- Ben Peotter, MCR Executive Vice President
Cutting-edge controls, powered by Cypress
El-Khoury’s 1969 notchback Mustang is being restored as a tribute to the classic car featured in the movie Bullitt, which had huge impression on him as a child. Cutting-edge controls, powered by Cypress, are being added to the vehicle’s interior, and it is being made SCCA race-car safety compliant.
Half the Time
Peotter said the biggest challenge for his team has been compressing a full, high-end restoration with extensive customization into a year-long project. “Normally a project of this size would take two years,” he said, “but Hassane wanted to get the car done in a year, so we had to attack the process differently.”
MCR has a strong staff with 20 technicians, managers, and design personnel, along with all of the on-site resources needed for automotive restoration, including a body shop, paint shop, upholstery shop, assembly area, parts and design departments, and sales. The company has restored all types of American muscle cars, from Dodge Challengers, Chevy Camaros, and Ford Mustangs, to Pontiac Trans Ams.
- Ben Peotter, MCR Executive Vice President
3D Printing
One of the more-interesting aspects of the project is that much of the dashboard and interior control panel moldings are being custom-designed and 3D printed.
“3D printing has definitely opened up new opportunities for our business,” Peotter said. “We have full-time staff that can create designs and build-out interior parts and components from polymer materials. 3D printing is going to make it easier in the future to restore cars that may be unique, or where parts are no longer available. We will be able to reverse-engineer and build parts without having to rely on the aftermarket.”
Over the past two months, El-Khoury’s Mustang went through final assembly and testing. The motor and driveline, transmission, drive shaft, and rear axle, were installed, then the suspension and brakes went in. After that, the MCR team focused on electrical, wire harnessing, and other interior work.
The car was delivered to El-Khoury in early December.