April 2021

Renowned Los Angeles guitarist, Jason Sinay, celebrates his 1967 Revology Shelby GT500

Revology customer and professional LA musician Jason Sinay loves cars and guitars. And Sinay blends the two interests with his Revology Cars’ 1967 Shelby GT500 and a 1967 Stratocaster, both finished in matching Inca Silver paint.

Behind both car and guitar are fascinating stories that underscore Sinay’s reputation as a renowned guitarist and an automobile enthusiast.

For Beverly Hills resident Sinay, the interest in Ford Mustangs started years ago when his grandfather, Jack Harris, gave him his first car, a 1966 GT convertible.

Harris was a Hollywood producer who gave Steve McQueen his first starring role, in an early sci-fi movie called ‘The Blob’, which became a cult classic. Sinay recalls from his youth that McQueen was a frequent visitor at his home. And the actor’s role in the movie Bullitt, which famously featured a 1968 GT Fastback, further spurred Sinay’s affection for Mustangs.

Over the years, Sinay has owned a succession of exotic cars from various marques including Ferrari, Lamborghini, McLaren and Porsche.  Interestingly, what led to him adding the Revology Shelby GT500 to his stable in 2020 hinged on his sale of one of his classic guitars.

Sinay has had a stellar career as a guitarist, playing along side legends like Keith Richards, Neil Young, Jackson Browne, Joe Bonamassa and Mike Campbell of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. Along the way he has collected numerous classic guitars, among them a highly sought after 1960 Gibson Les Paul.

Even though Sinay liked the 1960 Gibson, he still hankered for the even more desirable 1959 model. “So I sold it,” Sinay recalls. “I had a cashier’s check for $250,000 and thought, I should put in the bank, look for a ’59 Les Paul, or I could get a great ‘restomod’ classic car, something that looks old, but drives new.”

After exhaustive research, Sinay discovered Revology Cars and its reproduction original Ford Mustangs. A few days later Sinay was on a plane to Orlando, Florida to meet with Revology Cars CEO, Tom Scarpello and marketing and sales director, Yoshi Amano.

Initially Sinay wanted to choose a ’68 Fastback, partially as a nod to his acquaintance with McQueen. But at the Revology plant, he saw a white and blue Shelby and changed his mind.

“Yoshi was wonderful and gave me a tour of the shop,” says Sinay. “When I saw the Shelby up on a lift, I stopped in my tracks and decided to switch.”

Sinay’s color preference for his ’67 Shelby GT500 was Inca Silver, a choice that ties back to his guitar collection and curiously, the 1957 Chevrolet Corvette.  

If there is a ‘go to’ guitar in Sinay’s possession it is his 1967 Fender Stratocaster. “It’s my number one guitar,” he says, “I record and tour with it, I can’t go to a session without this guitar.”

However, as nice as his ’67 Stratocaster is to play, many collectors prefer the earlier models, especially those painted in solid colors, rather than the normal three-tone sunburst finish.

Sinay’s ‘holy grail’ Stratocaster color was a silver finish used by Fender, which was inspired by a color offered on the 1957 Chevrolet Corvette. So Sinay shipped his beloved ’67 Stratocaster off to Fender to produce a copy, with some modifications, that was painted in the Corvette Inca Silver.

And that is how Sinay ended up with a Revology Shelby GT500 – with its 710 hp supercharged engine and 10-speed automatic transmission – and a reproduction of a ’67 Fender Stratocaster, in matching colors.

Driving his GT500 around Los Angeles, Sinay says the car always causes a stir. “People just freak out,” says Sinay. “I’ve had all these cool cars – Ferraris, Lamborghinis – but the cool factor of the Revology GT500 is so above other cars. People come up to me and say that’s the nicest car in LA.”

Sinay’s impression of the GT500 behind the wheel is of a car “with so much visceral, but controllable power.”

The GT500 is the first car Sinay has owned in recent years that does not have all the electronic driver assistance systems of modern vehicles. “It doesn’t have electronic slip control, or the other aids that keep a car on the road, but the Shelby stops better than a Porsche GT3, which is saying a lot.

“When I got the car, the first thing I noticed was the handling. It was this perfect balance that the Revology cars have. Somehow Revology managed to leave just enough ‘67 Shelby feel in the car, but then it can really, really corner. In my opinion there are no competitors.”

Sinay’s preference for an automatic transmission on his Revology GT500 has to do with the nature of driving on LA’s congested roads.

“The car is very drivable, you can just cruise along all day in LA traffic, but when I want, I pop it into sport mode and I love the immediacy of the shifts, how it flies through the gears.”

Sinay has also found that the appeal of the Revology GT500 has saved him from speeding tickets on two occasions to date. “Both times I ended up hanging out with the sheriff, popping the hood,” says Sinay. “One officer turned out to be a muscle car builder in his spare time. He took a look under the hood and was amazed at the attention to detail. He told me what a special vehicle I had and to be careful out there.”

As for Revology Cars’ management, Sinay has nothing but praise for Scarpello and Amano. “Tom is the kind of guy you want at the head of a company that built your custom car for $250,000. He cares about his customers, and he exudes confidence in his products.  So as an owner of one of his cars, that gives me confidence. And I loved dealing with Yoshi, she was just so much fun, to go through the whole buying process.”

Sinay is evidently happy with his ownership of a Revology Mustang. “In fact I am more than an owner,” he says, “I’m a fan and I plan to buy another car from Revology.”

Revology is the first company ever licensed by Ford to build a new reproduction Ford. It is also one of a handful of companies worldwide licensed by Shelby.

Revology offers a complete lineup of licensed reproduction 1965-1968 Mustang and Shelby GTs. Detailed specifications including content and pricing can be found on the Revology Cars website at www.revologycars.com, or by contacting Revology Cars directly at (800) 974-4463.