Velocity Takes The Fox Body Mustang To Crazy Town

There’s little argument that the Ford Mustang is one of the truly classic nameplates in automotive history. Ford’s pony car has been in production long enough—having initially debuted in 1964 with relatively humble underpinnings—to have gone through seven generations.

It’s been powered by a smorgasbord of engines ranging from four-cylinder fuel misers to massive supercharged V8s. No surprise, then, that companies like Florida’s Velocity Restoration have established lines of refinished and redefined Ford Mustang restomods, specializing in ultra desirable models from 1967 and 1968.

Velocity’s latest Re-Engineered Classic, however, isn’t quite like the rest of the company’s classic machinery. Sure, it wears a galloping pony badge, but few would argue today that the Fox Body occupies the same rarified air of collectability in which the first-generation Mustang breathes.

And yet, according to Cody Dabney, Director of Production at Velocity, there has been such a strong reception to the first Fox Body restomod that the company recently debuted at the SEMA Show in Las Vegas that the team already has sufficient orders to keep them busy building Fox Bodies through at least the next year.

A restomod, for those unfamiliar with the term, refers to a car that has been more than just restored. Restomods are intended to be better than the original in every meaningful way, and that’s exactly what Velocity has done with the Fox Body Mustang that was originally built by Ford from 1979 through 1993.

The first Re-Engineered Fox Body built by Velocity is a 1991 model and boasts a modern 5.0L Coyote V8 under its bulging hood, complete with a Whipple supercharger and mated to a 10-speed automatic transmission. As much as we appreciate the 5-point-0 carryover connection, there’s a lot more to the story than just a straightforward engine swap.

While the third-generation Ford Mustang was a unibody design, Velocity’s Fox Body sits on a Roadster Shop perimeter frame that benefits from an independent front suspension with tubular upper and lower control arms with a beefy front sway bar and a four-link rear setup. Coilover shocks at all four corners lower the car about two inches from its factory ride height.

A narrowed Ford 9-inch rear end is stronger than the stock axle and is configured to allow the use of P335/30ZR18 rear tires on 18-inch CCW wheels that are much wider than what Ford offered stock. Four-wheel Baer disc brakes with drilled and slotted rotors and six-piston calipers handle braking duties.

Modifications to the body of the Fox Body are kept to a minimum. A two-inch cowl induction hood provides clearance for the DOHC engine and supercharger. The wide rear rubber necessitated mini tubs, which in turn required Velocity to cut away and replace large sections of the unibody. Up front, the new suspension setup and engine upgrade meant Velocity had to remove the bulk of the unibody’s hard mounting points. Custom-designed panels fill in all the open spaces left where metal was removed, stiffening the structure and providing a factory-clean appearance.

The Re-Engineered Fox Body’s interior received a thorough makeover but still retains the blocky look of the original car. A digital gauge cluster modernizes the dashboard but looks mostly period correct. A Blaupunkt head unit was chosen to continue the throwback look, and an air conditioning system from Vintage Air keeps the cabin cool in the summer months.

Customers who want to place an order on a Fox Body Re-Engineered Classic from Velocity Restorations will have plenty of choices to make the restomod their own. Both GT fastback and LX notchback-style bodies will be offered in a curated palette of BASF Glasurit paint shades. As is the case with the first-generation Mustang models from Velocity, the Fox Body line will include both Signature Series and upgraded (pricier too, naturally) Street Series models. As of right now, Velocity does not plan to offer a droptop, though we think a triple white 5.0 would be a perfect throwback option.

Velocity’s Fox Body SEMA show car, which took home the HP Tuners Precision Engineering Award at the event, has a 10R80 10-speed automatic transmission, but Velocity will offer buyers who prefer to shift their own gears a Tremec 6-speed manual as well. With around 800 horsepower on tap, the automatic car is sure to be the quicker option, but a traditional stick is a nice touch that fits with the 1990s throwback vibe.

One thing you won’t see from Velocity is the option for a different powertrain. While various versions of Ford’s 5.0L Coyote engine will be available, Dabney told us the team doesn’t like to mix Ford with Chevy, so there will be no LS engine options in the Fox Body. We can only hope that means an IROC-Z-badged F-Body from General Motors’ recent past could one day join the Fox Body in the restomod club. Prices for a "new" Fox are expected to start at $279,900.

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