Velocity Restoration’s ’68 Mustang is the Cleanest Gen-III Coyote Swap We’ve Ever Seen

61 photosPhoto: Velocity Modern Classics

It might not be the flashiest 1968 Mustang around. But with almost no visual cues indicating the modern hardware under the hood, this might be the cleanest restomod Coyote-swapped Mustang we’ve ever seen. Only a very particular and skillful restoration shop has any business building a sleeper of this caliber. That’s where an especially amazing shop like Velocity’s in the Florida Panhandle comes in handy.With over 100 craftsmen and technicians on staff and a 135,000 square-foot shop to work with, every facet of a custom restomod from the drivetrain to the interior trim and all in between can be handled under one roof. Never once does a Velocity Modern Classics build leave shop grounds during its roughly 14-week build process. That’s right, what might take years or even a decade for one person to finish themselves is condensed into one of the most streamlined and methodical processes in the American aftermarket sector.

It all came together to provide a 1968 Mustang Coupe that looks like any normal in the family apart from a slightly lowered suspension. Even then, you’d only notice if you were expressly looking for clues of what lurks behind the surface of that Brittany Blue BASF Glasurit paint job. From the factory, the ’68 Mustang hit dealers sporting a line of straight-six and V8 engines ranging from 200 up to 428 cubic inches. The optional 427-cubic inch V8 was especially potent. But all pale in comparison to the modern five-liter, third-generation Ford Coyote V8 that Velocity installed on this ’68 Mustang.

With a modern 10R80 ten-speed automatic transmission paired to it, the drivetrain in this Mustang is leaps and bounds beyond even what most expect out of a restomod Mustang. Add on a full custom exhaust and a Ford nine-inch rear end with Fox coilover suspension at all four corners, and you suddenly have an iconic gen-I Mustang that can carve corners like a modern sports coupe with the looks and the charm of the late 1960s.

With factory AC from Vintage Air, a RetroSound BT digital head unit with Velocity-exclusive Dakota Digital center display, and a four-speaker Focal Audio system with a sub-woofer, you have everything in this classic package that a modern sports car takes for granted. You can’t say the same about most restomods.