For ages, rumors have persisted around a four-door Ford Mustang. A pony car for the entire family, something far more rakish than a Falcon or a Fairmont or an LTD. It’s a great idea, appealing to a wider audience than a two-door coupe would, but we have yet to see positive signs of life for the idea beyond wishful thinking. Still, that hasn’t stopped people from creating their own four-door Mustangs, and one of these custom affairs recently sold on Bring A Trailer.
If you’ve been reading for a while, you probably know that I’m a sucker for a weird limousine. Sure, they’re sometimes dubious when it comes to safety and/or style, but they’re pure custom car imagination run wild. It takes guts to cut a car in half as part of a major project with the intent to stitch it back together again in an elongated form, and some of that creativity really shows in this particular Mustang.
Specifically, it’s a 1966 Mustang coupe that started life with a 3.3-liter inline-six. A great classic car, but nothing hugely rare. Before the turn of the millennium, these six-cylinder models really weren’t worth much, which would explain why this one ended up as a base for a custom limousine.
At some point, a previous owner sectioned this Mustang in two before absolutely going to town aft of the doors. The C-pillars have been shifted back and modified substantially, the B-pillars are entirely new, and those rear doors are actually factory front doors flipped around. Not only does that render them rear-hinged, but it also means that rear seat occupants get their own vent windows. As part of the process, this Mustang also gained a 289 cubic-inch V8, along with a separate air conditioning system for the rear seat passengers.
Inside, this thing’s strange silhouette gives way to three rows of seats, with the middle row facing the back for proper conversations. In addition to the aforementioned rear air-con, backseat riders get their own sunroof, although there’s no word on whether the aerial on the trunk lid actually goes to anything. Perhaps the most astounding thing is just how well the upholstery’s done back there. The seats look correct, the carpet looks correct, everything here screams “Mustang” despite this car’s heavily altered nature.
You might be wondering what something like this is actually worth. More than I ever imagined, I’ll tell you that. After nearly a week of the listing being live, a late bidding war saw the hammer fall at a whopping $40,000. You can buy a nice V8-powered original Mustang coupe for that sort of money, proving that in this case, the limousine conversion was actually a value add.
Perhaps the best part of all this is how positively it was received in the notorious Bring A Trailer comments section. One bidder, had they won it, considered wrapping it purple to match their Super Snake. Another commented, “I’m sitting here in Napa, imagining the possibilities and trying to keep my finger away from the Place Bid button.” Upon receiving congratulations for the purchase, the winning bidder commented, “Thank you! I have no plans to rent it. I just wanted it for my collection.” People love this thing, and I love that.
This 1966 Mustang limousine might not be everyone’s cup of tea, but it’s wacky enough that I can’t help but adore it. It’s gloriously weird, but also seems strangely well-executed. Add in the way it gets the people going, and it feels like a win overall. Custom car culture requires all sorts of builds, and this one’s enough of a head-turner to be truly memorable.
Top graphic image: Bring A Trailer
I hate this thing so much. The dimensions make my eye twitch.
But I’m glad it exists, because more weird.
This thing could stop many people in their tracks at car shows. I just hope the brakes were upgraded because the four-wheel drums on unstretched 6-cylinder early Mustangs were not up to the task going down any significant grade from the mountains.
I hope so too. When I was driving my 68 F100 for the first time, I found out exactly how different you need to drive 4 wheel unassisted drums than the discs on every other car I’ve owned. I immediately started looking at boosters and disc conversions
I like this one thing waaay more than I thought I would. Muuustang!
While I agree the interior is well done, all I can think of though is how they missed greatness by JUST THAT MUCH by not going with a replica full GT Pony treatment – embossed galloping mustangs across the white inserts, the pistol grip door handles, factory GT wheels, etc. So close, yet just short…
But still, I likee. A LOT.
“a four-door Ford Mustang… It’s a great idea”
No. It’s not. Not everything needs to be sedan-ized, SUV-ized. Pony cars are fine. They’re fun. And the whole point is that you CAN put your kids in the back seat. That’s why they’re not sports cars, which are ok, too
Not a fan of limos in general, but this one looks at least interesting. I mean, if you had to rent a limo for an occasion, you could do far worse than this.
This is the only limo that I have ever liked. Great job on the interior. 86 that silly antenna.
I can’t believe how well this was executed. I also can’t believe there were almost a handful of people who liked the end result. It reminds me of all the perfect examples of cars we see here that no one wanted then or now.
