1965 Ford Mustang P-51 Speedster Is a 600-HP Tribute to America's Iconic WWII Fighter

The P-51 livery is obviously the first thing that catches the eye. Not only does it mimic the aluminum construction of the fighter, but it also includes the yellow checkered flag and red stripes that adorned some versions of the plane. The exhaust pipe decals on the front fenders and the USAF markings on the doors round off the look.

But the exterior of this 1965 Mustang is not just about P-51 memorabilia. It's also a cool speedster-style conversion, complete with a shorter windshield and flying buttresses behind the seats. And yes, this 'Stang is now a two-seater.

Speaking of the interior, it's been extensively modified and now includes faux fighter instrumentation on the center console, a fully digital instrument cluster, and seats and door panels wrapped in saddle brown leather. It also sports a custom steering wheel and stainless-steel pedals.

But no restomod is complete without a significant upgrade under the hood, and this Mustang delivers. We don't know if this Mustang came with an inline-six or V8 engine from the factory, but it now sports a modern 5.0-liter Coyote mill. The latest evolution of Ford's Modular engine, it's been motivating Mustangs and F-150 trucks since 2011.

In this application, the Coyote packs around 600 horsepower, so it's notably more powerful than the usual Ti-VCT unit that comes in the production Mustang. For reference, it delivers up to 480 horsepower in limited-edition versions like the Bullitt and the Mach 1. And this upgraded mill definitely sounds better than the stock unit.

Aside from the Shelby GT500 badges, which are rather unnecessary, this P-51 tribute is one cool build. Check it out in the video below, and here's to more people building speedster versions of classic Mustangs.