of his MustangMania blog team to the USA for a tour of the Ford factory, the launch of new Ford Models, meeting Ford Racing, meeting Bill Ford and much, much more! 
Fabrizio with Bill Ford Jnr at Launch Event.

Visiting Ford Racing HQ: 

In 2017, Fabrizio decided it was time for an upgrade, and bought his current Mustang a 2007 Roush edition S197 convertible, one of only 12 made that year in that configuration. That first drive all those years ago and the convertible life style had certainly made an impact he had not forgotten! 

The day he purchased the car with previous owner:

Once he had the car back in his hands it was ready for take off, as he needed to give it the handling capabilities he wanted, which meant some pretty extensive modifications! 

Fabrizio set about overhauling the suspension with a full package from H&R with lowering springs, new shocks and front and rear anti roll bars. In the rear he went fully serious with a full Watts linkage, specially made for vert models, and complimented that with fully adjustable upper and lower rear control arms, another notorious weak spot on the S197 suspension setup. Up front he added a strut tower brace to further stiffen things up, while Ford performance front lower control arms also re-inforced the steering end!

Below: Rear Watts linkage setup

 

Power and drivetrain wise he set about changing things by adding a set of equal length shorty headers mated to an X-pipe with muffler delete to really release the V8 roar. Ford Performance spark plus and a Bama custom tune added yet more performance to the mix to free up some more horsepower, and he has recently just swapped to a Steeda Cold Air Intake to improve things further, with Steeda underdrive pulleys planned to release a little more power too. Ford Performance 3.73 Final Drive gears swap gave the car a little more snap when accelerating, which for Fabrizio was important. As much as he loves the vert lifestyle, he does like to pedal his mustang, not just cruise! 

Steeda 555-3131-B Cold Air Intake installed

To help bring things all back to cruise mode safely, he added a set of GT500 rotors front and rear as well as larger Brembo front callipers, as braking upgrades are an essential mod for anyone who wants to venture out on track as Fabrizio sometimes does.

For the exterior Fabrizio kept things fairly stock, but went the inverse of the cars original stripes, removing the silver stripes to replace them with menacing matt black contrast stripes, which we think looks very effective! 

As well as gradually upgrading the S197, he continued to upgrade his presence online and in person as he travelled and blogged all around Europe and beyond, meeting with local Mustang clubs whenever he travelled for work or pleasure!

"Today we have been in touch with more than 40 Mustang Clubs Around the world. I personally visited 24 of them!"

With the Mustang Club of China!

Rallying (!) with Mustang Club Finland

Mustang Clubs of Singapore Meet

Of course while Ford created the Mustang, it's legacy was taken onwards, especially in the performance side of things, by a number of now legendary companies, such as Shelby, Roush and Steeda, and that's something that Fabrizio hasn't neglected, with visits to the Shelby family, the Roush museum and Steeda headquarters in Florida too.

Cleo Shelby:

Fabrizio at Steeda HQ in Pompano Beach, Florida:

With Jack Roush Senior:

Recently on a trip up to Spa for the 24 hours historic race, Fabrizio got the chance to drive Europe's latest addition to the Mustang range, the Steeda Q767 Dark Horse, our fully homologated turnkey sports car, and currently the "ultimate roadgoing Mustang" available to buy in Europe..... although we think we can happily concede that title to the Mustang GTD when that arrives in 2025! (what a machine!) 

Fabrizio with the Steeda Q767 Dark Horse at the Spa 24 hours.

None the less, even for some one as accustomed to Mustang performance as Fabrizio, he was blown away... You can read his fabulous feedback / review below!

"The Dark Horse Steeda Q767 isn’t just about raw performance—it’s about the perfect balance of power, precision, and comfort, and I experienced it firsthand. Driving it from Luxembourg to Spa Francorchamps was nothing short of exhilarating. The car handled the winding roads and open highways with ease, proving that Steeda’s upgrades don’t sacrifice ride comfort for performance. It’s a car that truly suits you like a glove—responsive, planted, and ready for anything.

And then came the main event: a ride around the legendary Spa Francorchamps circuit. Words barely do it justice. The precision-tuned suspension and razor-sharp handling made every corner feel like a masterpiece in motion. The car was an extension of me, attacking the track with confidence and poise. From Eau Rouge to La Source, the Q767 delivered an experience that was nothing short of unbelievable.

This is what makes the Q767 special—it’s not just a car; it’s a partner, whether you’re cruising across borders or tearing up a racetrack. Steeda has perfected the art of blending comfort with capability, creating a Mustang that elevates every aspect of the driving experience. Truly, what’s essential is invisible to the eye, but it’s something you’ll feel every time you’re behind the wheel.

I left the car at the dealer, with the feeling that sooner or later, I will buy one."

Fabrizios Q767 Dark Horse in stunning "Carbon grey" was provided by Steeda Luxembourg at Wengler Racing.

Fabrizio's Mustang passion is still as fervent as ever and he is currently working with many of the European Mustang clubs to try and build a central  communications hub to keep spreading the Mustang message throughout Europe.

Steeda's motto might be "Speed Matters!" and Fabrizio certainly knows that too, but we can also heartily agree with the motto of MustangMania.IT:

"In Stang We Trust!"

 

You can follow Fabrizios adventures in Mustang land;
on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MustangMania.it 

Or on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mustangmania.it/ 

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