The perfect fusion of a 1969 Ford Mustang Mach 1 and a 2006 Ford GT dubbed The Mach 40 ~ A 5.4L Mid-Engine Build
Originally a 1969 Ford Mustang Mach 1, the goal was to create a mid-engine concept car. The idea: put a ’69 Mach 1 and 2006 GT 40 supercar together, incorporating the modern Ford technology into the body of a Mach 1.
The car was being built to be a one-off but also built to perform. The power train, a 5.4 liter DOHC GT supercar motor (salvaged from a wrecked Ford GT), was upgraded so it has a Whipple 4 liter supercharger along with drive-by-wire throttle. In addition, the motor was converted to a flex-fuel system.
The base horsepower can be dialed in, literally, there is a dial control in the car, from 660 to 850 HP. It also has auto and manual traction control.
It was important to keep the body style a true-to-its-roots 1969 Mach 1 — they did not want a modern looking car…
Terry Lipscomb’s Mach 40 ~ The Build
The Ford Mach 40 was built by Eckert’s Rod & Custom of Molalla, Oregon. The project took 3 years — 11,000 man-hours — to complete.
Terry Lipscomb’s Mach 40 ~ The Details
Engine
- Ford GT 5.4 Liter DOHC V-8
- Aluminum cylinder block
- Stock forged steel crankshaft
- Stock Manley connecting rods
- Stock Mahle pistons
- Stock camshafts
- Stock aluminum cylinder heads, four valves per cylinder
- Stock intake manifold with integrated water-to-air charge cooler
- Whipple 4-liter supercharger
- Return-style fuel system, dual Aeromotive pumps, billet Fischer Motorsports rails, 1,000 cc/min fuel injectors, custom aluminum fuel cell
- Motec engine management system, tuned by PSI
Exhaust
Stainless steel shorty headers mated to a custom stainless steel exhaust system.
Transmission
Ford/Ricardo six-speed transaxle with custom axle shafts that combine Ford GT (trans side) and C6 Corvette (hub side) specifications with a Stillen clutch.
Suspension
Front: Eckert’s Rod and Custom C6 Corvette-based suspension with QA1 coilovers, C6 aluminum front cradle, upper and lower control arms, and rack-and-pinion steering.
Rear: Eckert’s custom billet aluminum cradle, billet aluminum upper and lower control arms based on C6 Corvette architecture, QA1 coilovers, custom 1.25-inch hollow tube/splined rear antisway bar.
Brakes
Four-wheel Baer disc, 14-inch rotors, six-piston calipers.
Wheels and Tires
Front: Schott custom billet aluminum 18×10 wheels with Michelin Pilot Sport P275/35ZR18 tires
Rear: Schott custom billet aluminum 19×11 wheels with Michelin Pilot Sport P325/30ZR19 tires
Interior
Custom work by Eckert’s and Griffin Interiors of Bend, Oregon; suede and leather-covered fiberglass dash and console; leather and carbon-fiber-backed buckets based on modified original Mach 1 seat frames; New Vintage gauges and Pioneer entertainment/navigation system.
Exterior
Extensive metalwork by Colton Hardison of Hardison Metal Shaping, DeBeer basecoat/clearcoat Silver paint, functional and retractable rear spoiler, functional rear brake scoops with open/close shutters, stock ’69 SportsRoof front, and rear glass.
