1969 Mustang with Mario Andretti's Engine to Hit Auction Block

Read the full story on Modern Car Collector
A 1969 Ford Mustang Fastback, featuring a powerful engine once built for racing legend Mario Andretti's McLaren M6B, is set to make waves at the Mecum Auctions in Glendale, California, on March 22. Dubbed "the Real Thing," this restomod integrates an astonishing 777 horsepower V8, promising to captivate collectors with its blend of classic style and formidable racing history.
The backstory of this Mustang is as fascinating as its performance capabilities. The engine, a massive 494 cubic-inch big-block V-8, was initially developed by Holman Moody for Andretti's use in the high-octane Can-Am series back in 1969. This Mustang not only embodies the spirit of that era but also carries a direct link to one of motorsport's most revered figures.
Tom Fry, the current owner, recounted how the engine became the centerpiece of this project. Originally acquired by his father in the mid-1990s from Holman Moody, the engine sat in storage until custom-car builder Bodie Stroud was tasked with creating something extraordinary around it. The result was this stunning Mustang, unveiled at the 2010 SEMA show and subsequently featured on multiple media platforms including "Jay Leno's Garage" and in the documentary "The Real Thing" by Julian King.
Stroud's modifications to the Mustang are extensive. The vehicle features a lowered roofline, widened body, and a completely redesigned I-beam-stiff ladder-frame chassis to accommodate the immense power of the V-8 engine. It also boasts modern enhancements such as a four-wheel air suspension, Brembo brakes, and Rushforth polished-aluminum rims, ensuring that it drives as impressively as it looks.
The interior of the Mustang mirrors the exterior's blend of vintage and modern, with features drawn from the 2011 Mustang, including black leather upholstery, updated gauges, an aftermarket steering wheel, and a cue-ball-style shifter knob for the six-speed manual transmission.
As it approaches the auction block, there is speculation that this unique Mustang could fetch as much as $1 million, given its rare engine and the meticulous craftsmanship. The car represents not just a significant piece of automotive history but also a tribute to the golden era of motorsports, embodied by Mario Andretti's storied career.
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Scientific American

11 hours ago

• Scientific American

Can Tesla's Cybercab Share the Road with America's Myth of the Highway?

