Two Love Stories and a Lifelong Passion for Mustang

When Joanna Iacobelli says she owes her life to Ford and the Mustang, she means it.

Her parents, Lidio and Lucy Iacobelli, met while cruising their respective Mustangs.?

“My mom was trying to teach one of her girlfriends about cars, and she stopped my dad to ask him some questions about his Mustang,” said Iacobelli.?“They hit it off and fell in love.”

The couple picked out a new Mustang together – a 1988 5.0-liter Mustang notchback in Tropical Yellow, one of only 46 produced in that color.?They got married, opened a Mustang-based performance shop together in Chesterfield, Mich. and then had Joanna.???

“I always joke that that Mustang is the older sibling I never had,” said Iacobelli, 30, who works as an account manager for Motor Trend magazine.?“My dad was out drag racing it constantly when I was a little girl.”?

Iacobelli says she has vivid memories of sitting in her father’s garage at the age of 6, drawing outlines of cars with orange chalk on the perfectly smooth concrete floor.

“He picked me up and said, ‘You can draw anywhere you want except here,’” she said with a chuckle, adding that her love of Mustangs and her desire to learn more about cars – and drag racing – came from wanting to spend more quality time with her dad.

“My dad took me everywhere – to the shop and to the track – and I did everything I could to try and understand what he was saying to his friends,” said Iacobelli.?He’s Italian, and he speaks Italian. Learning to speak ‘car’ seemed a lot easier than learning to speak Italian.”

As she got older, Iacobelli says her passion for Mustangs grew stronger.?She bought her first pony car – a 2007 Mustang GT – when she was 20.

“I wasn’t as into cars then as I am now,” she said.?“I knew I wanted a Mustang, but at that point I just wanted it to look and sound good.”

But then she started drag racing.

“The more I got into racing, the more interested I became in what makes the Mustang go fast,” she said.?“My goal was to do the quarter mile in 9 seconds, and I ended up doing 9 seconds in the car within the first month of having it.?And I just continued to get faster and faster.?I started to do 8 seconds and then set out to be faster than my dad.?We’re pretty even today.”???

Iacobelli, who goes by the social media handle “That1320Chick,” has been racing ever since.?She has more than 34,000 followers on Instagram and more than 17,000 subscribers on YouTube.

But her Mustang story doesn’t end there.?In many ways, that was just the beginning.?In 2014, the Mustang – with a little help from fate – changed the course of her life.

“I brought my Mustang to a car show.?A bunch of us parked near each other so we could get all the Mustangs together,” she said.?“And this guy starts telling me that my dad tuned his car and that he’s been a customer of my dad for a long time.”

That “guy” was Bryan Reid.?He had a teal 1994 Mustang GT. The couple started chatting about their cars, and after the show, they took their Mustangs for a race.?Just like Iacobelli’s parents, it was the start of a love story.??

“When I say I owe my life to Ford and the Mustang, people think I’m being dramatic,” said Iacobelli.?“I’m like no, it’s for real.”

The couple eventually replaced Iacobelli’s 2007 Mustang with a 2018 Ingot Silver Mustang GT.?And when they got married, the car served as a sentimental backdrop for photos.

“Our Mustangs are what brought us together,” said Iacobelli.?“That’s why it was so important to me to have my Mustang at our wedding.”?

Iacobelli modified the car to make it faster on the track.?She built a new engine, upgraded the suspension and added a Whipple supercharger.?She also wrapped it in a teal color, to match her husband’s car.

“We’re in the process of restoring his car right now,” she said.?“We’re swapping out the engine and putting in a whole new interior.?It’s basically going to be like brand new.”?

Iacobelli says her love for Mustang and racing has enabled her to meet a variety of people from across the globe.??

“The cool thing about Mustang – whether you drift, race or just drive your Mustang every day – is that people are very passionate when it’s something that they can do and be themselves with.?And what’s really great about the community is not only are the cars super diverse, but the people are super diverse,” she said.?“I get messages from people in Dubai and Australia. It’s the world, but it’s such a small community at the same time.?No matter how far apart we are, it still seems like a tight-knit friend group.”

Iacobelli says her life wouldn’t be what it is today without Ford and the Mustang.

“For me, Mustang means family. Without it, I wouldn’t have all the things that I have – sponsorships, best friends, my husband, being close to my family and having a hobby that I share with all of them. That’s what I’ve always wanted.?It took a long time to get here, but I’m very appreciative of the journey.?There’s always been a common denominator with all these things, and it’s always been Ford,” she said.?“I tease people and say, if you ever cut me, I think I would bleed Ford blue.”

Iacobelli was one of a handful of enthusiasts invited to talk about her Mustang on stage last week for the reveal of the all-new Mustang at Hart Plaza.?She said was another moment she’ll never forget.?

“It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience,” she said.?“Mustang has been in my life for so long. Being a part of the reveal was beyond a bucket list experience.?I still can’t believe that it happened and that I was recognized by a brand I am truly passionate about!”