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Coyote V8 Swapped Mustang II Turns an Ugly Duckling to a Beautiful Swan

The Pinto-based Ford Mustang II was a terrible, horrible, no-good, very bad car. Anyone with a passing knowledge of muscle cars would be able to tell you that. But performance tuners are fickle people. When they want to modify something, it usually turns out fantastic, no matter how lame it is to start.
Coyote Mustang 12 photos
Photo: Velocity Motorcars
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Such is the case with this second-gen Coyote V8-swapped 1978 Mustang II. No one in their right mind thought this anemic, underpowered, and poorly built car had any racing or sporting credentials before the crew of A-Team Restorations of Oregon broke out their wrenches and hammers. It's tough to determine what exact engine was under the hood of this car when it was new.

There was a choice of three pitiful emissions-choked and underpowered engines ranging from four to eight cylinders in its day. But what's known for certain is that the engine is in a landfill where it belongs. In its place initially was not a Coyote motor, but the 6.8-liter Triton V10 engine from a Ford E-Series van. Not to mention enough custom body and paintwork to give payroll for at least a few body shop techs.

Even without a Coyote motor, what A-Team Restorations had managed to create with just a lowly Mustang II as a canvas was nothing short of astonishing. The car toured the SEMA show in 2014 and 2015 with praise and appreciation all around it during both years. But on the way back to Oregon from the show, disaster struck.

The mid-2000s Chevy Silverado meant to take the car home safely rolled over on the highway with the Mustang II in tow. By the time the dust cleared, the truck was on its rood, as was the trailer. This Mustang II very was very nearly destroyed. But as it happens, Early 70s cars are far more robust than what people will give them credit for.

Coyote V8 Mustang II
Photo: Velocity Motorcars
As it turned out, all the damage to the car was superficial body damage that, while labor-intensive, was fixable. The car then sat for a while as the owner grasped at straws to figure out how to start fixing it. They ultimately decided that it would be best to sell the car.

Happily, the performance tuning team at Revolution Speed Shop of Auburn, Washington, was well suited for the job. The Triton V10 in the car at the time was a sweet engine, no doubt. But two extra cylinders can only get you so far. The time had come to take the car back to its roots. Ironically, by fitting a modern V8 under the hood.

But, a V8 is a V8 any way you slice it, and the second-generation five-liter Coyote V8 isn't regarded as the LS of Ford V8s for nothing. It's because everyone and their grandmother want them for engine swap projects. The Revolution Speed Shop team gave the engine a couple of extra accouterments for a totally custom engine package.

Coyote V8 Mustang II
Photo: Velocity Motorcars
We're talking a high-end Holley TerminatorX ECU, three-inch custom stainless steel exhaust, and six-speed manual transmission from a Corvette C6 with a twin-disk clutch of all things, so much for brand loyalty. The front suspension also comes from a C6 Z06, a pretty sweet setup if you ask us. Six-piston front brakes and four-piston rear brakes make up all four corners of this build.

This is a SEMA-oriented racing car first and a daily driver a distant second, so you'll forgive if the interior is a little spartan. Even so, there's quality to be seen inside, too, in the form of a custom touch-screen radio head unit and custom gauge cluster and switches. The best part of it all? It's for sale, right now, via Velocity Motorcars of Nashville, Tennessee. At a price of $124,995 before taxes and fees.

You could buy an off-the-shelf BMW or Audi that's just as fast for the same money. But that wouldn't be custom, and it's just not the same that way. When the car saw its third SEMA appearance in 2021, we bet people had the same sentiments.

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