STREET/RACE Issue 2, Spring 2018 | Page 74

BREAKING THE MOLD up passing on a 37th Anniversary Camaro, nice car but it just wasn’t for me. The search went on and on and I decided, well, why not try one of the newer body-style Camaros. I ended up driving a 2010 Camaro; that was a nice car, too, but I couldn’t get over the body lines and you couldn’t see anything out of it.” Baker’s luck in finding the right Camaro was running thin, so he decided he was going to try some- thing else and check out some of the local used car dealerships. Upon arriving, a particular white Mustang caught his attention. “I saw this rare Oxford White Mach 1 and as soon as I got the sales guy out there to let me look at it he started pushing me on this bright yellow, 2006 Ford Mustang GT instead. “At first I was very unsure, being that it had an automatic (transmission), and the color yellow I wasn’t really a fan of. I took the car out for a test drive and absolutely loved it, besides the fact that it was an automatic. I 74 STREETRACE wanted a manual so bad, but I knew site and acquiring new clientele. I brought it up to my wife and she that this car was the one that I When he was searching for clients, was like, ‘The new 2015s are out wanted. I saw the potential in it and he came across a local company by and they have yellow, so why not ended up signing the papers and the name of Corsa Performance. get one of those and make the car driving it off the lot the same day. I “I’ve always been big on supporting whatever you want instead of still remember the first song I lis- local companies, that’s just how I buying one already done by tened to pulling out of the dealer’s work. Corsa was just one of those someone else?’ Man, I can’t give lot; it was Sick, Sad Little World, by companies that right off the bat you this girl enough credit for how she Incubus. That’s a moment I’ll re- know you will have a good relation- deals with me and my car obsession, member forever.” ship with them because of how they she is absolutely awesome. She un- run their company and how person- derstands the lifestyle; that we live Over the next few years, Baker ac- able they are with everyone they cars and she’s all about it now, too. quired a 2004 Oxford White GT deal with. That relationship I made I never thought we would end up Mustang from Kentucky, which was back then led to bigger and better getting another yellow Mustang, his first manual-shifted car. That things in the future.” but we did.” lasted all but a month when he came across a 2003 Mach 1 that he Eventually, Baker came across a job Immediately, Baker contacted his couldn’t pass up and traded it in for opportunity with Pfizer in North now good friends over at Corsa Per- it. “Man that Mach 1 was a bad car, Carolina and took the leap, landing formance and “Project Honey I wish I could have kept it, but after the job as a quality engineer in the Badger” was launched. “Long story a while my job started going down- company’s Biological Investigations short, I was driving down the road hill and eventually all operations team. As time went on he went on and for some reason the words were ended. When that happened the search for another project car, ‘Honey Badger’ came to mind and I had to sell the Mach 1, this time for something newer and it just made sense,” Baker says. “I unfortunately.” faster. wanted to build a car that would beat Cobras and have the mentality After losing his job, Baker says he “I came across a 2013 Boss Mustang that shows I don’t care what anyone began a side hustle for a company with a Paxton supercharger that else thinks of the car. I fully embrace selling car parts, running their Web made about 800 wheel horsepower. the name of the car, too. I have