TREMEC TR-9070 DCT 7-speed dual clutch transmission

Shocking crowds at the 2025 Detroit Autorama was the new aftermarket version of the seven-speed TREMEC DCT (dual-clutch transmission).

Known for its world-class original equipment and aftermarket manual gearboxes, the seven-speed TREMEC DCT was used in the 2002-’22 Ford Mustang GT500. (There’s also a TREMEC DCT in the 2020-up Corvette, but that car uses a transaxle; the Mustang unit utilizes a bellhousing, making it an easier fit in most rear-wheel-drive vehicles.)

TREMEC unveiled two bold new vehicles for the Street Muscle crowd at the Detroit Autorama: a gorgeous Mustang with Godzilla power and a TKX gearbox and an F-150 Lightning with aftermarket TREMEC DCT.

The transmission was installed in a Gen-2 Ford SVT F-150 Lightning. Built by Livernois Performance in Dearborn Heights, Michigan, the 1999 Lightning had the body and interior restored while the powertrain received a significant upgrade. Mated to the TREMEC DCT is a Ford Performance 5.2L Carnivore Power Pack crate engine.

A Raptor crate engine is rather appropriate for the ’99 Lightning’s engine bay, wouldn’t you say?

For those unfamiliar with this engine, the Carnivore engine powers the 2023 F-150 Raptor R. It is rated at 700 horsepower and 640 lb-ft of torque.

The ’99 Ford SVT Lightning was built by Livernois Performance in Dearborn Heights, Michigan. The TREMEC DCT is attached to a Ford Performance 5.2L Carnivore Power Pack crate engine.

This aftermarket version of the TR9070 DCT will give custom car builders access to the performance and strength of the TREMEC DCT, including the ability to upshift in as little as 80-milliseconds.

While hammering the DCT may not be the same as running a TKX five-speed through the gears, but it offers incredible technology and performance —not to mention the ability to unleash your inner Formula One driver every time you hop behind the wheel.

A Mustang Reborn

TREMEC’S other unveiling at the show was this unique ’65 Ford Mustang with an unusual and touching back story.

It all began when Jim Howe of Grass Lake, MI, wanted to relocate his Ford dealership to a larger space and offered a brand new 1965 Mustang to a local farmer as partial payment for some farmland on which to build the dealership.

The farmer, Gerald Memmer, took his offer and enjoyed the car for a few years before his son, Roger, took it to school at the University of Michigan. Roger graduated and returned to the family farm, where he and his wife Diane still reside.

He drove the Mustang for several more years after college and it eventually ended up in a barn on the farm, where it sat untouched for close to 50 years. Roger’s son, Matt Memmer, now TREMEC Director of Engineering and Program Management, rescued the Mustang from the barn, telling his father that he was going to take it to a shop to see what it would take to get it running again.

The “before” picture. Lots of work to do.

The decaying Mustang was actually taken to Bonafide Customs in Napoleon, Ohio, and stripped to an empty shell. The team at Bonafide, along with Mike Kidd, TREMEC Aftermarket Business Unit Manager, created a vision for a custom-car build, elevating the performance to make the car standout visually, on the street and on the track.

Not too much of the original Mustang was left after it was stripped down.

Roger was not aware of the transformation happening to his 1965 Mustang and saw the vehicle for the first time when it was revealed today at the Detroit Autorama.

The “After” photo. Much, much better.

The powertrain is a Ford Performance Parts 7.3L Godzilla Power Pack crate engine matched to TREMEC TKX 5-speed transmission.

Bonafide has invested more than 1,000 man-hours into the custom metalwork, paint and bodywork, as well as fitting the world-class chassis components, assembling the interior and countless details.

The final product came pretty close to the rendering.

Both vehicles will be on display in the TREMEC booth at the Detroit Autorama, held at
Huntington Place in downtown Detroit from February 28-March 2, 2025.