Mustangs are the decathletes of the automotive world. Good at almost everything, they have been a cornerstone of the hobby almost since they were new. Some are pretty, some are fast, and some, like this early production 1965 Mustang coupe, are a bit of both. Professionally built with smart upgrades that make it wicked fast without diluting its Mustang personality, it represents a massive bang for the buck—there’s more in the paint and engine than we’re asking for the entire car! And like all first-rate cars, it was built by a father-and-son team who knew what they were doing and who intended on keeping it for themselves. Then, when situations change, it goes to a new owner who can reap the benefits of all that painstaking work. This car is extremely impressive in every way and one quick look at the photos will convince you that the quality is for real.

This is what many Mustang enthusiasts would call a 64-1/2 car, a very early production Mustang built in summer of 1964. That doesn’t really matter now, since it has been thoroughly reworked into something special, but all those familiar Mustang styling cues are still there. They started with a 60,000-mile U-code 6-cylinder car from the west coast, but since it was a 50-year-old used car, it did need some TLC. They stripped it down to a bare shell for the rebuild, and along the way decided that most of the sheetmetal should be new so they installed new quarters, floors, both doors, and the front fenders before spraying any of that sizzling Chrysler Inferno Red paint. There’s a fiberglass hood with a subtle scoop that’s fully operational and channeling cool air to the air cleaner underneath, and it’s been accented in gloss black to match the tail panel. Obviously all the emblems were shaved, but the rest of the chrome is new, including the 1965-only grille and both bumpers. There are also fresh weather seals throughout, LED external lighting (taillights are sequential and headlights have “halo” parking lights), and a fresh windshield. Fit and finish are extremely good, and we challenge you to find where the new metal has been stitched into place—like I said, these guys were pros. The photos don’t lie—this sucker is laser straight—and we like that it keeps the familiar Mustang look without going too far out into left field. This is resto-mod done right.

Inside, it’s pretty stock, starting with a full set of correct reproduction seat covers in black, as original. There’s a new dash pad and fresh OEM-style carpets, and a GT-spec instrument panel was filled with white-faced Auto Meter dials that include a GPS speedometer so it’s always accurate no matter what you do to the gears or tires. They also added seat heaters, which is a nice perk for those cooler evenings, and a modern Vintage Auto Sound AM/FM/USB/iPod head unit in the dash along with all-new wiring. There’s also an Auto Meter tach stashed under the dash so it doesn’t stand out. An aftermarket center console houses a pair of cupholders and a B&M shifter for the built C4 automatic underneath, and the combination works quite well between the stock seats. You’ll also note a 4-point roll hoop that reinforces the bodywork in a way that you can feel and a white headliner that brightens up the all-black interior. Note that the door handles, sill plates, arm rests, and all the other little knobs and fasteners are brand new. The trunk isn’t finished, but does house a 16-gallon fuel cell and the battery box, suggesting that this car is ready to race if that’s your thing (in fact, they intended to build a drag car, but the end result was so nice that they just couldn’t bear to race it).

Mechanically, this car got the best of the best. In place of that original U-code 6-cylinder is a thundering 408 cubic inch stroker based on a 351 Windsor V8. There’s an Eagle forged rotating assembly on the bottom end, Edelbrock Performer RPM cam and matching aluminum cylinder heads, and ARP fasteners throughout. Up top there’s an Edelbrock Air Gap intake manifold and a Holley Street Avenger 670 cfm carburetor, plus an MSD ignition system to light it reliably. You’ll note the inner fenders have lost their shock towers (more on this in a moment) so service access is fantastic and there’s a giant Griffin aluminum radiator up front with a matching electric fan. When it was finished, the experts at Hutter Racing tuned it properly on their dyno, so it’s streetable and docile yet ferociously fast.

Don’t worry, it’s been reinforced underneath to handle the extra horsepower, starting with tubular A-arms and col-over shocks replacing the original front suspension. There’s also rack-and-pinion steering, so before you whine about needing power steering, come try it because I think you’ll be surprised how easy this car is to handle. The C4 3-speed automatic transmission is a freshly rebuilt Frank Lupo Pro-Formance unit with an upgraded torque converter and there are reasonable 3.25 gears in that 9-inch, along with a Trac-Lok limited slip and heavy-duty Moser axles. The tub was reinforced with weld-in subframe connectors and Shelby-style traction bars and you can see that it’s ultra-clean underneath. Ceramic-coated long-tube headers feed a custom 3-inch stainless steel exhaust system by Stainless Works that sounds spectacular without getting annoying on the street. Giant Wilwood disc brakes with cross-drilled 2-piece rotors live at all four corners and look awesome behind 2002 Mustang 17-inch wheels. Recent 225/40/17 front and 255/45/17 rear BFGoodrich T/A radials tuck neatly under the stock fenders and don’t rub, even with the lowered stance.

The receipts that accompany this car total a good deal more than the asking price, never mind buying the car and the labor that went into the build. It’s absolutely beautiful from any angle and the fully sorted powertrain makes it a joy to drive. It remains 100% Mustang, but this is one early pony that more than lives up to the legend. Call today!