Pro-Touring 1965 Ford Mustang Hides 2011 Boss 302 Engine and Other Surprises

1965 Mustangs are nice, but nothing to write home about. This was right at the beginning of the muscle car era, and the aggression is dialed way down as a result. But there are exceptions to the rule, like the GT350R, which set auction records with a price of around $3.85 million.

We feel like this build is inspired by that ultra-expensive and cool model, mainly because its idea of a bumper doesn't include anything chromed. There are other touches too, like the stripes down the bottom of the car, the gaping intake where the license plate would have been, and the not-so-subtle hood scoop.

Ford or Shelby probably won't like that a "plain Jane" $5,000 got turned into something that looks infinitely more valuable. But they'd probably respect the craftsmanship and the ideas that went into this thing. Pop the hood and you won't find the usual retro block or even a typical crate engine.

We're dealing with a Boss 302 V8, but not the iconic retro unit. Instead, this came from a relatively uncommon 2011 Ford Mustang variant with a bunch of add-ons from Ford Performance or Detroit Speed. Even the mounts are unusual, featuring an aluminum K-member.

The rear suspension is just as unusual, featuring cantilever shocks that you can see right under the window. Even the wheel setup is unusual, the "squared-up" look featuring the same size Forgeline 18x11-inch wheels on all corners, plus a little camber angle sprinkled on top. It's like a racing engineer was asked to make a chassis without knowing it's going into a 1965 car.

The widebody kit gives it about four inches of extra girth and there's a certain exotic feel in combination with that dual central exhaust muffler. The seats give it that Singer look, but they're actually from a wrecked Ford GT supercar. The owner bought them before even having the car, and we agree that they'd go with anything.