Last weekend a brand new 1964 ½ Mustang was unveiled at the Amelia Island Concours that is like no other. While this Mustang might look like it was built 50 years ago, behind the scenes it is a totally different animal. Under the hood is a brand new V8, fuel injected engine putting out 265 horsepower.
The new classic car will also be fitted a modern day drive train, suspension and even a state of the art air conditioning system. It will also have all the features and amenities that we have come to expect from the cars of today.
The modern Mustang will have power windows and locks disguised as classic window cranks. In addition to a Bluetooth stereo system, the ashtray pulls out to unveil USB and auxiliary slots for to plug in mp3 audio devices. The convertible top will fold down with the push of a button and the car will also be equipped with power steering, anti-lock brakes and a collapsible steering column, safety technology that wasn’t available back in the day for the original model. Air bags will not be included since reproduction vehicles are exempt from having to have them, however three point seat belt systems will be installed.
With all the excitement that surrounded the new pony at the Concours show, the owner, Tom Scarpello, is now looking for factory space to set up a production facility in Central Florida to start producing the modern day classics. He plans on hiring a large production staff to help get these new beauties off the line, however, Tom isn’t positive how many extra hands he will need until he has a better idea of the number of reproductions that will be sold.
The new Mustangs will cost around $120,000 to own and after the Amelia Island show, Tom already has around 50 contending customers. Each buyer must put down around $40,000 as a deposit before their new car will be built.
Tom Scarpello was in marketing and branding at Ford Motors and Nissan for almost twenty years before starting Revology in Winter Park, Florida. Scarpello, along with his new technical director Dan Maas and vehicle-integration supervisor Nathan Loucks, began building the new Mustang to unveil to the world.
The car took almost a year to design and completely build. The reason being because the Revology team carefully documented each piece one at a time and the assembly process step by step. Because the body and frame are exact reproductions of the original, new build methods had to be developed to adapt to the new features and technology.
“Our goal wasn’t to build a car, it was to build a production prototype,” Scarpello said. “This is a car we can build over and over again.”
This new vehicle is a licensed Ford Mustang from the original 1964-1966 production line. They only use authorized reproduction bodies and parts for their builds. Since the motor, drive train and other “under the hood” parts are all new, they are all warrantied and can be serviced at any Ford dealership!
While many purists might argue that this is not even close to an original 60s Mustang, it is hard to tell at first glance. These cars are being created for Mustang fans that want to have the nostalgic look of the golden era vehicles while offering better safety, power, handling and fuel efficiency. “People remember their ‘641/2 Mustang, but they forget about the bad steering and wild brakes,” Scarpello said. “This is a modern car in a classic body.” Many of the performance features for the new version were actually inspired from the 2014 Ford Mustang. The performance and handling are actually quite similar.
Once production begins, Tom and his team at Revology say that they will be able to roll out one Mustang every 12 weeks or so. That is a pretty quick build if you think about it. Ferrari, while maybe a little bit more technical, also has about the same build time for their cars. If you are interested in learning more about these new age Mustangs and how to get your hands on one, then check out this video and decide for yourself if you want the original or the new classic car of the 21st century.