This is a 1968 Ford Mustang that has been modified in a safari-style version inspired by the one used by Pierce Brosnan in the 1999 remake of The Thomas Crown Affair.
This car is powered by a 5.0 liter Ford Coyote V8 mated to a Tremec 5-speed manual transmission which sends power back into a 9″ rear end with a Trac-Lok (limited-slip) differential.
Fast Facts – A Safari-Style 1968 Ford Mustang
- This 1968 Ford Mustang, inspired by the safari-style car in The Thomas Crown Affair (the 1999 remake), underwent a full rotisserie rebuild in 2020, transforming it into a rugged, eye-catching convertible with Nightmist Blue paint, White stripes, and a Shelby GT500-style hood and body modifications.
- The car features significant performance upgrades, including a 5.0 liter Coyote V8 engine sourced from a Roush F-150, paired with a Tremec TKO600 5-speed manual transmission. It rides on a 9″ rear end with a Trac-Lok differential and boasts Mustang II-style front suspension with fully adjustable coilovers.
- Additional upgrades include Legendary Wheels LW10 17″ wheels with Nitto Ridge Grappler tires, a tubular steel roll bar, underbody bracing, and four-wheel power disc brakes. Additional touches include KC HiLiTES mounted to the roll bar and a matching spare tire mounted on the trunk lid.
- The interior combines comfort and style with Brown saddle leather upholstery, Coco mats, a push-button radio, cupholders, air conditioning, and a folding soft top. The car is now for sale on Bring a Trailer, complete with build invoices and a Florida title, offered out of Miami, Florida.
The Thomas Crown Affair
The Thomas Crown Affair was released in 1968 starring Steve McQueen and Faye Dunaway, it was a heist film that captured the public imagination, and McQueen personally specified the Meyers Manx dune buggy with a flat-six Corvair engine.
Above Video: This is the original theatrical trailer for the 1999 version of The Thomas Crown Affair starring Pierce Brosnan, Rene Russo, and Denis Leary. It does feature the 1968 Shelby Mustang GT350, albeit only briefly.
In 1999 a remake of The Thomas Crown Affair was released, starring Pierce Brosnan, Rene Russo, and Denis Leary. While many remakes tend to pale in comparison to the original, The Thomas Crown Affair did a remarkable job. It was popular with cinema goers, and would rake in $124.3 million USD worldwide from a budget of $48 million USD.
For the car guys watching the film there was one key takeaway – the 1968 Shelby Mustang GT350 that had been given a safari-style makeover for use on a tropical island. Over the years this car has influenced many, and probably played some small part in the surging popularity of the safari-conversion trend that continues today.
The Safari-Style 1968 Ford Mustang Shown Here
The car you see here isn’t a replica of the car from The Thomas Crown Affair, but it was influenced by it. This vehicle started life as a relatively standard 1968 Mustang convertible and its early life is largely lost to history.
What we do know is that it was given a complete rotisserie rebuild in 2020 to turn it into the car you see today.
The rebuild included the fitment of underbody bracing and subframe connectors as well as a black tubular roll bar, resulting in a unibody convertible with much better body strength than it would have had originally.
The car was built up from a bare metal shell and now includes a vast number of new parts and arguably looks better than the one used in the film.
Up front the car was given Mustang II-style front suspension with a Heidt’s independent suspension kit and fully-adjustable coilovers. In the rear, the car now rides on 9″ rear end with a Trac-Lok differential and a four-link setup for optimal axle location.
The body was also modified significantly, with a Shelby GT500-style hood, nose panel, decklid, taillight panel, floor pan, and headlight buckets. It was also fitted with reproduction fenders with flared wheel arches, as well as correct door shells, quarter panels, and B-pillars, it was then repainted in Nightmist Blue with White stripes.
Legendary Wheels LW10 17″ wheels were fitted and shod with 245/65 Nitto Ridge Grappler tires on all four corners, and there is a matching spare mounted to the trunk lid. The car is fitted with four-wheel power disc brakes, a marked improvement over the front disc, rear drum arrangement the original car came with.
Inside the car you’ll find front bucket seats with a rear bench, all upholstered in Brown saddle leather, along with matching door panels. It has Coco mats in the footwells, a storage cubby, a push-button radio, cupholders, and air conditioning.
The car comes with a Black folding soft top for when the weather takes a turn, and the car has four KC HiLiTES mounted to the roll bar for excellent nighttime illumination when required.
Power is provided by a high-performance 5.0 liter Coyote V8 that was sourced from a Roush F-150 pickup.
Under the hood you’ll find a high-performance 5.0 liter Coyote V8 that was sourced from a Roush F-150 pickup, this sends power back through a Tremec TKO600 5-speed manual transmission to the rear wheels.
The car is now being offered for sale on Bring a Trailer out of Miami, Florida and it comes with build invoices and a Florida title. If you’d like to read more about it or register to bid you can visit the listing here.
Images courtesy of Bring a Trailer
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