Spectre Performance Muscle Car Air Intakes at Auto Enthusiast Day

Auto Enthusiast Day in Anaheim, California brought out a handful of muscle cars including this first generation Mustang

When you hear the term air intake, you might think of a bolt-on direct intake that comes in a box with little assembly required. This is true in several cases, but for certain applications, bolt-on specific parts are not available for their custom setup.

Auto Enthusiast Day in Anaheim, California brought out several different types of cars and trucks including imports, off road, and muscle cars. Though there could have been more muscle cars at this year’s event, most of those that did attend were equipped with Spectre Performance custom air intake setups.

The Mustang surprised many with an LSX swap featuring a custom Spectre air intake setup

Often times, these muscle cars are far from their original state, many featuring late-model engines, suspension upgrades, custom body work, and other modifications. These custom modifications make it difficult for manufactures to design make/ model specific bolt-on direct air intakes for these applications. A solution was found when Spectre Performance released their custom air intake component line, allowing people to design their own custom air intake around their specific application.

: The PCHRODS C10R returned for its second year at Auto Enthusiast Day as one of the only pro-touring trucks throughout the entire show

The first car we spotted with a Spectre custom air intake setup was a first gen Mustang. Several people took a quick glance at the Mustang as it looked average on the outside, but for those paying close attention to what laid under the hood, they were in for a shocking surprise. The rise of LS swaps in Mustangs has grown over the past couple years. This Mustang was equipped with an LSX motor, far from the original 289 small block that came with the car from the factory.

There are several benefits when using the Spectre components including proper fitment and the ability for customization. The Mustang did not have tons of room under the hood so a 90-degree angle was needed to clear both the accessory drive and the radiator. The large Spectre cone air filter was used to get as much air as possible into the motor. The filter was positioned away from the motor and radiator (without further extreme modifications) allowing cooler air into the air intake for optimal results.

The C10R was sporting its new 383 storker motor along with a modified Spectre air intake that had to be redesigned to accommodate the throttle body angle

Beside the Mustang sat the infamous PCHRODS C10R, sporting its new 383ci stroker motor. In addition to the motor, the team at PCHRODS upgraded the Holley intake with an MSD Atomic Airforce Intake, forcing them to redesign their Spectre Performance air intake. Though the design was similar, a different angle tube was needed to accommodate the throttle body angle.

A 1970 Nova sat in the Currie booth drawing a lot of attention throughout the one-day show with some unique custom modifications

Two red cone filters still sat below the core support in front of the engine. PCHRODS did not want to deviate too far from their original intake design. The original design allowed for the coolest possible air to enter the intake for optimal performance. The tube, which was positioned directly down off the throttle body, sat between the two fans so hot air did not directly blow onto the tube. Though the engine bay of the 1972 C10 is quite large, the trucks modifications restricted the location of the air intake setup if they wanted to keep cooler air temps and overall performance in mind.

Within the Currie Enterprises booth, a 1970 Nova with eye-catching modifications was on display, attracting crowds of people around the car. The Nova, which had a single turbo big block, utilized Spectre Performance air intake components to adapt to their custom application.

A crowd gathered around the Nova to see the single turbo big block under the hood in addition to several Spectre Performance air intake components that were used to adapt to their custom application

The single inlet plenum provided just enough clearance to close the hood while the Spectre Performance air filter fit directly off the turbo. The plenum, which was a four-inch outlet, was reduced to a three-inch setup accommodating the turbo. A Spectre four-to-three-inch reduction coupler was used to adapt the two different sizes. It is common to see a three-inch setup when using a turbo application, but the big block setup allowed for a plenum to be used, which made things a little trickier.

In each of the three vehicles, air intake setups could have been possible without the Spectre Performance air intake components, but having these components made life a lot easier. As we continue to finish out the show season, we will be looking for more Spectre air intake setups to feature on our website. Visit our dealer search tool to find a local dealer that can help you build an intake system for your project or daily driver.