Thursday, April 21, 2016

800HP ‘Obsidian’ Ford Mustang Took $1.3 Million to Build

BOLD RIDE

Copyright © 2016 Bold Ride LLC.
 
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What value would you assign to a lovely ’67 Ford Mustang fastback? According to popular valuations, if it needs a little work—about $17,000 and up. Even better condition? You’ll be looking in the $20,000 to $35,000 range. 
 
By comparison, this highly customized 1967 fastback frankly blows those dollar figures out of the water. It’s nicknamed ‘Obsidian’ and according to the Barrett-Jackson auction house, it’s the result of a—gasp—$1.3 million investment. That said, there isn’t one square inch of this car that has remained untouched.

It’s currently in the stewardship of former Milwaukee Bucks center Dan Gadzuric, however soon the super-mean Ford Mustang fastback will cross the auction block at Barrett-Jackson’s Northeast event in June, and it’s expected to bring big, big bucks.
RELATED: See More Photos of the ’67 “Obsidian” Ford Mustang Fastback
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With sinister blacked-out looks, it isn’t hard to see why this fastback is named after obsidian—a type of dark, glass-like volcanic rock formed by the crystallization of lava. According to the auction house, its creation was the work of Matt Couper, of Autoworks International in El Cajon, California, who modernized the pony car from front to back.

The reborn Mustang now sports custom side skirts and fenders, an intimidating honeycomb grille, a ram-air style hood, bumpers at both ends, a one-off set of wheels, and a bespoke billet-hewn rear taillight assembly. It’s hard to see, but the pony car cleverly hides its license plate—a vintage Wisconsin blue plate—behind its rear mesh fascia.

Inside it’s no different either. Both driver and passenger are treated to a lovely black dashboard with custom billet gauges and sporty Recaro leather seats.



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Lift up the bonnet though and it appears Couper didn’t skimp on the engine either, it’s a strong one. The Mustang readies a big 6.4-liter V8, which attaches to a pair of Rotrex centrifugal superchargers and two air-to-air intercoolers.

 It’s a sight to behold and quite the stormer. The setup cranks out a huge 847 horsepower and 750 lb.-ft. of torque, which all head rearward through a Tremec five-speed gearbox. Zero to 60 takes under four seconds.

Luckily the Mustang’s suspension and chassis have been beefed-up to cope with the added power. Beneath its skin lies a hidden roll cage, as well as coilover shocks front and rear, Brembo disc brakes at all four wheels, and new engine mounting points which give the car a claimed 50-50 front-to-rear weight distribution.


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According to Barrett-Jackson, Gadzuric purchased the Ford Mustang about three years ago and recalls he couldn’t take his eyes off it. “The way it was looking at me, I just had to stare back at it,” notes Gadzuric. He explains it wasn’t just a show car, but something he genuinely enjoyed driving fast. “No matter where I took it, heads turned.”

Despite the relatively short shelf life of concept vehicles and show cars, the wild pony was displayed proudly at the front entrance of the 2006 SEMA Show, and after a decade on, it still looks edgy today.


Photo Credit: Barrett-Jackson

 

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