The restomod movement, which injects modern mechanics into decades-old cars, is an attempt to revive and relive the nostalgic memories associated with these classic vehicles. If your automotive admiration extends back to the mid-1960s Mustangs, then Revology might have the restomod remedy you’ve been looking for. Of course, you don’t have to be a certain age to be enamored with one of their redesigned, brand-new-old Mustangs, but you will need a disposable income to park one in your garage.
Revology specializes in restoring 1965-1968 Mustangs. Founded in 2014 by Tom Scarpello, a former Nissan, Infiniti, Jaguar, and Ford executive (including the head of Ford’s SVT performance group), the Orlando, Florida-based company brings a mass-market mindset to its business plan, despite its status as a small-scale manufacturer.
Unlike traditional restomods, Revology doesn’t restore or modify existing vintage cars; instead, they build completely new Ford Mustangs with replica bodies and equip them with modern drivetrains. The result is closer to what Singer does with Porsches than what a traditional car shop or private owner could create.
The process begins with creating an all-new body shell by stamping new, period-correct body and chassis panels. From there, it’s a bit like a “This Old House” project: Preserve the footprint and update the interior. Revology strengthens the structure with a more solid floor pan and reinforcement plates, an x-brace subframe connector, and an expanded transmission tunnel to accommodate either a Tremec T56 Magnum XL six-speed manual or a Ford 10-speed automatic transmission. The engine bay is reconfigured to house one of two 32-valve, 5.0-liter Coyote V-8s from Ford: a standard 460-hp, 420 lb-ft naturally aspirated version or a Roush-built supercharged mill producing a claimed 710 horsepower and a mountainous 610 lb-ft of torque. A new coilover suspension—control arms up front and two longitudinal links, a torque arm, and a Panhard bar out back—is then squeezed in.
Like major automakers, Revology has an online configurator where potential customers—or just dreamers—can mix and match paint colors, upholstery, and options. Revology’s lineup includes a 1965—1966 Mustang convertible and two fastback versions, as well as five variants of the 1967—1968 Stang fastback. However, these are not custom-built cars; the company will accommodate requests for a special paint color or a specific leather tone, but that’s about it. Otherwise, you choose from the available options menu. Revology backs its work with an unlimited-mileage, one-year bumper-to-bumper warranty and a two-year warranty on the drivetrain, a touch we’d expect from a larger company.
Based on our experience with the Revology Shelby GT500 test car, the production cars that come out of their facility are magnificent. The build quality was up to Pebble Beach Concours standards; flawlessly smooth body panels, doors that open and close like a modern Mustang thanks to a careful process marrying the latches of the current sixth-gen car, and beautifully mounted interiors speak to the artful craftsmanship involved. The underside of the car is pristine as well.
However, these are hand-built cars, which means this level of excellence comes at a surprisingly steep price. The base price for the least expensive car in the Revology lineup, the 1968 Mustang 2+2 fastback, is $248,345. The top-of-the-line Shelby GT500s start at $320,600. Our test example, a manual six-speed, with full Nappa leather interior ($10,475), painted Wimbledon White Le Mans stripes ($6,575), an Alcantara headliner ($1,125), Dark Blue Metallic paint ($975), seat headrests ($950), and hood pins ($635), brought the total to $341,335.
Yes, that’s Ferrari money, and you could probably get a well-restored original Shelby GT500 for about half that—why not? Because, as Scarpello pointed out, you’d be driving a car that’s 56 years old. That’s the whole point of restomods: to evoke the warm nostalgia of the past combined with a modern driving experience. So far, we understand why 167 people have seduced themselves into buying a Revology Mustang; 33 of them opt for the GT500. It’s doing exactly what it’s supposed to do.
Looking at the Revology GT500 test car we were given, the production cars that come out of their facility are magnificent. The build quality was up to Pebble Beach Concours standards, with flawlessly smooth body panels, doors that open and close like a modern Mustang thanks to a careful process marrying the latches of the current sixth-gen car, and beautifully mounted interiors speaking to the artful craftsmanship involved. The underside of the car is pristine as well.
However, these are hand-built cars, which means this level of excellence comes at a surprisingly steep price. The base price for the least expensive car in the Revology lineup, the 1968 Mustang 2+2 fastback, is $248,345. The top-of-the-line Shelby GT500s start at $320,600. Our test example, a manual six-speed, with full Nappa leather interior ($10,475), painted Wimbledon White Le Mans stripes ($6,575), an Alcantara headliner ($1,125), Dark Blue Metallic paint ($975), seat headrests ($950), and hood pins ($635), brought the total to $341,335.
