Models
1968 Mustang GT 2+2 Fastback | Car 74
Transcript +
Hi, I'm Tom Scarpello with Revology Cars, and this is car number 74 - a 1968 Mustang 2+2 Fastback in Raven Black with black interior. So, of all the 68’s that we built today, this one is probably the most original looking. The client had some very specific ideas in mind for everything from the front end to the rear, to the trim, to the interior. So, it's a little bit of a mix and match of different Mustang parts from years and models. For example, in the front, it uses the fog lamps and the grille from the 1968 GT model. On the fender, the badges are from the six-cylinder Mustang model, and the fuel cap is from a 1967 Mustang.
So, the interior looks very original as well. Most of the cars that we build feature leather interior that was designed in-house by Revology but for this car, the client really wanted an original ‘68 vinyl interior. So, we were able to adapt some of the Revology components to the ‘68 design, and then we sourced some reproduction parts to really make it look as original as possible. So, this is basically a ‘68 standard interior with a few Revology touches. It's great to be able to build exactly what the client wants. I always say that we build dreams, and if your dream is to have a Revology Mustang with 1968 seats, then we'll try to accommodate that, but I have to say I'm not a fan of these seats, and they have about as much lateral support as a park bench, but they do look period correct, that's for sure.
It's just that the performance capability of the car is just leaps and bounds ahead of what it was in 1968. So, you need a more supportive seat. So, as we grow and our production increases, it becomes less and less feasible to do a kind of custom or one-off work. One of the trade-offs that you make and as you grow and you become more efficient, do more volume less able to kind of do custom things, but in the end, what the client gets is a just a better engineered higher quality vehicle. With the benefit of doing something repetitively and improving out the process, that's really what our focus is on these days is just improving our process capability, becoming more efficient, always improving quality, refinement, drivability, reducing noise, vibration, harshness. Just making the cars better in every way!
So, my last couple of videos, I've commented on Tesla, and several people have asked me what I think about the new Ford crossover EV called the Mach-E - the Mustang Mach-E. And I know it's been a bit controversial in the Mustang community because after all it's a four-door, it's a crossover, and it's an EV. But I personally think it is a brilliant move, and I think it's long overdue. I thought for years that Ford should have brought out a four-door Mustang. It would just give so much more utility, it would increase the obviously the market potential of the car. A lot more people would buy it, would be overall a good business decision.
But Ford's gone two steps beyond that. Not only did they introduce a four-door Mustang but it's a crossover and an EV. It's kind of like people in India that had no phone and then went directly to a smartphone and skipped over everything in between. The thing about branding is it's like a bank. You put these deposits into this brand bank. For it to be worth something, you've got to be able to make some withdrawals. Ford, for the last 55-plus years, has been putting deposits into the Mustang brand bank and building up this iconic American brand called Mustang.
It's about time they started to take some value out of that and taking the Mustang brand putting it on this crossover which, everything, I haven't driven it yet, but everything that I've read, all the reviews that I've seen indicate that it's going to be a heck of a nice product, and will compete directly with Tesla's Model Y. I think Tesla really needs to take note because, quality-wise, they really have a ways to go.
Ford knows how to build cars. Now they've got a really nicely styled EV crossover with the kind of functionality and quality that you would expect from an established automaker. I think it's going to be a really competitive entrant, and it's going to be good for Ford, and it's ultimately going to be good for the Mustang community, and here's why. Almost 20 years ago, this same thing happened with Porsche. Porsche decided to come out with the Cayenne Sport Utility. The 911 guys went just completely bonkers like, oh no, how can this be an SUV from Porsche? No, it's sacrilege, and lo and behold, Cayenne came out number one best-selling Porsche.
Porsche then came out with a four-door sedan and the same thing but, of course, now a little bit more subdued because these 911 guys had already been beaten down by the Cayenne and, oh, no four-door sedan- second best-selling vehicle. Now they've come out with the Macan. The Macan is their new number one best-selling vehicle, their small crossover. So, the reality is that's what the market wants. They want these cars that have utility, that have four doors, they have a place to put stuff, but they also want the sportiness and the imagery associated with that brand, the Porsche brand in that case, but what did that do for the 911 enthusiast?
Well, that meant more volume, revenue, and profit for Porsche. They can take that money, and they can reinvest it into the 911 line, and that's exactly what they've done. And now, if you're a 911 enthusiast, you've got the biggest and best range of 911s that you've ever had to choose from. Life is so good for the 911 enthusiasts because Porsche made the investment in those volume cars, and that's exactly what's going to happen to Mustang. The Mustang guys are going to benefit from the volume, revenue, and profit that's associated with this Mach-E crossover vehicle. And that's going to trickle back into the Mustang lineup.
So, if you love a rear-wheel drive internal combustion V8-powered Mustang, you're going to get the best one that you've ever had before. That's guaranteed because Ford's got to keep putting money back into that brand bank for Mustang. So don't despair, Mustang people. This is good. It's going to be good for you. It's going to be good for Ford. It's all good!
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