It's often said that a picture is worth 1,000 words, but when it comes to cars, the sound of a raucous V8 engine might be worth even more. From the rumbling, choppy idle to the screaming redline, we always enjoy a classic car that sounds as good as it looks. Craig LoPresti, also known by his YouTube handle TheCraig909, has a 1971 Ford F-100 that most certainly falls into this category. He describes the sound of its built, cammed, 500-horsepower Ford small block as "insane," and after hearing it, we agree with the description.

Though we spend our five- and six-day work weeks catering to the needs of our honored customers who own and are working on, driving, showing, and enjoying American muscle machines, many Classic Industries employees are wrenching away, driving, and enjoying our own vintage vehicles in our free time. Some of us drive our old cars daily. 

Whether it's fictional tales of alternate history or sci-fi movies about parallel dimensions, many of us enjoy pondering what might've happened if the past played out a little differently. In the automotive realm, there were many period-correct parts and upgrades that, in retrospect, could've been combined to create a fantastic vehicle from an alternative timeline. This thought process led Steve Strope, of Pure Vision Design in Simi Valley, California, to build his 1966 Ford Mustang into a truly unique racecar that never existed. Starting with a Ford/Lotus Indy car engine from the same year, and drawing inspiration from road rally cars and the iconic Martini & Rossi racing team livery, Strope's Mustang is the best kind of automotive fantasy.

Recently, Classic Industries published an article for the multitude of 1st Generation Mustang owners and enthusiasts (1964.5-1973) called: Decoding the 1964-1973 Mustang VIN: A Comprehensive Buyer's Guide. This article is specifically designed to enable 1964.5 Mustang (early 1965) caretakers and fans to decode the pony car's Data Plate.

Inspiration comes from many places. After watching Hollywood writers/directors Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez' double feature movie, Grind House, Classic Industries' customer Clark Hogan decided to purchase a muscle car. Clark saw Grind House back in 2007. At the time, he had just sold a 1998 Ducati and a 900 Chromo and thought he could fill an adrenalin rush void in his heart and soul with a powerful four-wheel muscle car, as opposed to dodging bad drivers when riding his two hyper fast, exotic motorcycles. His wife likely also approved of such a wise choice.

"This isn't just a replica, it's a reproduction — it has the DNA of the original Mustang, but it's evolved with modern technology," explained Tom Scarpello, founder and CEO of Revology. On a recent episode of Jay Leno's Garage, Scarpello showed Leno around one of the roughly 200 made-to-order Mustangs his company has built at its Orlando, Florida factory. Each car starts with a bare unibody and moves through a 26-stage assembly line, finishing as a complete classic Mustang that has been fully updated to drive, perform, and feel like a modern, high-end sports car.

At the Fabulous Fords Forever car show, held at Knotts Berry Farm, in Buena Park, CA, some 15 years ago, Craig Leszkiewicz saw a fully restored 1963 Ford Galaxie 500 Country Squire wagon at the event. He decided at that moment that he would one-day own one. The search was on...

Author's Note: This is a Classic Industries team member's car. As of this writing, we've logged over 900 miles on our Factory Five Racing Mk4 Cobra roadster replica. Since this is the very same sports car that is the subject of the book that I wrote, How To Build Cobra Kit Cars + Buying Used, we thought you would enjoy reading about our first test drive of the FFR Mk4 after Dad and I constructed this little road burner.

Flatline Barriers, available through Classic Industries, provides the best sound and heat elimination solutions for American pony cars and muscle machines. Flatline Barriers insulation kits are available for a wide range of GM, Plymouth, Dodge, Ford, and Mercury vehicles. "Where heat and sound meet their maker," is Flatline Barrier's slogan. Their tagline doesn't just ring true... More accurately, it ever so softly thuds true. Follow along and you'll find out why.

Whether you're searching for a 1964-1973 Ford Mustang to purchase, or you already own one, it's very important that you know how to decode the Mustang's Vehicle Identification Number (VIN). The VIN tells you how the Mustang was originally equipped when it first rolled off one of Ford's magical assembly lines. Read on for all the details of our Ford Mustang VIN decoder, as well as some historical information Mustang buyers and restorers will find helpful.