I saw this and thought; oh great another thing that I didn’t know that I didn’t need, but gosh that interior looks pretty nice and the rear vent windows are very, very nice.
I guess if you can afford a garage that this thing will fit in, $40K isn’t so bad.
The hot blond chauffeur- Uma Thurman or Charlize Theron type – in a white suit might break the budget though. Maybe Édith Scob from Holy Motors?
I’d rather have the convertible Cabriolet with half armor plating the Autopian did.
I was wondering what kind of vortex you could get going inside, opening the vent windows fore and aft at the same time.
I don’t know whether that partition opens or not.
With that extended white roof it’s actually slightly reminiscent of Dean Jeffries’s Monkeemobile (yeah, gotta always include the creator’s name to give credit where it’s due.)
The Monkeemobile (ahem, Dean Jeffries’s Monkeemobile) was also three-row.
(Yeah, got a bit of a pet peeve about a certain “kustomizer” taking all the credit…)
Same initials as Garlic Bread? Gnarly Balls? Green Beans? That guy?
Yeah, that’d be the one, Grabbing Bravos.
(Ha, yeah, initial-based synonyms for ‘stealing credit’ ain’t easy when working with Gs and Bs, lol)
Greedy Boy, because I don’t think “bastard” is warranted, but he did like to steal the limelight…
Oh, yes, that epithet is absolutely warranted! This is just one example of why it would be warranted, from https://www.theautopian.com/the-holy-grail-of-hot-rods-has-been-found-after-being-hidden-for-50-years/
“When it came to shows, Uncertain-T wowed everyone, leading to an infamous event in the history of show rods. At the. 1965 Winternationals show, Steve Scott, barely in his 20s, and his Uncertain-T took home the coveted Special Sweepstakes Award, beating out perennial favorites like George Barris. Barris did not take the loss well, slapping Steve in front of everyone at the show.”
Good grief. Yeah, that’s some truly egregiously bad behavior…
I haven’t read the full thread yet, but I always wonder what those ego maniacs expect to achieve with stunts like that. “Oh boy, surely old slappy George put the new kid in his place. Quick, grab his prize and give it to Barris, we committed an atrocious mistake!”
I’d prefer the monkey mobile
Not as bad as Stan Lee stealing credit for Spiderman or Jonas Salk stealing credit for the polio vaccine
Wow, this whole time I thought that “kustomizer” did make the Monkeemobile. How em-Barris-ing for me
That’ll slow Sally down.
She might find her stride in the back of this limo.
So basically, a Bustang.
I’ll show myself out…
Oddly, this same car also received a much more scathing post this morning on a website about curbside classic cars.
Yeah and that shows why I don’t stop by there as much anymore and come here more.
Yeah that takedown felt like Abe Simpson yelling at clouds.
I don’t normally frequent that site, and the slant of the article confirms I do not need to. “What if the Mustang gets abandoned and is just an appearance package on other ford models” Then this is horrible because of that?
It’s a lot of handwringing and ado about nothing.
We forget how simple an un-fussy ’60s styling was. The fact that both character lines are fully parallel from front to rear (so that the door can even be repurposed) is unheard of in this modern era of complex curves.
Not to mention exaggerated fender flares that bulge into where the character lines logically would be
That is because once you have something the only way to change it is to change it.
Nicely done though I hate how the roof came out.
This looks surprisingly well thought out, especially like the the front-as-rear doors.
My only quibble is the wheels – to me, torque thrust Ds look best on the 68 and up bodies. A build like this needs the wire style wheels!
Those appear to be New Edge Mustang Bullitt wheels. Styled after the torque thrust of course; a proper D would look more at home.
I coulda swore this was going be a full-on Meth Build, but it actually seems well-done? I guess that makes it a Cocaine Build?
Almost certainly cocaine era, if nothing else. FWIU it was the Wild West in limo conversions in the ’80s but commercial insurance for one has gotten considerably fussier and more expensive since.
This is way too restrained for cocaine. It also actually went from ‘this is the best idea ever, we have to do this’ to complpletion. That’s very un-coke of it.
I mean, I agree? Some kind of controlled stimulant was involved in the creation, but I just don’t know! It’s too well done for meth, no mirrored surfaces for cocaine, so what else could it be? Maybe Adderall?
This is a special model called “The Swayback”.
*inserts SpongeBob my eyes gif*
How many beers did it take to make this a good idea? However, I appreciate the ingenuity and sheer hillbillerry!
Thought this might be a visual from an old Juicy Fruit gum ad.
What in the TopGear challenge? I mean, yeah, incredibly well done.