Ford Mustang 1966 GT Restomod “Stylin’ Stang”

This 1966 Mustang GT wears its ‘Stylin’ Stang’ name well, hiding a massaged 289 HiPo small block under otherwise factory-correct sheetmetal. A .030-over bore wakes up the engine Ford once refused to sell without a four-speed, backed by a Top Loader-style gearbox and an 8-inch rear running 3.55 gears. It is proof that a tasteful restomod does not need to shout to get the job done.

1966 Ford Mustang GT “Restomod” .. This sweet 289 HiPo V8 bored .030 over has a smooth shifting Tremec T170 Top Loader 4 speed hooking power to an 8″ rear end sporting 3.55 rear gears….

Some Mustangs get restored to look exactly like they rolled off the assembly line in 1966. This one had other plans. Under that classic sheetmetal sits a small block that has been massaged just enough to wake it up without losing what made it special in the first place, paired with a shifter and rear end combo that most restomod builders would love to have. The name on this one – “Stylin’ Stang” – is not just a cute nickname, it is a promise about what happens when you turn the key. So what is actually hiding behind that factory-correct badge on the fender?

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The Engine Ford Would Not Sell You Without a Stick Shift

The 289 HiPo was not just another small block option in 1966 – it was the engine Ford refused to pair with anything but a four-speed manual, factory rated at 271 horsepower thanks to solid lifters, an aggressive cam with 310 degrees of duration on both intake and exhaust, and a Holley 715 cfm four-barrel doing the breathing. This build takes that formula and bores it .030 over, a classic move for waking up a tired HiPo block without straying from what made the engine a legend in the first place. It is the kind of upgrade a purist can still respect – more displacement, same personality.

A Shifter and Rear End Built to Match

Backing that small block is a Top Loader-style four-speed, the same gearbox architecture Ford buyers had to accept if they wanted the HiPo engine in the first place – no automatics allowed. Power gets routed to an 8-inch rear axle running 3.55 gears, a ratio that splits the difference nicely between highway cruising and stoplight urgency. None of these choices are flashy on paper, but together they are exactly what a numbers-matching-minded builder reaches for when the goal is a Mustang that drives as good as it looks.

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