Project Underdog Heads to Auction, Actor’s Project to Benefit SEMA Scholarships Project Underdog, a highly customized ’72 Ford Maverick originally conceived by actor Sung Kang—known for his role as Han Seoul-Oh in The Fast and the Furious franchise—is finished, fine-tuned, revved and ready for auction. Sponsored by Shell and featuring Pennzoil, and supported by Ford Motor Co., Samsung, Nitto, GReddy, Rocket Bunny and Facebook, the unique vehicle build was completed at the SEMA Garage in Diamond Bar, California, with specialized tuning provided by Cobb Tuning, headquartered in Austin, Texas. Kang enlisted inner-city students Tony Chen, Alexis Hernandez and Christian Quiroz to successfully transform the unassuming “underdog” Maverick into a showcase performer and winner of a Ford Corporate Design Award for its significant contribution to vehicle design.
Debuting at the 2016 SEMA Show, the Maverick went on to continued refinement and a year-long media tour, which will now culminate at the October 19–21, Barrett Jackson auction in Las Vegas, where its sale will benefit the SEMA Memorial Scholarship Foundation. Providing financial support to young people pursuing automotive careers, the foundation delivers dozens of annual awards ranging from $2,000– $3,000 to deserving student recipients, with a $5,000 award going to a top achiever. The program also includes a loanforgiveness fund for employees of SEMA-member companies who are paying off loans from study at an accredited university, college or vocational/technical program. Since its inception in 1984, the memorial scholarship fund has granted $2.1 million to more than 1,200 students. Kang first drove the Maverick while shooting one of the Fast and Furious series’ installments in Brazil and immediately fell in love with the vehicle.
“The Maverick has always been The vehicle’s powertrain is based on the show here is the engineering ability of under-appreciated, overlooked and unreplacement of its outdated ’72 inline the SEMA Garage,” said Mike Spagdervalued, but those who love her are six-cylinder engine with a new Ford nola, SEMA vice president of OEM loyal forever,” he explained. “This, EcoBoost 2.3L from a ’15 Mustang. and product-development programs, and the chance to make a difference Originally rated at 305 hp, the Ecowho helped oversee the U3 Maverfor these students, is something I could Boost has been reworked to churn out ick’s development. “From the beginstand behind.” ning, we scanned the engine bay and in excess of 400 hp while delivering The actor had previously modern levels of efficiency, engine so we would know exactly how captivated fans throughout the fuel economy and lowered it would fit into the engine compartworld when he documented a ment. We got dimensions from Tremec emissions. The high-achievprior vehicle build, the FuguZ ing engine is now mated to a and their CAD files, so we knew what 240Z, through videos in social it would take to put that transmission six-speed Tremec T56 transmedia. In similar fashion, mission. A Currie Enterprises into the car. each step of the Project Un“The experience was something rearend and Baer brake sysderdog Maverick build was kind of new for us here in Diamond tem are other key performSung Kang recorded and presented in a Bar. Our four SEMA Tech Transfer enance upgrades. popular YouTube/Garage Monkey To create that unorthodox combi- gineers at the Garage help members all online video series filled with raw, nation, Kang and his student team the time to produce products, but they behind-the-scenes footage, intimate leveraged advanced SEMA Garage re- never had to do it themselves. It was conversations and real-time progress sources, including 3D scanning and neat to see them do that. It was a great reports. But unlike the 240Z build, extensive CAD work to produce a learning process for us that will help Project Underdog was a markedly full-scale, 3D-printed “engine” that us serve our members even better.” purposeful experience for Kang, who greatly aided in the prototyping and Spagnola is especially proud of hoped that it would help spark greater fitment of the actual engine block. the project’s unique incorporation of car enthusiasm among a new Meanwhile, the vehicle’s new body- the latest vehicle technologies. generation of young people— work boasts flared wheel arches, a “The Ford 2.3 EcoBoost engine especially the disadvantaged. was first introduced in the ’15 Muscustom front bumper and forward“I feel like it’s been a long mounted black wing mirrors, all ridtang,” he said. “To our knowledge, road, but it’s been very rethis is one of the first transplants to go ing on a set of deep-dish gold wheels. warding,” Kang said of the into a street car that’s street legal with “Part of what we were trying to completed project. “The whole spirit of it was working with kids and making new friends. The most rewarding has been the transformation that I’ve seen with the kids. I think when we first met them, each of them had a different place they were coming from in terms of self-esteem—to see Alexis now at UTI as a student, to see his life • Delivery to 100 Mile Radius of Naples transform in the sense of who he feels he is and what his contribution is to PARTS HOURS: the community, and then to see Tony PARTS DIRECT LINE: M-F 7am to 6pm come out of his shell and be more ex239-734-3215 2 39 734 39 734 3215 21 Sat 8am to 5pm troverted. And today I found out that Fax: 239-591-3051 he actually bought a go-kart, which is 5665 N. Airport Pulling Rd. / Naples, FL 34109 pretty awesome. It’s another step forward proactively to pursue his dream. At Rick Hendrick Chevrolet Naples, And then I talk to Christian periodiweee’re ’re re yyou yoour onee-sto stop op shop op for forr cally on the phone, and he’s aggressively attacking school and seems very positive about where he is in his life. Another rewarding aspect is all the new friends that have been made on the journey. That’s something that you can’t put a price tag on, this magic recipe that happens when you meet people that you actually enjoy working with.” The Project Underdog U3 Maverick is a showcase blend of humble, old-school hot rodding and leadingedge, new-school performance tuning.
60 OCTOBER 2017 AUTOBODY NEWS | www.autobodynews.com
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