What Is the Red Mist Mustang?

From Bullitt to Gone in 60 Seconds, the Ford Mustang has had a long and illustrious history in major Hollywood films. One of the most popular recent Mustangs to grace the silver screen was the Red Mist Mustang from the 2010 movie Kick-Ass. In the film, which was directed by long-time Mustang aficionado Matthew Vaughn, the car is driven by the character Red Mist, played by Christopher Mintz-Plasse, who learned how to drive a manual transmission specifically for his role in the film.

Making the Red Mist

The Red Mist was created by Van Nuys, CA’s Galpin Auto Sports (GAS) with input from Vaughn. Work on the car began in 2008, with Steve Carpenter, Galpin’s manager, leading the development of the project. Carpenter started with a 2008 Mustang GT to which he added a custom body kit by Rich Evans Design, giving the Red Mist its unique look. From there, the car was outfitted with a supercharged 4.6L V8 capable of putting out over 500 horsepower. Other unique features of the Red Mist include Lambo-style scissor doors, custom 20-inch rims, HID lighting, racing gauges, and two-tone black and red leather seats.

To create the appropriate ambiance, the GAS team outfitted Red Mist with a pair of remote-controlled nitrous oxide tanks with purge capabilities. All told, over $240,000 was put into the development of the car.

Filming Kick-Ass

To film Kick-Ass, the Red Mist Mustang was brought to London during the first week of production. Filming overseas was not without its challenges, as Mintz-Plasse had only 10 days to learn to drive stick in a country where manual transmission vehicles are far more common.

During filming, most of the driving was handled by specially trained stunt drivers, although Mintz-Plasse did get behind the wheel for two memorable scenes. “If I scratched it or crashed it or anything, I had to pay for it,” the actor told Popular Mechanics magazine. Fortunately, the car made it through filming unscathed, and it put in a number of appearances at comic and film conventions during promotion for the film. Kick-Ass went on to earn over $96 million in the box office and spawn a 2013 sequel, in which the Red Mist, sadly, did not make an appearance.

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