Michael Satterfield
So I have to admit that I jumped at the click bate of “New 1964 1/2 Ford Mustangs revved up and ready for sale” (even though the picture is clearly 1966) that had been popping up in my social media stream all morning. As someone who has spent over a decade working in the Mustang restoration industry, I’ve got a few things to say about the “World`s First Original Mustang Replica.”
First off, Revology, is not doing anything new, I don’t say this just to be pissy, I say this to inform people who don’t have a ton of experience in the Mustang world. It’s not a bad thing, but let’s not pretend like swapping a 1990’s spec 5.0 is groundbreaking. Power windows that use stock switches… ok, also off the shelf parts from 20 years ago, 5-speed manual transmission, another trend from the 80’s. According to their video, the team has put in “thousands of hours” of development… but after reading the specs…I am just not seeing it.
In my opinion, you would be better off buying a replica of a car that you can’t get like a GT40 or a Daytona Coupe. Just check your local craigslist, out of the over 1.2 million 64.5-66 Mustang’s built you can still find a few and these are quite a bit less. Also for those who are new to the car world, just because the shell is an officially licensed product by Ford, does not mean that this car is backed by Ford.
The Revology cars start with a fresh shell from Taiwan by Dynacorn and then they orders tons of parts from the pages of just about any Mustang Catalog and BAM you have a 1995 Mustang Monthly cover car, all for just $122,000.
Now it has to be said if you thought that a new BMW depreciates fast go ahead and try to sell one of these in a few years. The problem is that anyone can order a body for around $15,000 and build a similar car so the exclusivity of these cars is kind of hard to promote, and since it is a replica.. it will never have the value of a real car.
Now, I am not against builders building a new version of old cars, in fact, I love it. However, if it was me plunking down $122,000 I would expect some amazing tech, like a modern 5.0 V8 with a 6 speed, auto, independent rear suspension, or I would want a car that was nuts and bolts new to 1964 1/2 spec to deliver that true 60’s experience of buying a brand new Mustang. But this car makes no sense to me as an enthusiast’s driver’s car the spec sheet is not all that impressive, as a collector… you might as well just send me the $122,000…it would be a better investment. Couple that to the fact that you can buy a nicely restored 65 Mustang Convertible for between $25-55K all day long, this car is a head scratcher.
With just 265 hp and 300 lb-ft of torque, and is mated to either a 5-speed manual, or 4-speed automatic transmission it is really like time traveling to the time when 89 Mustang GT’s were being salvaged for parts, if this car is a replica of anything, it’s of a 1990’s Mustang restomod. According to their PR “Revology has low volume manufacturer status, and sells its cars with new VINs and titles” but I am not sure how that would translate to many states like my own, the Peoples Republic of California, which has strict laws regarding replica and speciality construction cars. Their own website says that “the process for titling and registration of a new replica automobile varies by state” so its not clear if you get a pink slip when you pick the car up or not… I am guessing you’ll get a Manufacturer’s Statement of Origin and then deal with your own local DMV on your own.
Check out the Fox New PR Story HERE
Check out the Revology Site HERE
