- A 1968 Mustang reimagined with off-road gear sounds great until you look closer.
- It features a modern Coyote V8 and a manual gearbox along with off-road tires.
- At the same time, it probably isn’t really ready for hardcore off-road duty.
The Ford Mustang has long been a favorite canvas for restomod enthusiasts—and for good reason. Its iconic shape, raw performance potential, and deep connection to American car culture make it a natural choice for blending classic aesthetics with modern engineering. But this particular Mustang takes a detour from the usual formula.
It adds in off-road equipment to make it appear as though it’s a go-anywhere pony car. While it might actually be capable of going toe to toe with a real Safari-style car, it’s a stunning Mustang and you can buy it.
Built as a tribute to the Mustang featured in the 1999 movie The Thomas Crown Affair, this 1968 model comes armed with a modern Coyote V8 engine. It also features a five-speed manual gearbox, Shelby GT500-style bodywork, and leather upholstery. Really though, it’s the off-road equipment that makes this car special.
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At each corner, you’ll find a Nitto Ridge Grappler off-road tire. In fact, there’s a full-size spare on the rear deck lid. No, this isn’t a 4WD Mustang but it does have a Trac-Lok differential. The front suspension comes from Heidts which makes the 5.0-liter V8 fit more smoothly. It also gets modernized brakes.
The only big downside of this car is that it’s more about show than it is about go. In other words, it’s writing a check that it can’t cash. Sure, it has giant off-road tires but take another look at that front suspension. Notice that almost no vertical travel is available. In addition, the top of the tire is tucked into the fender meaning that one big sharp impact at speed could damage the car.
Other Safari-style cars intentionally build in more space to handle the rigors of off-road driving. This Ford appears to be comfortable only on-road. In my eyes, it would’ve been better to leave normal road tires on it but hey, I’m not bidding on this thing. Really, the next buyer could just fit sticky rubber and make this the performer it deserves to be.
Interested parties can find the auction on Bring A Trailer here. As of this writing, the high bid is up to $60,500 which, if it were to end there, could be a steal. Invoices included in the auction show that it cost north of $110,000 to put together. A classic Mustang in this sort of shape is worth quite a bit on its own. This unique interpretation could easily eclipse six figures.
