The older I get, the more I try and subscribe to the “you do you” ethos when it comes to taste in cars. Stance? Sure, bud. Everything Liberty Walk does? If you enjoy it, why not! Donks? They’re part of a thriving culture most people don’t even bother to understand. But this... this 1997 Mazda Miata that’s been “converted” to a 1965 Ford Mustang?


I’m not sure if I can sign off on this one. Sorry. This, to me, is like those C5 Corvettes made to look like 1960s Corvettes, but worse, and more annoying.


“M1stang” is the name of this questionable custom for sale at John Kufleitner’s Galleria of Vintage, Classics & Pristine Cars, which you can find along with 64 photos on Autotrader. This was the first time I’ve encountered such a conversion, and while it may seem like a weird one-off, it turns out these kits have existed for some years now.

They’re built, or were built by Bill Carnes of St. Augustine, Florida. He was a longtime Ford body man who sought to give classic Mustang aficionados the chance to have that retro style without the expensive body work and restoration it might take for an actual old one, reported Mustang 360 a while back.

At this point you may be asking: “Does it at least have a V8 of some sort, perhaps the wonderful 5.0 from a Fox Mustang?”


No. No it does not. It has the same old 1.8-liter four-cylinder engine you’d find in a later NA Miata, rated here at about 130 horsepower.

So, yeah. I dunno what to think. If this is totally your jam, good for you! Live your truth. But I feel like this a car that, while created with good intentions, succeeds in appealing to neither Mustang fans nor Miata fans. And for the price listed, I feel like you could find a fine example of either one—or something better—instead.


Anyway, this one’s $9,800, if anyone wants it.

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