Vehicle Description
The wonderful thing about vintage Mustangs is their
interchangeability. Not only do you get a wide variety of
performance and styling parts you can use to customize your pony,
but thanks to the long-running Ford small block V8, upgrades can
come from the factory as well as the aftermarket. Dig this 1965
Mustang Restomod, a killer-looking cruiser with a powerful
fuel-injected 351 Windsor heart, great options, and a performance
stance thanks to a custom suspension that really turns heads.
But before we talk about the hardware, take a look at how pretty
this coupe is. Appearing to borrow shades from a late-model color
pallet, the uber-clean Cranberry Red style paint looks right on the
iconic coupe's bodywork. Perhaps a descendant of Rangoon Red
married with Vintage Burgundy from the 1965 color palette, it has a
great shine from the metallic flake inside and a very deep luster,
plus an inviting look that doesn't hide the Mustang's identity
behind the extra flash. Instead, it shows off smooth sheetmetal,
good gaps, and a lot of love that went into the bodywork before the
deep layers of paint were applied. Clearly someone was thinking
carefully about this car as it was going together, and they kept it
simple; no stripes, no wing out back, nothing but a trumpeted rear
pan for the dual exhaust and a blacked-out grille that deviated
from the classic look. Bright chrome trim is all quite nice, given
that the aftermarket is full of replacement stuff, and the whole
car has a very polished look with an astonishing amount of curb
appeal. And with only 362 miles on this build, it's going to be
turning heads and impressing the local car show scene for years to
come.
At first the two-tone white-and-dark red interior from TMI might
look quite stock, but upon closer inspection you'll find some
nicely selected aftermarket touches. The low-back buckets seats up
front and the bench in the rear wear fresh seat covers, as do the
new door panels with matching pleats, along with fresh red carpets
on the floor, a firm red dash pad, and a taut headliner above that
finish the all-together look inside. The original instrument panel
was swapped out for a unit filled with Classic Instruments
white-face gauges in excellent condition, and they include
auxiliary dials to watch over the strong Windsor under the hood.
That slick TCI shifter almost looks like it belongs on a manual
transmission, but it's actually managing a built-up C4 3-speed
automatic transmission, which makes this Mustang a great highway
cruiser. A wrapped 3-spoke steering wheel atop a Flaming River tilt
wheel is always a welcome addition, as is the ice cold Vintage A/C
system neatly installed under the dash, and the stereo is a
retro-style AM/FM/AUX unit designed to fit neatly in the original
slot. Out back, the trunk is neatly finished with a carpeted mat
and a relocated battery.
The interchangeability of the Ford small blocks means that you can
shoehorn a few extra cubes under the hood of an early Mustang and
nobody will be the wiser. In this case, it's a built and FiTech
fuel-injected 351W cubic inch V8 doing all the hard work, further
augmented with a Comp "Motha Thumpr" cam, roller rockers, and
long-tube headers adding a huge boost of performance to this little
Pony. It's also nicely dressed with Ford Racing valve covers, that
unique air cleaner, and a few other niceties, but the real goal was
making it reliable and fast with an otherwise OEM look. In that
regard, the new aluminum radiator and electric fan are definitely a
help, as is the fresh X-pipe dual exhaust system with Magnaflow
mufflers that sound absolutely wicked singing through the GT rear
valence. The aforementioned built C4 with upgraded internals feeds
a mini-tubbed and narrowed 8.8-inch rear end with 3.55 limited-slip
gears, and power Wilwood 4-wheel disc brakes are fitted all around
for impressive stopping power. The front suspension is a custom
Mustang II A-arm and rack-and-pinion CPP power steering set-up,
there are adjustable QA1 coilovers all around and a 4-link out
back, which means this Mustang absolutely devours corners. Cool
blacked-out Cobra-style wheels are always in fashion and they carry
staggered Sumitomo rubber that fits the car's personality
perfectly.
Given the price of this recent build and the quality of the paint,
interior, and drivetrain, we have no choice but to call this car a
screaming bargain. And like most restomod Mustangs here at
Streetside Classics, we doubt it'll last long. Call today!