Metro East shop’s 1973 Mustang competes at SEMA Show in Las Vegas

HIGHLAND, Ill. (First Alert 4) - A 1973 Mustang built by Extreme Muscle Cars in Highland is competing in the Battle of the Builders event at the SEMA Show in Las Vegas.

The car is called the Shot Caller. Some call the SEMA Show the world’s premier automotive event.

Brett Cygan, owner of Xtreme Muscle Cars, told First Alert 4 that the shop started with restorations on old cars and now builds many resto-mod cars.

“We started doing restorations on old cars, and now we are doing a lot of resto-mod cars where the cars have the old look and new drivability,” Cygan said.

The shop worked on the Mustang for eight years. Cygan said the work included “some tuckin’, some adding, some cutting.” He said the car has had “tons of modifications done under the hood to make it sleek and stylish.”

Morris Weegman owns the car.

“It took a long time, but this is the end product,” Weegman said.

Cygan said builds from across the country, and possibly other countries, go to SEMA to be viewed by millions.

“It’s very prestigious for us to show off the caliber of work that we do,” Cygan said.

Weegman said the car is “a powerhouse.” He said, “It goes!”

Weegman said he will probably leave the car at the shop after the show and let Cygan show it off. Weegman said he can drive it any time he wants.