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First replica ‘64 Ford Mustangs hit the market, at a thoroughbred price

Replica cars — like Shelby Cobra kit cars, or those tragic Pontiac Fiero-to-Ferrari conversions — are typically based on unattainable classics and sold for a fraction of the price of the real thing.  Yet one Florida company has gone against the grain: Revology, based in Winter Park, Fla. will start selling replicas of the 1964-66 Ford Mustangs that mix authentic bodies with modern technology — all for $119,500.

Since Ford sold nearly 1.3 million of them in the first two years, the first-gen Mustangs are hardly rare. Decent examples sell for anywhere between $15,000 and $30,000 today, and you’d probably have a harder time finding an unabused Pontiac Aztek from 2005. Spend $80,000 and you can buy a restored vintage Shelby 350GT, complete with matching VIN on the engine. Even by Mustang collector standards, this ain’t cheap.

The rationale is that this isn't just a remanufactured 50-year-old body, but the equivalent of a factory restomod — a classic on the outside, with the guts of a modern performance car. The Ford-licensed body is so authentic that many parts interchangeably bolt on between the replica and the original. The interior even retains the window hand crank handles for the power windows, which are pushed up or down. Other updated amenities include LED headlamps, Bluetooth connectivity, power seats and four-wheel disc brakes; the USB port is hidden in the ashtray.

Under the old hood, the Revology Mustang is powered by a 5-liter V-8, but is paired with either an automatic or five-speed manual. Revology also promises a welter of basic safety items, like three-point seat belts, collapsable steering column and side intrusion beams that the original Mustang never possessed.Whereas the 2015 Mustangs made the switch to an independent rear suspension, this uses a three-link solid axle design similar to the previous generation Mustang — although it's not clear why someone would take this drag racing against a Cobra.

Other premium turnkey restomods like the $250,000 Singer Porsche or the $120,000 Icon FJ45 not only strive to modernize and replicate, but obsessively improve every facet of the car. We’ll get the finer details when the Revology Mustang is unveiled at the Amelia Island Concours, held on March 13-15. For now, at least we know it beats a Chevy 350 shoehorned into a Fiero-ghini.