Revology Mustang GT
Looks 1968, drives like 2021
Autocar will test hundreds of cars this year but few will turn heads – or pummel eardrums – as reliably as this one. Outwardly, it’s a 1968 Ford Mustang, in the Highland Green hue seen in the film Bullitt. At a glance, you’d mistake it for a restoration project, albeit one stunningly well realised.
Only when you get close is the deception laid bare. The wheels look convincing from afar but at 17in are larger than period spec and the 45-profile of the Michelin tyres is modern. You’ll spot powerful six-pot Wilwood brakes: no drums here. Round the back lurk chunky outlets for the Borla exhaust, along with a reversing camera. And while you’re back there, squat down for the biggest giveaway of all: coil-over spring and damper units from Ridetech, jutting down from the suspension with the anachronistic impact of stalactites hanging off the ceiling of the Tate. Authentic first-generation Mustangs use leaf springs, and at this point the game really is up.
In truth, there’s not much original about this Mustang other than the way it looks. Built in Orlando by Revology, it uses a reconditioned body and an in-house, re-engineered chassis. The bigger news is that the powertrain is contemporary Mustang. In this case, we’re talking an aluminium 5.0-litre Coyote V8 and six-speed automatic gearbox (manual is also offered), whereas an original 1968 car carries a 6.4-litre big-block V8 and four-speed manual.
The idea is that modern brakes, double-wishbone front suspension, hydraulically assisted rack and pinion steering and a limited-slip diff make the driving experience sweeter while the new gearbox and engine uplift reliability and performance but keep the car’s character.
Does it hang together? Perceptions depend on expectations. Grunt-free steering, Bluetooth connectivity, excellent air-con and the simplicity of two pedals make this an effortless thing to drive. New-found adjustability in the steering column also means you can get reasonably comfortable for long drives.
The only serious change to the cabin architecture is the high and wide transmission tunnel, and Revology’s array of billet-aluminium controls, modern dials and beautiful wood steering rim blend in well with the vestiges of ’60s Mustang. Fit and finish is streets ahead of any period Mustang – as well you’d expect, for something that costs about as much as a Bentley Continental GT V8, even before import and shipping charges.
As for drama, this car brings plenty. In the underground car park behind the central London premises of Clive Sutton – the specialist importing Revology’s wares – the engine instantly fires and settles into a modern but pulsating and deafeningly rich idle. Melded with the era-straddling ambience of the cockpit and the big bonnet stretching out ahead of you, the noise doesn’t so much raise the neck hairs as apply electrodes directly to your nape and crank up the voltage. What an event.
Out on the road, you don’t get the same syncopated cackle as the bigblock V8 of yore but neither do you get the same coarseness. The Coyote is a smooth, rev-hungry unit, and while there’s something agricultural about the gearshifts, with 434bhp rather than the original 270bhp, lazy initial acceleration becomes Boxster potent once the right cog is found.
The chassis also does a good job of absorbing the road. This is an easy car to place and can be guided by the fingertips. Less impressive is the way the modern steering rack feels awkwardly quick at times, and the handling is generally inert. However, traction is good, body control tight, the brakes feelsome, and the Revology car is generally happy to indulge you with a cross-country lick that would have an original badly misbehaving.
Ultimately, it’s this security and added performance, along with genuine ease of use and mod cons, that is the Revology’s reason for being, and it executes the idea well. Whether it executes it £150,000 well is another matter, but if you love the noise, adore the 1968 fastback styling and want the convenience an original could never offer, maybe – just maybe – it’s worth the outlay.