In the American psyche, the automobile—that great democratizer of distance—has always been about more than transportation. It's freedom incarnate: the ability to leave and become someone new three states over. It's James Dean smoking a cigarette, leaning against a fender—masculinity codified in chrome and horsepower, sexuality expressed through gear ratios and exhaust notes. It's Thelma and Louise escaping not just their dreary lives but all that's wrong with their culture. We've had the Corvette, the Mustang, the Charger, the Eldorado, the Camaro, the Thunderbird—and soon we will have the Cybercab. Elon Musk revealed the Cybercab prototype last October, with production targeted for 2026, and today a convoy of 10 to 20 Model Y robotaxis has begun paving the way for its launch, testing the safety of Tesla's autonomous driving tech on a geofenced loop in Austin, Texas. But the Cybercab stands out in the emerging genealogy of robotaxis. Whereas the motto of Amazon subsidiary Zoox's robotaxi—which resembles a cross between an art deco toaster and a subway carriage—is 'It's not a car,' the Cybercab, for all its streamlined science-fiction minimalism, remains squarely in car territory: a sleek two-seater with butterfly doors—the unmistakable hallmarks of a glamorous ride. Yet there's no wheel to grip, no gas pedal to stomp to the floor. The shape of the car says you can still escape your life, but now AI does the driving. The promise might seem seductive: all the mobility; none of the responsibility. More than a century after the first Model T shipped for $825 in 1908 (nearly $29,000 today), we've forgotten how quickly and profoundly car ownership changed American culture. In 1900 fewer than 1 percent of American households owned cars. By 1913 Henry Ford's moving-belt assembly line cut build time to 93 minutes, and cheap Texas oil kept the tank full, turning personal mobility from luxury to the default setting. A 1927 survey found that 55.7 percent of American families owned at least one car. On supporting science journalism If you're enjoying this article, consider supporting our award-winning journalism by subscribing. By purchasing a subscription you are helping to ensure the future of impactful stories about the discoveries and ideas shaping our world today. Not until 1926, however, did the American myth of the highway truly boot up, when Route 66—John Steinbeck named it the 'Mother Road' in The Grapes of Wrath —linked Chicago and Santa Monica, Calif. In the book Hip to the Trip, historian Peter Dedek called the route 'a pillar of mid-twentieth-century automobile culture,' a corridor where vacationers, beatniks, cowboys and Okies fleeing the dust bowl contributed to myths of freedom and transformation. Photographer Robert Frank revealed in his 1958 book The Americans how windshield glass turned travelers into both spectator and exhibit. The cars that Frank famously depicted were as much social containers as machines. Robin Reisenfeld, who curated the Toledo Museum of Art's exhibition Life Is a Highway: Art and American Car Culture, argued in an interview with Antiques and the Arts Weekly that 'the automobile has defined our society' and been used as 'a means of self-expression and status and identity.' After World War II, the G.I. Bill financed suburban mortgages, so millions fled dense cities. And in 1956 the Federal-Aid Highway Act funded 41,000 miles of interstate—an asphalt backbone justified as civil defense infrastructure but experienced as a coast-to-coast permission slip for self-reinvention. The tail fins and chrome of the late 1950s signaled cold war optimism, while Jack Kerouac's 1957 novel On the Road and Chuck Berry's 1958 song 'Johnny B. Goode' hard-coded the romance of endless motion into the culture's firmware. Yet the myth of the open road has always been about who's in the driver's seat. The driver is king: one hand on the wheel, eyes on the horizon, free to turn down that dusty side road on a whim. Control over one's vehicle equated to control over one's destiny. Cars changed the sound of our music, with rock guitars emulating the roaring of engines, and they changed how we courted, providing not just a means of transportation but also a destination, allowing couples to get away from 'porch swings, parlor sofas, hovering mothers, and pesky siblings,' as historian David L. Lewis explained in his Michigan Quarterly Review article 'Sex and the Automobile: From Rumble Seats to Rockin' Vans.' A number of films, such as Drive-In (1976), Grease (1978) and American Drive-In (1985), depicted cars as popular places for trysts. The highway lore, however, was never without critics, and the choice of the word 'king' (followed by 'of the road,' for example) was not accidental. Men were predominantly at the wheel, and even as highways offered freedom, they carved concrete canyons through neighborhoods, separating communities. Public transportation didn't keep pace to help those without cars cross ever larger distances between home and work or to accommodate those with disabilities or older people. Studies have since revealed the scope of corporate efforts to dismantle public transit systems and thus encourage car ownership. In 1998 architecture critic Jane Holtz Kay wrote in the book Asphalt Nation that 'mobility has vanished completely for the third of the nation that cannot legally drive—those 80 million Americans who do not operate automobiles because they are too old, too young, or too poor.' A 2012 Brookings report found that in the 100 largest U.S. metro areas, the typical job could be reached by transit within 90 minutes by only 27 percent of workers. In many ways, debates around robotaxis have flipped the narrative. Critics say they reduce personal agency while writing us into an information network against our will (though simply carrying a smartphone does this well enough), whereas defenders argue that autonomous vehicles could offer freedom to the very groups who benefitted least under the car kings of yore. Those with disabilities and older people might find work and community more easily, or they might simply experience more: stare out at that far highway horizon and go wherever. A 2017 report estimated that autonomous vehicles could allow two million individuals with disabilities to enter the workforce, and it highlighted a potential annual savings of $19 billion in health care expenditures as a result of fewer missed medical appointments. Robotaxis could even offer freedom from the grueling commute, the exhausting hours spent jockeying in traffic, and allow naps or Netflix bingeing, time to answer e-mails or—for a couple or a parent and child—time to talk and connect. A 2023 study in Frontiers in Future Transportation and another from 2020 in Sensors recorded lower stress levels in autonomous vehicle passengers. One might argue that ride-sharing already provides similar freedoms to those offered by robotaxis, but drivers for hire can be tired, cranky or in a rush, and there's a social dynamic and a rating system, which can limit other freedoms—even one as simple as the desire to be quiet with one's thoughts. The Cybercab may look like a miniature sportscar dipped in sci-fi, but the engine's roar has been replaced with silence, and the inside is spacious. There will no doubt be glitches and accidents heaped with media coverage. Yet the car will likely obey speed limits, never get drowsy or drunk and never rubberneck or give in to road rage. With robotaxis, more teenagers may arrive home safely and more grandparents may set out on the adventure of a lifetime. As for design, there will always be disagreement; the very concept of aesthetics invites debate, and our sensitivity to fashions are often deeply entwined with the politics of change and the people in power. The greatest challenge facing autonomous vehicles, however, will likely be public opinion. A recent poll of 8,000 Americans conducted by the market research initiative Electric Vehicle Intelligence Report found that 71 percent of the respondents were unwilling to ride in robotaxis and that 43 percent thought they should be illegal. Yet recent research shows different numbers after people have ridden in autonomous vehicles. A 2021 report on a pilot of an autonomous shuttle service in Utah found that 95 percent of surveyed riders had more positive views toward the technology and that 98 percent said they felt safe. And as adoption rises, prices are anticipated to fall. Whereas Goldman Sachs Research estimated that the driving costs of robotaxis were $3.13 per mile in 2024, it expected that number to drop below $1 by 2030 and to reach 58 cents by 2040. A 2022 McKinsey & Company analysis expected a more than 50 percent drop in robotaxis' costs per mile between 2025 and 2030. Though robotaxis are currently more expensive than traditional ride-hailing services in the U.S., last year a Chinese state media outlet reported that a robotaxi available in Wuhan, China, could be up to 87 percent cheaper than a standard hailed ride. As for the myth of the highway, if you're craving the freedom to outrun a thunderstorm or race through an amber light, take an impromptu detour down a country lane or make an unplanned stop at a 'last chance' diner, conventional cars will remain part of American culture as a hobby, just as people still ride horses for pleasure. But we may see new narratives arise. The road trip movie of the future may feature two friends in a Cybercab arguing over which streaming service to watch until they realize the true meaning of their journey. And maybe the next Kerouac will write a novel on their laptop as an autonomous car carries them across the continent. With its wide windshield, the Cybercab appears suited to the highway, and it may end up being as much a means of transportation as a destination. In brief, the car itself may become the drive-in theater.

