What's the verdict on the Equus Bass 770?

"Klaus Schmoll" (klausschmoll)
09/16/2013 at 17:58 • Filed to: tuner cars

The Equus Bass 770 is basically a resto-modded Mustang I. There's a company behind it who claims that it's the last word in muscle car luxury or something: !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!!

To me, this is something like "Eleanor". A car that has been built to owner specs without any respect to it's history. As a history teacher, I always have a little problem with people heavily modifying a classic car. But hey, it's not like they are chopping up one-off cars! These M/Ys in question were built by the hundreds of thousands. They were one of the biggest successes in the history or FoMoCo, and for every 10 modded 'Stangs or so there's usually one or two "numbers matching" guys who keep their cars factory spec to every nut and bolt.

So I think: "Why not?" But what do you think, sacrilege or cool car?

DISCUSSION (25)

Bob Loblaw Made Me Make a Phoney Phone Call to Edward Rooney > Klaus Schmoll
09/16/2013 at 18:05

The problem with all of these resto-mods in the vein of Eleanor/the Ring Brothers isn't that they're cutting up good cars, it's that they're hysterically fucking ugly.

I like restomods and I'm no originality purist, but a very large quantity of the people that restomod early Mustangs do an atrocious, awful job of it (see: Ring Brothers). There are plenty that have been done well, but they don't generally get the publicity that these godawful ones do because they're not ridiculous looking.

Bob Loblaw Made Me Make a Phoney Phone Call to Edward Rooney > Klaus Schmoll
09/16/2013 at 18:07

Actually, after looking at that one more, it's a pretty good looking car with some great touches if you ignore the terrible LED taillights and the fact that that front end needs to have a paper bag thrown over it. Ruins the whole damn car.

Raphael Orlove > Bob Loblaw Made Me Make a Phoney Phone Call to Edward Rooney
09/16/2013 at 18:08

hah, yeah. This one is almost Plymouth Satellite cool, but the inner foglights ruin the face.

And the badges are silly.

Arch Duke Maxyenko, Shit Talk Extraordinaire > Bob Loblaw Made Me Make a Phoney Phone Call to Edward Rooney
09/16/2013 at 18:08

I for one like what the Ring Brothers do.

Paul, Man of Mustangs > Klaus Schmoll
09/16/2013 at 18:09

Looks like it's pretty well made. I do like to see some of the craftsmanship that goes into building custom Mustangs, and this one certainly takes it in another direction while still keeping a clearly mid-60's vibe. I hope that there aren't a whole bunch of copy-cats of this one, like there are for the Eleanor, but I would like to see at least a few on the road. I don't think it's sacrilege because there were so many non-descript Mustangs out there, and the Mustang shows are full of numbers-matching restorations, so there shouldn't be a shortage of original models that are faithful to their roots.

Paul, Man of Mustangs > Paul, Man of Mustangs
09/16/2013 at 18:13

Looking at the website, it seems that it's an entirely new car that just shares the 1967 Mustang's doors, front fenders, and roof shapes. Not any of the sheet metal, just the shapes.

Milky > Klaus Schmoll
09/16/2013 at 18:14

If anyone cares, from 2:00 - 3:00 they drove on every street around the Fisher Body plant 21 in the D.

Kinja'd!!!

Bob Loblaw Made Me Make a Phoney Phone Call to Edward Rooney > Raphael Orlove
09/16/2013 at 18:17

You want to talk about silly badges? The Ring Brothers are the Kings, Judges, Juries, and Executioners of stupid, ridiculous, awful, dumb, horrific badges and trim and shit.

offroadkarter > Klaus Schmoll
09/16/2013 at 18:19

I have no idea what the hell was going on in that video

Also, why does this thing sound like a viper? That can't be a ford V8

Your boy, BJR > Klaus Schmoll
09/16/2013 at 18:21

I like it. A lot. It reminds me of like a GTA version of a '70s muscle car, sort of like a "greatest hits" car.

boxrocket > Klaus Schmoll
09/16/2013 at 18:21

Overall, I like it.

The exact "Eleanor" car replicas/clones are overdone, so it's nice to see a slightly different approach.

At least they're not trying to turn gen-1 mustangs into mudders or something.

Otto > Klaus Schmoll
09/16/2013 at 18:47

Equus is Latin for horse .

The Opponaut formerly known as MattP123 > Klaus Schmoll
09/16/2013 at 18:54

Why is every badge a different font? Worst offender: the Pep Boys Benz style BASS lettering on the back.

Frank Grimes > Klaus Schmoll
09/16/2013 at 19:03

I was hoping the emblem would be some kind of game fish and pony mutant.

BJohnson11 > Klaus Schmoll
09/16/2013 at 19:09

Not bad. I'd need to know more about the build and see how the build was done, but from an aesthetics perspective and drivetrain perspective, I give it an OK. That said, American muscle car and luxury don't go hand in hand, and quite frankly, they don't need to. Sure, if they gave a 57 Bel Air or something of that vein a luxury treatment, go for it, but a Mustang? Muscle cars are for brutish power, vinyl seats, and a general driving experience, not for luxury-ness.

But that's just my two cents.

190e30-Now with COSWORTH > Klaus Schmoll
09/16/2013 at 19:11

I could be wrong here, but wasn't there an orange restomodded Mustang Equus that in some way had ties to Panoz?

jovimon7 > offroadkarter
09/16/2013 at 19:12

Looks like Ford equipment under the hood and Ford does build a stout 6.2 that's in the Raptor. Add a supercharger and X pipe and I could hear that sound.

offroadkarter > jovimon7
09/16/2013 at 19:12

I've never heard a raptor sound like that, it just sounds weird to me

Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs > offroadkarter
09/16/2013 at 20:05

It does look like a Ford engine cover to me.

Raphael Orlove > Bob Loblaw Made Me Make a Phoney Phone Call to Edward Rooney
09/16/2013 at 23:11

I should look this shit up

Bob Loblaw Made Me Make a Phoney Phone Call to Edward Rooney > Raphael Orlove
09/16/2013 at 23:54

You're going to get sucked in at first, potentially, and think it's pretty cool shit. But you just weigh all of it and take a step back and wonder if, behind all of that admittedly very good craftsmanship, it's all not just completely garish and tasteless and lacking all subtlety. Like the world's most well-crafted ricer that happens to be a vintage Mustang.

Raphael Orlove > Bob Loblaw Made Me Make a Phoney Phone Call to Edward Rooney
09/17/2013 at 09:42

brb vomiting

Kinja'd!!!

Bruno Martini > Klaus Schmoll
09/17/2013 at 09:47

Did anybody even look at the website? The car is not a restomod. Its a aluminum chassis wraped in cf aproximating the look of a classic car. No real old chassis has been sacrificed. And the front end seems to be made of the same crap with a set of camaro lights thrown in. I am not sure what the car is but a mustang it is not.

Bob Loblaw Made Me Make a Phoney Phone Call to Edward Rooney > Raphael Orlove
09/17/2013 at 09:51

Glad that's the reaction you came back with and not, "Well, I think they're pretty cool..."

Would have lost a lot of faith in supreme leader Orlove. You did manage to pick one of their most atrocious projects, but my god, is it ever awful or what?

Raphael Orlove > Bob Loblaw Made Me Make a Phoney Phone Call to Edward Rooney
09/17/2013 at 10:44

oh lord I just noticed the headlights this is worse than I even thought it was