Rutledge Wood recently sat down with comedian and car fanatic Adam Carolla to share behind-the-scenes details about rebuilding the eBay Motors 1967 Ford Mustang Fastback. The discussion on the “CarCast Show with Adam Carolla” podcast (available now on iTunes and CarCastShow.com) covered a range of topics—from The Gong Show to Top Gear—before delving into the eBay Motors’ “On The Road” 1967 Fastback. “We wanted to build something that would go faster, handle better, and stop quicker than anything we did before,” Rut told Adam and podcast co-host Matt D’Andria.
Knowing about Rut’s fondness for Japanese cars, Adam asked if Rut and his crew considered committing the ultimate American-muscle sacrilege: bolting a Japanese engine into the Mustang. “We thought about it, but the idea got shot down early,” Rut replied. Rut and his star-studded team of builders—including K.C. Mathieu, Mike Finnegan, and Randy Allgood—took the design in a decidedly different direction. “We did 30 things in an unexpected way so fans wouldn’t know which way to turn,” said Rut.
Adam Carolla’s collection includes a number of Paul Newman’s historic Datsun and Nissan race cars.
Rut described his design as “a lifted rally-inspired factory build.” Co-host Matt D’Andria quickly saw a reference to the lifted Mustang convertible from the 1999 remake of The Thomas Crown Affair.
Rut concurred, explaining that getting all four wheels of the eBay Motors Mustang off the ground was a goal from the project’s onset. “We lowered the shock towers up front to bring the nose up, using the factory mounting points,” said Rut. “If we do a jump now, it won’t knock off the bottom of the oil pan.”
(Left to right) Rutledge Wood, Adam Carolla, and Matt D’Andria.
Rut didn’t divulge details about the final paint choices, except to say, “It’s going to have more metal flake than a bass boat.”
K.C. Mathieu (left) last week stopped by the Kenwood Rod Shop to finalize paint colors with Randy Allgood (right) for the eBay Motors Mustang Fastback.
The ’67 Fastback and the parts were sourced from eBay Motors’s extensive automotive marketplace—including the restomod’s 545-horsepower 427 cubic-inch Ford Performance V-8 engine, Tremec T5 five-speed manual transmission, Ridetech suspension, and Wilwood brakes. “We always look to eBay Motors for our builds,“ Rut told Adam Carolla and Matt D’Andria. “To work now with eBay to not only build but sell the ’67 Mustang for charity, that’s super cool.”
The team is now shifting into high gear to finalize the Mustang for its unveiling at the 2017 SEMA Show from Oct. 31 to Nov. 3, where it will be on display and sold on eBay Motors for charity.
See Model Mustang Body Type Fastback for sale on eBay.
