1966 Ford Mustang Restomod Growls Thanks to Coyote V8 Power

The project started almost six years ago, and from the very beginning, the owner of Wilwood Engineering wanted a simple yet effective build without going too crazy and straying away from the Mustang look. The project took about two years to be completed, and the plan was to install the newest and best engine available on the market. That just happened to be a Coyote 5.0-Liter V8, with slightly over 400 horsepower on tap, and just 7,500 miles (over 12,000 km) on it.

Sure, some modifications were required for the engine bay to be able to accommodate this big of an engine, and with newly found power came the need for more upgrades. The suspension got upgraded, bigger brakes were installed, fender flares had to come on to fit the massive 315-mm rear tires and 275-mm front tires. Also, the car is fitted with a roll-cage, bucket seats and a Racepak digital dashboard. With a weight of just 3,245 lbs (1,471 kg), this thing is perfect for driving fast around the track but also touring to and back from it.

All in all, the owner wanted to have a simple, turnkey car that would be easy to work on and the perfect test-mule for the products the company is developing. After we get a quick tour of the vehicle at the garage, we get to see it actually driving down the road, and the sound of that Coyote unit is just intoxicating. Shawn from AutotopiaLA takes it easy at first as he's trying to keep in range of the camera crew.

Even without going through all of the rev range, this thing pulls and growls like there's no tomorrow, and we get to see some even more intense driving as Mike from Wilwood gets behind the wheel. Wide-open throttle and off the line acceleration with smoke coming out of the rear tires just prove you don't really need 1,000 horsepower to have fun. Sometimes keeping it simple can be more rewarding.