Game on. A neat chess piece in this highly modified 1969 Ford Mustang’s badges is just one clue to the intricacy that lies beneath a superficially familiar look. Crafted over more than 5,500 workshop hours, every panel of Kingpin, as Ringbrothers of Wisconsin have named their latest creation, is brand new, each detail considered and hand-crafted. Checkmate to other restomods? That’s the suggestion and it’s not hard to see why.
Basis for Kingpin, introduced at the annual modified car fest that is SEMA in Las Vegas, is a 1969 Ford Mustang Mach 1, itself not exactly the shy retiring violet in its time. Given that Ringbrothers’ track record includes putting a snarling turbocharged V8 into a sedate 1961 Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud and reimagining an Aston Martin DBS with a build including a ducktail rear spoiler, Kingpin was never going to be less than astounding.
If you think Kingpin wouldn’t look out of place in one of the ‘John Wick’ films, that’s precisely the aim. Paintwork isn’t just black it’s - Ringbrothers say - Bootleg Black, which absorbs rather than reflects light, for added stealth. Carbon fibre is used for new diffuser, bonnet, grille surround and some trim to bespoke interior, which we’ll get too once we’ve opened the bonnet.
Kingpin by Ringbrothers: Under the hood
Lift that carbon front lid and there is what is self-consciously a sculpture of an engine, gleaming in black. This is the centre of the build: a modern-day Ford Coyote V8, modified by Wegner Motorsports and fitted with a Whipple supercharger. Output? A mere 800 bhp. That’s more than twice an already hairy standard Mustang Mach 1 offered and propels the Kingpin into supercar territory. If this is a restomod, it’s not just for show. The Kingpin plays a serious game.
Substantial technical modifications are naturally needed to support the brutal power. Transmission is a six-speed Carbon - what else? - Edition gearbox by Bowler. Brakes are Brembo performance items, Fox RS adjustable coilovers complement independent suspension front and rear, exhaust is stainless steel from the Flowmaster Super 44 Series. Body may be superficially familiar as we’ve said, but it’s more than three and a half inches wider in places, with a small bump to the wheelbase, too.
Interior aesthetics are as considered as the exterior. Ringbrothers’ signature green appears to the crushed carbon fibre deep dish steering wheel, roll cage protects you when those track days beckon, updated instrument pack is by Dakota Digital, seating is black on black on black, as you’d probably expect by now. You’re not going to want to leave this driving capsule.
There’s only one Ringbrothers Kingpin. No news if it’s still for sale or not. As for price, the brothers aren’t letting on. However, they’d be more than happy to turn their extensive expertise to a custom build just for you. Prices start at - ahem - £380,000. Mind you, that’s rather less than a current high-end Ferrari and rather more exclusive. Game of chess? Don’t mind if we do.
