Aftermarket Ford parts company Lethal Performance has lobbed more shade than a solar eclipse at Mopar owners, and I’m here for it. Back in 2019, Lethal Performance announced a set of lip protectors for certain styles of the Ford Mustang as a response to the trend started by Dodge Challenger and Charger owners. Nearly two years later, we’re just hearing about them, and it doesn’t appear they’ve caught on.
The lip/splitter protectors are designed for any S550 Mustang GT with a Performance Pack lip, and they’re listed at $129.99 before taxes and shipping. This isn’t the first time the sprinting horse crowd has trolled the duncy sheep crowd, either, as the joke has been around for a while. However, unlike the tired-as-hell joke about Mustangs plowing into cars and coffee crowds, this one hasn’t gotten old yet, at least in my opinion. Do I sound like I sway more toward a certain platform over the other?
The origin of the joke is still seriously so comical to me. Dealers mistakenly kept the splitter protectors on the car when they were delivered to customers, and some people decided to keep them on for the look. Their original purpose was to protect Challengers’ and Chargers’ front lip spoilers during transit, onboard the truck and while loading and unloading. I still see these sleds fitted with them on the regular, too. Surely, the folks who’re rocking them are familiar with the joke, and it’s turned into a wholesome sense of pride. Hopefully.
Though, whether they’re in on the joke or not, I’m not going to lie and say they’re completely useless. In fact, having bits of plastic protecting an area of the car that’s always in the lurch is a solid idea, especially in Southern California, where curbs, parking blocks, and driveways are immensely unforgiving. There’s a reason why so many people roll around in lifted trucks and SUVs, despite being one of the most crowded places in the western USA. Any supercar that’s ordered without a nose lift is cruisin’ for an expensive carbon-scrapin’ bruisin’. Unless they’ve got the precision feel of a seismometer as they risk driving up a brutally-steep driveway to buy 91 octane at $4.80/gallon.
Lethal Performance’s statement regarding the usefulness of the trollsome product is the chef’s kiss: “Made right here in the USA, these guards won’t only protect your lip from runaway shopping carts and parking curbs but it will make your car the center of attention at all the car shows!” Protect your ride and troll the Mopar crowd all in one product. Touché.
