Trac-ing The Urban Warrior

Like a lost tribe, so are the companies and individuals who participate in build-ups of Ford SEMA Show vehicles for the automaker's image team. Each year, very late in the game, they make their way to Detroit to retrieve the latest in Dearborn iron, having already set their vision of aftermarket excellence down on paper for Ford's approval.

Once in the Motor City, with keys in hand, the race is on. The countdown to the annual SEMA Show, that high-stakes, winner-takes-all-covers (and e-features!) shootout where said players expend as much of their tie, energy, creativity, and yes, money, as needed to fully execute that vision. One such 'tribe' member is Mike Duval, who, along with his wife, Diana, are fast becoming elders in this ritual.

While the Sport Trac's 4.0L V-6 has been around for awhile, with the variation in body style, Duval opted to limit engine upgrades to a Granatelli Motorsports mass air sensor, Advanced Flow engineering air filter, Hose Techniques silicone hoses, and a Borla Cat-back exhaust system with carbon fiber tips. Other than a gear change in the front and rear differentials, and the addition of a polished ORU cover, the drivetrain remained as it came from the factory.