A One-Of-A-Kind Restoration

Muscle Car Restorations

Muscle Car Restorations (MCR), of Chippewa Falls, Wis., has been in business for more than 30 years, focusing mostly on custom restorations of classic ‘60s- and ‘70s-era muscle cars. So when they heard Cypress’ CEO Hassane El-Khoury was in the market to convert a classic Mustang into a futuristic racing machine, they immediately jumped on board.

We knew this project would be unique, and it sounded like fun. This would be the first time we’d install a supercharged Coyote engine into a Mustang, and the first time we would add state-of-the-art technology into a classic car.”
- 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.

Once we understood what needed to be done, we were able to schedule some projects in parallel to get the work done in a year
- 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.

I am most-proud of our team being able to pull this together in less than year. This experience has made us a better company and has helped us to improve our design skills.”
- Ben Peotter, MCR Executive Vice President