Driving coast to coast across the United States is a dream for many, but Revology owner Silvan Colani turned it into a reality, with his wife and two teenage children along for the ride in his GT Fastback.
A Swiss financier, Silvan lives in Hong Kong. “Crossing the US was a classic bucket list thing for me to do and I always liked the idea of doing it in a Mustang, It’s such an iconic car.”
However, not being mechanically minded, Silvan wanted to avoid dealing with issues that might arise from taking a 60-year-old car on a long trip, especially with his family on board.
Instead, Silvan discovered Revology Cars and decided to buy a 1968 Mustang GT 2+2 Fastback, with a six-speed manual transmission. “To me it was the perfect option. I love cars. I love driving them. But I don’t know anything about them. I couldn’t fix them. So the idea of driving an old Mustang that might break down in the middle of nowhere, wouldn’t appeal to me or my family. But the concept of Revology, which builds a brand new, reliable car, that looks like an original; that was super appealing.”
In late 2023, Silvan took delivery of his car from Revology headquarters in Orlando and went on a shake-down cruise to New York City. “The Mustang was completely trouble free and gave me the confidence for the big trip.”
After storing the car in New York, Silvan returned to Hong Kong, where he finalized his long-held concept for the cross-country adventure.
“Being Swiss, naturally I planned the trip very carefully, I wasn’t going to leave much to chance.”
With everything organized, this summer Silvan, his wife, son and daughter flew to New York, climbed into their Revology Mustang and set off from the Big Apple, bound for Los Angeles.
Not wishing to establish a new Cannonball Run record for the trip, Silvan set a leisurely three-week schedule to reach his final destination, Santa Monica.
Heading south from New York, the Colani family made for the Blue Ridge Parkway, and the stunning scenery of Virginia and North Carolina. The roads were some of the best of the entire trip, says Silvan, and not surprisingly a stop in the town of Little Switzerland was called for.
Heading into Tennessee, visits to Nashville and Memphis were on the agenda, the latter city being preferred by Silvan’s music-loving son and daughter, especially with a visit to Sun Studios, where Elvis made his first recordings.
Westward into Arkansas, Oklahoma and Texas, Silvan’s Mustang had a chance to stretch its legs in the more open, less touristy parts of the country.
“The car was flawless, it didn’t put a foot wrong. Tom (Scarpello, Revology CEO) has created the perfect set-up. The gearbox was sharp, you feel the engine, but it’s not overly noisy, it’s a firm ride, but it’s not hard and it’s not harsh.”
Aware that the Mustang trunk space is modest, Silvan has given his family members each a suitably sized bag for Christmas, so luggage was not an issue. And despite concerns that his teenage children might find the rear seat to be a little cramped, there were no complaints. “Besides we had great air conditioning in the car and we kept the daily driving time fairly short, four or five hours usually.”
Crossing through the “cowboy country” of Oklahoma and Texas, the Colani family bought cowboy hats and stayed at the Big Texan, famous for its 72 oz steak offer: The meal is free if you can eat it in an hour. “My daughter is a vegetarian so traveling through those parts was a challenge!”
Reaching New Mexico, Silvan stopped for a couple of days in Santa Fe, to do laundry and wash the car, which had got dirty in dusty Amarillo. In Albuquerque, the family picked up Route 66 and followed the famous road to various points of interest, including the historic Wigwam motel in Holbrook, Arizona. “Everywhere we stopped people would come to ask us about the car and take photos. People everywhere love the Mustang, you feel like royalty on the road with that car.”
En route to the Grand Canyon, Silvan stopped in Winslow to visit the street corner made famous by the Eagles’ song, ‘Take It Easy.’
“For me it was a culmination of five years of planning and one of my favorite places to be. To actually stand on the ‘corner in Winslow, Arizona’ was very special. There’s even a flatbed Ford there.”
Las Vegas, Nevada greeted the Colani’s with a wave of blistering heat, but the temperature did not bother the Revology Mustang, which continued to run perfectly. For a sight-seeing tour of the city, however, Silvan decided to rent a stretch limo and a driver to show his family around.
Silvan’s odyssey ended in Santa Monica, literally at the end of Route 66 on the city pier itself. “That’s another nice thing about the Revology Mustang. Its dash screen connects to your phone and google maps showed me that you can drive right onto the pier, where there is a sign for the end of Route 66.”
In two weeks of driving, the Colani’s Mustang covered some 3900 miles without missing a beat. So confident in the car is Silvan that before flying back to Hong Kong, he handed over the keys to a relative, who also wanted to do the cross-country drive. And so the Mustang headed back to New York.
“I bought this car for the trip,” concludes Silvan. “Clearly the Revology Mustang is made to drive and it drives well. I am not into buying a museum piece, I just want to keep driving it.
“Back in Hong Kong I drive a Maserati Ghibli. It’s a nice car but after driving the Mustang, it felt like everything is way too soft and too light.”
So what is next on Silvan’s bucket list? “I’m trying to convince my wife to drive from Anchorage to Tijuana. It says 60 hours on google maps! I would have no hesitation doing it in the Mustang.”
Details of Silvan’s Revology Mustang can be seen here. https://revologycars.com/registry/registry-176/
For anyone interested in a Revology car, you can learn directly from owners what it’s like to buy and own one of the company’s Mustang or Shelby models, below.