As Matt Pfister rumbles through the streets of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, his 1967 Mustang looks the part of a performer as its customized body lines are slathered in modern Lead Foot Gray paint. It glides over the pavement like a modern machine, and the power is under control when the throttle angle is slight.

Even though it’s a far cry from the original car that my grandfather purchased in 1967 as a daily driver, I think that he would be very proud of the fact that I kept it all of these years… — Matt Pfister, Owner

When Pfister applies the loud pedal, that angle grows, and the 3.875-inch pulley on the Whipple supercharger spins up the boost. The power swells, and the scenery blurs even as the straight open roads give way to corners. “It handles beautifully on the street — flat in turns, curve-hugging in the mountains with no sway or rolling like the original car,” he said.

Believe it or not, this 1967 Mustang started its life as a coupe, but GT Graphics transformed its look with a Dynacorn coupe-to-fastback conversion kit. Fusing a variety of styles to create its own look, the converted Fastback wears a custom fiberglass Shelby-style hood scoop with Ring Brothers hood pins. A custom fiberglass front spoiler integrates JW Speaker foglights, while custom-built LED Daylight Running Lights, with integrated sequential blinkers, are implanted in the original headlight buckets. Those are just some of the custom touches under the Ford Lead Foot Gray paint.

Though its current condition is optimized to meet Matt’s exacting desires, the origins of this car are far more modest. A fixture in the family since the Swinging ’60s, his Mustang wasn’t even born as a Fastback, but even back then, it planted the seeds of its owner’s passion.

“My Grandfather purchased this car in 1967 when he was 55 years old, and I was 3. It was a Lime Gold coupe with a 289 V8, a two-barrel Autolite Carb, a C4 three-speed automatic transmission, and factory air conditioning. My first recollection of the car was probably when I was 5 or 6 years old, and I simply fell in love with it! The shape, the sound, and riding in it,” Pfister explained. “It was a daily driver for my Grandparents until my grandfather died in 1982. He and my dad knew how much I loved this car, so upon his death during my first year of college, I inherited it.”

Taking ownership of a vehicle that meant so much to his formative years was a big moment, but it wasn’t without complications. Older cars often need work, and that necessity motivated a bit of reinvention from the classic car’s new owner.

“Getting an 18-year-old car from the ’60s meant everything was wearing out on it, so I bought the 900-plus-page Ford shop manual because I quickly found out that if I couldn’t fix it, I had no transportation,” Pfister said. “I worked on or replaced just about everything mechanical on the car over the years, and that experience taught me a lot about troubleshooting problems and working on cars.”

Displayed in a sanitary engine compartment sprayed in Lead Foot Gray is a Gen 1 Coyote 5.0-liter crate engine topped by a Gen 5 Whipple 3.0-liter twin-screw supercharger, which pushes the output near 800 horsepower. It is cooled by a huge Griffin aluminum radiator and two SPAL electric cooling fans.

Though he honed his skills and kept the car up and running, eventually, life put the car on the sidelines. Matt considered parting ways with it, but ultimately, he couldn’t bear to part with a ride that meant so much to him.

“I drove this car daily through college at LSU until I accepted a job offer in Houston, Texas, in 1987. Not trusting a 23-year-old vehicle for a two-hour daily roundtrip commute, I stored it at my parent’s house in Louisiana,” Pfister recalled. “On visits home every other month or so, I’d start it, drive it in the yard, and then cover it back up. As it always does, life happens. I got married in 1991, and within five years, we had three kids and no room for the ’67. I offered the car to my siblings, but no one wanted to take on the project that it had become by sitting up unused. It needed paint, tires, brakes, a transmission rebuild, etc. I just couldn’t bear to sell it and see it leave the family, so I decided to hold on to it. I moved back to Louisiana in 1999 and got the car road-worthy again.”

He enjoyed the car again, but after many years, it was time to revitalize this family heirloom. More than just making the car roadworthy, Matt set out to transform the car with modern amenities.

“I turned 60 this year, and I plan to retire at the end of 2024. As a retirement present to myself, I decided to build it into a high-quality, dependable car that I could jump in and drive at any time,” he said. “I also wanted as many modern conveniences as I could afford, including a Coyote swap, power adder, Vintage Air, power steering, power brakes, a full audio system, a backup camera, power locks, power windows, updated seats, etc.”

More than just revamping its powertrain, Pfister set out to change the car’s entire form factor. To do so, he needed a partner to help him realize his dreams.

“As much as I loved my coupe, I really loved the look of the ’67 Shelby GT500 Fastback. I decided to do a Dynacorn coupe-to-fastback conversion kit with the modifications and upgrades I thought would look good together. I knew that this car had never been wrecked and was straight and rust-free, so it was the perfect car for the conversion. Though I’ve worked on cars my entire life, I didn’t have the tools or skill set to build the car like I wanted to,” Pfister said. “GT Graphics, located in Franklin, North Carolina, did all the work on the car, including the engine swap, body, paint, fabrication, electrical, mechanical, etc. I came up with the designs, ideas, and color scheme, and we worked collaboratively on it from there. I chose Ford Lead Foot Gray paint, black racing stripes, red pinstripes, red Baer brake calipers, a red Whipple supercharger, black Boze wheels, Michelin tires, leather interior, etc.  Everything that I wanted, GT Graphics, made happen. The build took a little over a year, and they were a great partner to work with.”

