Mustang lights up the road

NORWALK — What began as a spontaneous, last-minute idea among friends quickly became a source of happiness and holiday cheer for all who see it. Norwalk resident Noah Hunt said that the grand idea of decorating his red 2014 Ford V6 Mustang with 3,000 Christmas lights came to mind last year when he was spending time with four of his friends in Crestline, Ohio. "I was just on Amazon scrolling, and I just had this dumb idea. 'I'm like, yo, let's just throw a bunch of Christmas lights on the Mustang,'" Hunt said. Hunt said that since it was such a hit last year, he decided to do it again this year because it brought so much joy to the people around him. "The resale value of the vehicle is not that much, so I look at it from the perspective of I can always make more money, but I can't make more time," Hunt said. "And when I drive around, and kids are smiling, their families are happy, that for me is great." Hunt added that installing the lights can be time-consuming, especially when it's colder outside. To power the lights, Hunt said he uses a power inverter that plugs into a car's cigarette lighter. To turn off the lights, he simply unplugs it. "The mistake that a lot of people will make, and I looked this up online after the fact, is they will miscalculate the voltage," Hunt said. "All the lights I have out there, I've calculated the math, it's only like 41 to 42 watts average for everything, which is less than my phone takes to charge." In terms of securing the lights to the car, Hunt said he uses waterproof, weather-resistant painter's tape to cover the majority of the car and polytape for the stress points, such as the back wheels. Hunt said he plans to continue decorating the Mustang for years to come and, for the coming year, increase to 6,000 Christmas lights and strap a Christmas tree to the top of the car as well as a wreath on the hood. Hunt, who at the Huron County Engineer's Office, encourages people to say hello if they want to see or take pictures of the vehicle, as he travels frequently and loves to see the joy on people's faces. "If anybody wants to see the vehicle, just give me a couple of honks, or just wave at me, or roll your window down," Hunt said. "I understand people are curious, and I'm not going to sit there and be like, you can't take photos of something I did to my car in public."