We’re in the midst of ‘90s nostalgia and rapper Vanilla Ice’s splashing return into the news fits right in. His OG Ford Mustang 5.0, first introduced to audiences in the Ice Ice Baby video, now fully restored, is coming along for the ride.
For the sake of clarity, Vanilla Ice was never really gone-gone. As in, he’s not making some sort of comeback, because he never really left – even though he was never again able to replicate the success he had in music back in the day. Since 2010, he’s been host of The Vanilla Ice Project on the DYI network, which saw him flip restored and improved real estate.
So call this a return into the limelight as a rapper, if you will. Last weekend, at the Palm Beach Outlet Mall’s Cars & Coffee event in West Palm Beach, Florida, Robert Van Winkle, aka Vanilla Ice, showed up to show off the fully restored Ford Mustang 5.0 he first introduced to audiences in the original music video for Ice Ice Baby.
That song is arguably Vanilla’s most famous to date. It marked the beginning of Vanilla’s infatuation with the 5.0, which would be turned into a central character in both track and video for Rollin’ in My 5.0 some time later. A similar Mustang (but not the actual one) would later appear in the 2012 Adam Sandler movie That’s My Boy.
At the event, the rapper showed off a new custom, two-tone interior (packed with Vanilla’s trademark Cupid logo – the one shooting love with a machine gun, because a machine gun is more efficient than a bow and arrow), and a whole lot of subwoofers in the trunk. The iconic Miami “GO ICE” plates were also back on.
Put it simply, the OG 5.0 came out just as flashy as you’d expect it to be. Speaking with CBS12, the rapper said that the restoration job took 4 years to complete, and professed himself very pleased with the outcome.
“This is a nostalgic car that simulates pop culture as you know, a sign of times,” he added. “The nineties had the neon colors, we had the Ninja Turtles, we had Beavis and Butthead, we got our movies at Blockbuster, we had cassette decks and we had more bass than you can imagine in the backseat.”
Apparently, the Ninja Turtles have Vanilla’s keys to the 5.0 – for safekeeping. Later this year, the rapper will star in a new automotive show for History Channel called Mystical Rides With Vanilla Ice.
After a four year restoration The fox body 5.0 Mustang is back. I got a little emotional when I sought for the first time. Everything flashed back to 1990, No cell phones, no computers, cassette decks, subwoofers, and ninja turtles. pic.twitter.com/4VVQTuFg8V
Elena has been writing for a living since 2006 and, as a journalist, she has put her double major in English and Spanish to good use. She covers automotive and mobility topics like cars and bicycles, and she always knows the shows worth watching on Netflix and friends. Full profile
Would you like AUTOEVOLUTION to send you notifications?
Google News