The centerpiece of the powertrain mods was a modern engine swap that could deliver driveability, performance, and reliability. Having a great performance upside with additional modifications didn’t hurt either.

“I wanted a modern, reliable car with lots of power, and which wouldn’t leak oil and fluids like old cars do! I also wanted to add power on top, and the Coyote is the perfect platform for that,” Pfister said. “It can handle double or more of its base horsepower with no issues, and the ability to tune it remotely though the nGauge is awesome.”

“I didn’t want any badging on the car. There are no Ford, Mustang, Shelby, Eleanor, or Pony emblems,” Matt said. “I mixed and matched the different parts and styling from that year — as well as from modern Mustangs — to make my perfect ’67 Mustang Fastback. As my custom license plate reads, it’s a ‘’67GT5.0.’ It is a true one-of-one.”

Not content to stick with the 435 horsepower and 400 lb-ft of torque delivered by the Gen 1 Coyote crate engine from Ford Performance, Pfister wanted a power adder. After fastidious research, he determined a modern twin-screw supercharger was the perfect fit for his pony car.

“I researched all of the different power adders, looking at horsepower increase, space needed, reliability, and drivability. I wanted a car that I could drive, not just show. The Whipple Gen 5 3.0-liter supercharger fits all of my needs,” Pfister said. “I haven’t put it on a dyno yet, but I estimate about 750 to 800 horsepower at the engine. I love the profile under the hood, and the red color complements the Lead Foot Gray paint job.”

Complementing the voluminous Whipple airflow on the inlet side is a custom exhaust that exhales through high-flow mufflers to a stylish side exit that terminates in front of the rear wheels on both sides of Matt’s ride.

“I decided to go with traditional, old-school MagnaFlow mufflers. They are one of the few companies that offer a muffler with the inlet and outlet on the same end of the muffler. This allowed having NASCAR-style side exhausts, which I wanted.  Again, it’s relatively quiet under normal driving conditions, with a deep, rich tone, but it sounds great when at wide-open throttle,” Pfister said. “The posi rearend works well, and it’s a blast to drive. The coil-over suspension makes the car handle like a new sports car, and I don’t hesitate to take curves and corners twice as fast as I used to. Overall, it’s a fun driver when cruising around town, but it will plant you in your seat when you mash the accelerator!”

Before arriving at the rearend where that limited-slip differential lives, a Performance Automatic 6R80 six-speed automatic channels the power through a custom, 1,000-horsepower-capable driveshaft. The diff is fitted with 3.25 gears, and the rearend is planted by a Heidts four-link rear suspension complemented by Mustang II front suspension.

Atop all that modern hardware, it is still a classic Mustang, but one that blends styling from a wide range of sources, including Ring Brothers and Shelby. That blend of restomod performance and styling is just what Matt Pfister was after when he set out to transform his grandfather’s Mustang into a retirement ride that checks all the boxes.

“Even though it’s a far cry from the original car that my grandfather purchased in 1967 as a daily driver, I think that he would be very proud of the fact that I kept it all of these years, and what the car has evolved into today,” Pfister added. “Maybe one of my grandkids will fall in love with it, and one day they’ll inherit the car their great, great grandfather purchased brand new.“

It would be difficult for someone not to fall in love with this restomod. Among enthusiasts, it certainly turns more than a few heads.

You’ve seen how it’s going with this 1967 Mustang, but this is how it started as a humble coupe with a two-barrel 289 underhood. “Everyone who has seen the car has loved it. People who walk around the car for a long time keep discovering new details,” Matt said. “ They love the paint scheme, the Coyote swap, the Whipple, the interior, and the overall low-slung stance. Everyone is also impressed that the car has been in my family for 57 years and that it used to be a coupe.” (Photo courtesy of Matt Pfister)

“Probably the best compliment I have received was from a guy who flagged me down in a parking lot,” Pfister said. “After I showed him the car, he said that he wasn’t a Ford guy and really didn’t like Mustangs but that he loved my car.”

As fans of the Mustang, we didn’t need convincing when we laid eyes on the Fastback at the Mustang Week 2024 car show, where it earned Best of Show honors. It also garnered a spot in the Ford Muscle Great 8, a single-eliminator contest voted for on the Ford Muscle Facebook page. So watch for stories on the other Great 8 contestants, and be sure to vote for your favorites.

The winning car owner will score a trip to Mustang Week Texas in April 2025, including a hotel room for four days, a VIP Package including a Golden Ticket (access to every event), a $500 gas card, and $500 for food and drinks. The winner will accept a Ford Muscle Great 8 winner trophy on stage at Mustang Week Texas. The winning vehicle will also be immortalized on a Mustang Week 2025 T-shirt.