Mustang Mach 40: A Perfect ’69 Mach 1 & Ford GT Creation
Move over, C8 Corvette. Ford GT-inspired, mid-engine classic Mustang isn’t playing around.
The era of the restomod remains in full swing, yet the moniker itself is widely open to interpretation. Essentially, you marry modern mechanicals with vintage machinery and call it a day. This can mean a bone stock old car with a new drivetrain all the way up to a wildly reimagined classic with modern styling. But rarely do you ever see anything like this unholy combination of old and new Fords — the Mustang Mach 40.
Created by Eckert’s Rod & Custom in Oregon, the Mustang Mach 40 began life humbly as a normal 1969 Mach 1. The idea was to create a a mid-engine concept car, one that perfectly meshed together the classic Mustang with a 2006 Ford GT. The very best of what Ford has built in this century with one of the finest creations of the prior century. But make no mistake – this isn’t just some kind of styling exercise. This baby was built to run.
Obviously, Ford GTs aren’t exactly cheap these days. But a big opportunity came along when the team at Eckert’s came across one that was wrecked. So they yanked out the entire drivetrain, starting with the supercharged 5.4-liter V8. The crew yanked off the factory blower and replaced it with a massive 4.0-liter Whipple huffer. The driver can even control the monster motor’s output with the twist of a cockpit-mounted knob. Adjusting power from 660 hp all the way up to 850 raging ponies.
Three years and 11,000 hours went into reshaping the classic lines of this ’69 Mustang and incorporating the modern drivetrain. And we’d say the end result certainly made that investment worthwhile. The Mustang Mach 40 looks and drives like nothing else on the road, after all. And it proves that, once again, we haven’t even begun to see just how far the restomod envelope can be pushed.
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