This year, we approached the project a little differently. We liked how the Brazers did things, so we threw them a new challenge: If the Camaro was about no-compromises speed, then for 2011, we wanted style and comfort to come first. We wanted the ultimate weekend getaway car.

To that end, we bought a 2011 Ford Mustang convertible, a red GT model with Ford's 412-hp, 5.0-liter V-8. At just over $34,000, the GT can hang with modern supercars without breaking the bank. We dropped it off at Netcong and told them to start planning. But our project and its challenge didn't stop there. We wanted to be able to mix things up after hitting our destination. A motorcycle was needed, something big on style and comfort.

Enter the Victory Motorcycles 2010 Hammer S: old-school looks and a modern, 97-hp V-Twin. Thanks to modern suspension geometry and braking technology, the Hammer S stops and turns like a real bike, not some relic from a bygone era. We ordered up an Aluma motorcycle trailer and told the Netcong crew to think about how to make our Hammer S a long-legged highway custom.

As you might expect, projects like this are defined by the details. Grant's drawings specced a ducktail spoiler so otherworldly that we initially wondered if it could be translated into steel. Amazingly, Netcong made it work. The end result arcs up off the trunk like the prow of a ship and integrates seamlessly with the 'Stang's rear fenders. When the Ford's trunk is open, you tend to walk carefully around the spoiler so as not to impale yourself. (It's safe, really. It just looks dangerous, which we love.)
 

In removing the Mustang's roof, Ford added weighty reinforcements to cope with the loss of rigidity. Because of this, Grant designed a useful feature: functional rear brake ducts. They're a nice piece of work, invisible from the side but readily apparent from the front. Three-strip LED taillights echo the stock arrangement but provide a modern touch; the flush-mounted center reverse light is more visible than the tail lamp-mounted originals.  

With the car's chassis planned, we turned to the upholstery team responsible for the TopShop Camaro. They needed someone with a flair for the unusual, so we called Rodger Pisani, of Butler, New Jersey's Creative Auto Interiors.

Rodger's challenge was this: Because our Mustang was being designed to take two people on a relaxing weekend vacation, it needed to offer all the comforts of home on the road. This could include virtually anything, but it had to fit within the confines of the Ford's body.

A pow-wow between Rodger and his staff produced some ambitious plans. The Mustang's rear seat will be replaced by a virtual kitchen and storage area for camping and cooking gear. The trunk will become an entertainment mecca, a place for relaxation when off the road. We'll also install an Escort Passport LoJack system and Q145 radar detector in the interest of protection and highway awareness. If you get bored, arrested, or ripped off in this car, you're not trying hard enough.

For now, most of the cool tricks exist only in Pisani's head. But they won't stay there for long.