Like most classic-car build projects, eBay’s transformation of a 1967 Ford Mustang Fastback is a collaborative effort. Rutledge Wood is leading the vision, but he’s relying on his crew—Mike Finnegan of Roadkill and K.C. Mathieu, formerly of Fast N’ Loud, along with Randy Allgood of the Kenwood Rod Shop—to bring their skills and expertise to the creation. eBay Motors caught up with Mike to learn about the selection of the Mustang’s motor and transmission.
The powertrain will be revealed in person on July 7 to 9 at GoodGuys 20th PPG Nationals, Columbus, Ohio. (Learn more about the tour.) It was selected with this goal in mind: to make the car “red, white and rowdy,” according to Rut. And that will likely mean the ability to catch air. “To make it happen, we are ready for anything, even a Thelma and Louise situation,” Mike joked.
What’s lurking beneath those valve covers?
It’s clear that Mike is not afraid to break tradition to produce a car that defies gravity and turns heads. His favorite Mustang of all time is the 1969 Boss 302. “I love that car,” he said. “I like the Grabber Green color that was available in 1970, but I prefer the 1969 body style. If given a chance, I would just get a ’69 and paint it the wrong color.”
Among his over-the-top projects, one episode of Roadkill stands out. “We towed a boat to a lake, but the boat didn’t have an engine in it. So we took the engine out of our truck put it in the boat,” Mike said. “We went boating for a couple of hours and then took the engine out of the boat and put it back into the truck so that we could drive home.”
This wasn’t just any old boat and engine. It was a classic Rogers Bonneville jet boat, and the engine was a Chevrolet Performance LS6. The Boatkill! Muscle Truck-to-Boat Extreme LS Engine Swap! has been viewed more than 4 million times on YouTube.
Can you guess the transmission?
Slow Down to Speed Up
Mike Finnegan
Speed is usually the name of the game for Mike. But he explained that he also likes slowing down to focus on building an engine—or wiring a car from scratch. “My life revolves around deadlines. So I’m happy when I can slow down to focus on something that requires precision,” he said. “You can’t rush an engine build because otherwise, the car won’t run.”
Mike acknowledges that not every wiring job is a pure joy—especially when it requires repeatedly climbing in and out of a car with a 10-point roll cage. “When you have to get in and out of it a dozen times an hour, it’s like playing a marathon game of Twister,” he said. “That’s no fun.”
What certainly will be fun is taking the rowdy restored ’67 fastback on the road for the first time. The eBay team is not divulging where this will take place yet, but the maiden voyage promises to put a new spin on the epic Mustang stunts from Bullitt and Gone in 60 Seconds. “I can’t give you the specific location for our test run, but I will tell you one thing,” he said. “Any gravel road in America would be just fine with me.”
