With the original Ford Mustang now over 50 years old, finding an original, unmolested and unrestored version has become increasingly difficult. Such cars are few and far between, and even plain-jane six-bangers are being hoarded by cautious car collectors. So it isn’t exactly common for such hard-to-find vehicles to undergo a complete mechanical makeover, destroying its value as a Concours collectible.

In the case of Detroit Speed’s unique project/prototype 1965 Mustang, the end product seems well worth the loss of an original six-cylinder pony car, and Matt Farah of The Smoking Tire was invited down to the Texas shop to take this project for a whirl.

In fact, the only cosmetic “upgrades” to this Mustang coupe was the replacement of a rusty floor panel, and some new wheels to give it a more modern vibe. Other than that, this Mustang is aesthetically the same as any other that rolled off Ford’s assembly line, right on down to the Wimbledon White paint job. Underneath the exterior, however, is a modified ride with a lot of surprises in store.

The fat tires were no doubt a hint for the more observant of you out there, but this Mustang has a leaf spring mini-tub kit with a prototype coilover bolt-on suspension up front. We’re already talking about an eclectic mix of Mustang technologies, and it only gets better from there.

That’s because a 325 horsepower Roush/Yates 302 cubic-inch V8 replaces the tired 200 cubic-inch I6,necessitating the use of an aftermarket shifter as well. It also has four-piston Baer brakes, though Farah comments that it still doesn’t feel “too modern”, and he meant it in a good way.

But as you can see, the rest of the car is left more or less untouched, and Matt Farah even admits to having never driven an all-original ‘65 Mustang. As we said, they’re getting rarer by the day, although it’s safe to say that Detroit Speed has “future-proofed” this particular Mustang for at least a few more decades.