Motor 1

a day ago

• Motor 1

'Here's How I Found Out:' Man Rents Out His Car on Turo. Then He Discovers a Customer Swapped Out His Transmission

One man says that a person who rented his car through Turo intentionally caused serious damage to the vehicle. Now he isn't sure if he'll ever get his money back. He wishes he had never done business with Turo. Get the best news, reviews, columns, and more delivered straight to your inbox, daily. back Sign up For more information, read our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use . TikToker Pauli (@champagnepauliiiii) recently revealed what happened when he rented his car on Turo. Pauli explains that he had a 2016 Ford Mustang in addition to his everyday work car. To make some extra money, he decided to rent the Mustang on Turo. 'I only rented it out once, and the piece of [expletive] swapped the transmission in my car,' Pauli says. 'I'll never rent on Turo again,' he adds. His post has over 112,000 views as of this writing. What Is Turo? Turo is like Airbnb but for cars. Instead of going the traditional route of renting through a place like Enterprise or Avis, it allows you to rent others' personal cars. Like how Airbnb disrupted the hotel market, Turo is disrupting the rental car service industry by offering cheaper prices, a wider selection, convenient pickup, and longer rentals. In most states, you can even rent a Turo through Uber . It's called Uber Rent, and they have access to Turo's car selection. How Did He Realize They'd Taken His Transmission? Pauli may never have known what happened if his Mustang didn't have a manual transmission. He says that after he got the car back, he had to change out the clutch multiple times within a few months. At first, Pauli says he just thought he didn't know how to shift properly. Trending Now 'That's Obviously a Villain Car:' Man Spots Honda Fit in Parking Lot. Then He Notices the Back 'Enjoy That Day Off:' Man Asks People to Photoshop a Video to Look Like He Crashed His Car to Skip Work. The Internet Complies But eight months and two clutch replacements later, he took it to the Ford dealership to try to get to the bottom of the persistent issue. 'These bolts have been replaced. These were not screwed back in properly,' he says the mechanic told him. Then he contacted Turo. He says they 'were not much help.' 'When you steal from a person that is trying to make it or an individual that is just trying to find a way to make a couple bucks, there is a real special place in hell for pieces of [expletive] like you,' Pauli says. 'I hope they got what they deserved." What Should He Have Done? Pauli's options are most likely limited. If he had opted into Turo's protection plan, Pauli would have had to send documentation of the vehicle's condition and file a damage claim within 24 hours of getting his Mustang back. Pauli doesn't say in the video whether he signed up for the protection plan. But since he didn't know about the damage until eight months later, he wouldn't have been able to file a claim within 24 hours, anyway. He could also sue the renter. This is probably his best option, but there are still roadblocks to relief. To prevail, he'd need proof the transmission was swapped out and that they were the one who did so. He'd also need their identifying information, such as name and address, which he might need to get from Turo. This is further complicated by the fact that Turo's terms state that if you sue a renter, they may charge you $5,500 for breach of contract. So he could win a new transmission and still lose money. Is There Another Explanation? Multiple commenters said that there could be another reason why his transmission had new bolts. It's nowhere near as nefarious as a customer stealing it. 'Transmission has to be unbolted from the engine to do a clutch job,' wrote one. 'If clutch was replaced twice already by a 3rd party shop more than likely the bolts were replaced by the shop.'. 'Can't put that on the Turo ride. U had it opened up twice for clutch jobs. Could have been done wrong during that,' another said. Motor1 reached out to Pauli for comment via TikTok direct message and comment and to Turo via email. We'll be sure to update this if they respond. More From Motor1 The Ford Mustang GTD Is Even More Expensive Than We Thought Teacher Allegedly Rents Toyota Supra Via Turo For Land Speed Race Coolest Cars To Rent On Turo In America's 10 Largest Cities The Mustang's New Appearance Pack Is a 1980s Fever Dream Share this Story Facebook X LinkedIn Flipboard Reddit WhatsApp E-Mail Got a tip for us? Email: tips@ Join the conversation ( )

