In 2023, vintage Fox body Ford Mustangs and modern Coyote V8s are like peanut butter and jelly. It's as if the world suspects the two to pair together in a mundane, almost routine way. Standing out in a crowd of so many Coyote-swapped Fox bodies is challenging these days. But a little shop near the Illinois border with Wisconsin managed to do just that. Say hello to "Lochness," a Coyote-swapped 1988 Mustang GT with more than just a Coyote motor to make it appealing in the eyes of the petrolhead faithful.
This particularly clean-looking restomod comes to us from the Streetcar Shenanigans shop out of Antioch, Illinois, and from the minute you first lay eyes on Lochness, you get the impression it isn't another half-baked custom car thrown together with all the care of the average 15-second TikTok video. In fact, some fairly serious engine modifications were made to this five-liter Coyote V8 right here at the Streetcar Shenanigans shop. Starting with a fully-custom intake manifold with functional split air intake, you won't find on any other performance car in the world. Added to the mix is an RGR top-end complete with custom ported heads and custom fabricated camshafts for added strength when someone revs the snot out of this motor.
There's also an in-house fabricated variable valve-timing delete on this motor to compensate for the much more aggressive camshafts and valvetrain hardware now native under the hood of this beast. It makes for an engine capable of 530 horsepower to the wheels. It's all fed through to ARH long-tube headers and a custom three-inch exhaust system that at least attempts to make the total package a bit less noisy. Not that the sound emanating from the tailpipes isn't music to our ears. When paired with a T56 Magnum six-speed manual gearbox and an Eaton Trutrac limited-slip differential complete with 4.56 gears, Bilstein shocks, and Wilwood brakes all around, this build becomes one of the most true-to-form driver's cars we've seen in a long time.
That's without mentioning the amazing titanium-color paintwork, which Streetcar Shenanigans outsourced to a shop just over the border in Kenosha, Wisconsin, to do for them. Toeing the line between blue and grey is not an easy feat. But it's something this custom build does with an effortlessness that makes other custom fabricators blush with jealousy. Ditto as well for the interior, complete with Corbeau racing buckets up front, complete with a full six-point harness system, and a total rear seat delete so an orange roll bar can be installed with little difficulty. Add it all up, and Streetcar Shenanigans has a build on its hands that can turn heads from sea to shining sea, not just in Illinois.
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