It doesn’t seem like it was that long ago, but muscle car aficionados were adamant that the only way to represent was to leave your classic all original. In a way, we partially agree -if you own an ultra-rare example such as ’71 HEMI Challenger convertible (1 of 11 made) or a ’69 Trans Am convertible (1 of 8 produced).

The Recaro seats were recovered and were stitched together using orange thread that matched the Mach 1's new exterior hue.

The ’69 Mustang Mach 1, despite the fact that it’s a car that was mass produced to a much higher production number compared to the other two, is relatively rare these days. While this would keep most people from customizing an all-original appearance, this hasn’t stopped the owner of this Mustang from building the car of his dreams.

At Power Automedia we like to keep up with the car scene, so when we ran across this ’69 Mach 1 being built into a pro-touring car, complete with custom paint, we had to share it with you. Discovered on pro-touring.com, this Mustang is owned by Ken Brown who purchased it way back in 1987 as what he calls a “typical, New York rust bucket, basket case.”

Unfortunately, life and family got in the way of performing a full  restoration until 2001. Once it was completed and repainted in it’s factory Silver Jade Green, Ken drove the Mach 1 in it’s stock configuration for several years, hanging out at cruise-ins and car shows. That was until the pro-touring bug bit and the Mustang once again received a full makeover.

Ken desired a new color for his Mustang, and he found it in the form of House of Kolor’s Tangelo Orange paint. While the car was in the body shop, he had the bodymen widen the rear quarter panels so he could mount his wide New Gen wheels that feature 315mm-wide Falken rubber.

Part of the build included punching and stroking out the factory 351W block to 408ci., and topping it off with AFR heads and a roller camshaft to create 530HP. A TKO6060 6-speed handles shifting duties, replacing the original automatic. Ken also fortified the 9-inch rear axle with 3.70 gears and a Truetrac differential.

This front splitter is a nod to the Trans-Am racers of yore.

Wilwood six-piston calipers and a Hydratech hydroboost system bring this beast to a halt, while the car stick to the pavement in the turns thanks to a full suspension upgrade, courtesy of TCP and Maier Racing.

To keep Ken and his front passenger from sliding all over the place, is a pair of Recaro seats covered in gorgeous black leather and stitched together with orange thread that matches the car’s exterior hue.

The pro-touring trend has taken off, and we don’t see it ending anytime soon. So it only makes sense for the owner of this car to turn this ‘Stang not into a single purpose pro-street car, but a pro-touring car that can be driven anywhere.

Ken's Mustang is still undergoing it's makeover as of this writing, but you can follow along with the build over at pro-touring.com.