USA Today

3 days ago

• USA Today

2026 Ford Mustang FX package channels Fox body glory with retro touches

The so-called "Fox body" Ford Mustangs, the third-generation cars built from 1979 through 1993, are enjoying a sort of nostalgia-driven renaissance in interest these days. Unsurprisingly, this is because those who were young when the Fox bodies were on sale are now older, maybe with some extra cash and spare garage space to start collecting these Mustangs off-lawn, so to speak. How "in" are Fox bodies these days? Ford is even getting in on the action with a new FX package that celebrates the Mustang defined by the 1980s. This isn't the first time Ford has dipped into Fox-body lore lately, either — when the current Mustang arrived for 2024, its digital gauge cluster even included a setting that recreates the Fox body's old-school analog gauge pack. The FX package takes the nostalgia a lot further, of course, with white badges, white wheels, retro "Mustang" lettering and more. It's available only on the Mustang GT Premium trim level, on both the coupe and convertible, and with or without the Performance package. Favorite Ford classics: These 10 old Ford Mustangs are hugely underappreciated It ain't real if it ain't teal Ford doesn't choose just any white paint for the FX package; since all things Mustang must treat time like a flat circle, everything you see painted white is, specifically, painted Oxford White, a hue that was available on the original Mustang. It's used for the "GT" badges, wheels, retro "Mustang" sticker on the rear glass (coupe only), and the "nostrils" in the grille on Performance package variants. There are two wheel designs and both evoke classic Fox body designs, with the version you see here adopting a slick turbofan style. The other version — for non-Performance-pack cars — is a classic five-spoke. Both wear color-matched center caps bearing "Mustang GT" lettering in what Ford says is a new font (that happens to look like an old, Fox-body font, but who's keeping close track?). In case you missed it: The 1969 Ford Mustang Boss legacy lives on Oh, and speaking of paint, the FX package introduces a new-for-2026 paint color (which also will be available on other '26 Mustangs): Adriatic Blue Metallic. Put simply, it's a rad teal color (pictured here) — what could be more Fox-body-era than that? Another new paint color this year is Orange Fury Metallic. It has no specific history linked to the Fox body, it's just worth mentioning since it hasn't been offered on the Mustang since 2019. Pivotal digital Setting aside how blown peoples' minds would have been if, in the 1980s, their Fox body Mustangs came with the sort of digitized dashboard that today's Mustang gets (FX package included), Ford has put some effort into backdating the FX's interior. Plaid-like seat inserts do a lot of the heavy lifting here, but remember, there's always that Fox body gauge cluster option. Less obvious is the Dark Alley interior trim borrowed from the Mustang Dark Horse model, as well as subtle blue stitching and a "Mustang GT" badge on the passenger-side dash. Ford hasn't outlined the FX package's price yet, but mentions that order books for the 2026 Mustang lineup overall open in later in June 2025. We'll surely find out then how much this retro FX package (and the Mustang overall) costs. But if you want to rock out with your 1980s out in a new-generation Mustang, you should definitely peep this one. Photos by manufacturer