Yes, that’s Ferrari money, and you could probably get a well-restored original Shelby GT500 for about half that—why not? Because, as Scarpello pointed out, you’d be driving a car that’s 56 years old. That’s the whole point of restomods: to evoke the warm nostalgia of the past combined with a modern driving experience. So far, we understand why 167 people have seduced themselves into buying a Revology Mustang; 33 of them opt for the GT500. It’s doing exactly what it’s supposed to do.
The standard Roush supercharged V-8 in the GT500 springs to life with the press of a button; a 7.0-inch Pioneer infotainment screen, including Apple CarPlay, and a backup camera are modern interior touches; and it comes alive with a menacing roar thanks to the Borla exhaust. The V-8’s rumble at idle transitions to a brazen roar when you step on the gas; a fleeting event considering how quickly the GT500 flings itself off the pavement. The sound of this engine alone is enough to transport you back to the muscle-car era of the late 1960s, when Mustangs fought Chevy Camaros and AMC Javelins in Trans-Am racing and battled on the streets in impromptu drag races across America.
We hesitate to put special cars like the Revology GT500 through our usual battery of racetrack tests because experience has taught us that almost none of them survive. There were issues even with the first Revology GT500, equipped with the 10-speed automatic. The GT500’s nose is filled with the same radiator and intercoolers you’ll find in a contemporary sixth-gen Mustang with the same powertrain. The modern Mustang flows a lot more air through its snout. While traveling at 150 mph, the intercooler circuit cooked itself and ultimately started robbing power from the modern electronics. Armed with our findings, a determined Scarpello vowed to fix that. Now, three additional cooling fans move air through the heat exchanger, and there is an additional oil cooler integrated so cleanly into the radiator core that you’d think it was originally designed that way. Our second chance to drive a Revology, this time a six-speed manual, emerged unscathed. The numbers it produces corroborate what our seatbacks were already telling us: It’s really fast, really loud, and it does its best work in a straight line—just like the original Shelby GT500 did.
In 1967, we tested a Shelby GT500 equipped with a three-speed automatic. It was power by a 7.0-liter, 355-hp V-8 and, at the time, was fast, sprinting to 60 mph in 6.5 seconds and completing the quarter mile in 15.0 seconds at 95 mph. That’s about what a Honda Odyssey minivan can do today. A lot of fond memories.
The Revology GT500, with its 3.7-second 0-60-mph sprint and quarter-mile burst of 11.7 seconds at 124 mph, is fast for its era; Cadillac CT5-V Blackwing fast. And that god-awful full-throttle roar? It tops out at 98 decibels according to our sound-level meter, roughly the same as the full song of a Corvette Z06 and even louder to the ear.
The original GT500 was a more refined continuation of Shelby American’s rough-edged GT350s. At the time, we summarized it as an “adult-oriented sports car for smooth freeway cruising.” Over 56 years, the Revology GT500 manages a similar soft catch to the wild-child drivetrain balance of that bygone era.
The Revology GT500 rides pleasantly around town, with light clutch and shifter efforts and smooth brakes. It’s also comfortable cruising at higher speeds in two-lane traffic, though it doesn’t have the same confident steering feel, secure seating position, or unadulterated grip that encourage late braking or hairpin-challenging antics as a modern Mustang GT. Rolling on 245/45ZR-17 Michelin Pilot Sport 4S tires, the GT500 takes corners at 0.88 g without breaking traction, far better than we’d expect of a chassis developed around 60 years ago but still proving the limitations of the time. The modern rendition is about 500 pounds heavier than the 1967 original, tipping the scales at 3847 pounds. Braking force comes from Wilwood brakes; six-piston calipers that clasp 13.1-inch vented, grooved rotors up front and four-piston calipers that grip 12.9-inch vented, grooved rotors out back, stopping from 120 km/h in 179 feet without the help of antilock brakes.
Still, you’ll be happy pointing the Revology GT500 down a highway, as it’s a comfortable cruiser with a supple, well-judged ride and unshakeable straight-line steadiness. With air conditioning keeping the cabin cool during the summer, it’ll comfortably cruise at illegal speeds. It dips down to 79 decibels at 70 mph, loud but not so much as to discourage you from taking it on car cruises, Cars and Coffee meetups, or even longer road trips.
With only 33 Revology Shelby GT500s in existence, your chances of seeing one are about as likely as running into Taylor Swift in your local Costco. Oh well. Scarpello says his customers have “an emotional connection to classic Mustangs.” They may have wanted one as a kid or may have owned one and regretted selling it, and now they have the money to reward themselves with a new old one. Lucky them.