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I don’t watch a lot of TV, so when I was shooting cars, I didn’t realize how many of them came from TV shows. For example, when I spotted this beautiful restomod Pantera, I thought it was a tastefully done tribute to one of the great American bastard cars. It was only when I got up close I realized it was built by Gas Monkey Garage for an episode of Fast N Loud. It’s actually owned by 2004 NASCAR champ Kurt Busch, though it was built for FNL for an episode pitting Busch against fellow NASCAR driver Joey Logano in a Factory Five Racing Daytona coupe. You can assume the Pantera rolls on PAC Racing Springs, as they were the ones showing off the car.
Under the hood, the original Cleveland engine is long gone, replaced with a brand new Coyote 5.0 V8 with a Cobra Jet intake manifold on top. The intake and exhaust plumbing aren’t the greatest for preventing heat soak, but with the added width of the DOHC Coyote, there likely isn’t any room below the engine to fit headers, so up and around was the only place left to go without chopping up the body (which would still present problems as the headers dump right into the rear tires!).
In the Ford Performance booth, Logano’s FFR Type 65 Coupe was showing off its own Coyote swap. Logano’s car is one of FFR’s new Gen 3 cars, heavily updated from their Gen 1 and 2 designs. The Gen 1 and 2 cars relied heavily on late Fox Body Mustang parts, while the Gen 3 uses more bespoke components. There’s a lot of tuner culture wrapped up in this car, despite the all-American roots. When’s the last time you saw a set of Volk ZE-40 wheels on a muscle car? Or an APR GT-1000 wing on the back of a Mustang? This isn’t your granddad’s Shelby, that’s for sure! This one actually handles.
The engine is no ordinary Coyote. It is one of Ford’s new Aluminator 52XS swaps. Using a special blend of GT350 parts (including the flat plane crank), Cobra Jet parts (such as the Cobra Jet’s intake manifold) and aftermarket bits (like ARP studs, Manley forged rods, and Mahle forged pistons), this engine makes 580 naturally aspirated horsepower. Best of all, these will swap right into any brand new S550 Mustang. Also check out how far back the engine is set: the Type 65 is a front mid-engine car! Also dig the double A-Arms, custom Koni struts, and the air jack system that lifts the car for easy service.
Motovicity had a pair of neat cars on display. The first was this Ford GT built for land speed racing, specifically standing half-mile racing. Motovicity was using this car to announce their Never Lift Half-Mile competition which is coming in April of 2018.
