Every car guy in the world had that one dream car when they were young.
Most of those dreams were about stock versions of Vettes, Chargers and GTOs.
This custom ’68 Mustang was George Fitzpatick’s dream car.
Jerry Sutherland
His dream car was born in 1979 when George was in high school. He was a huge fan of the Zakspeed Roush IMSA GT Fox-body Mustangs, and his goal was to build a first Gen Mustang version of these race warriors.
This process started when George and his high school teacher took on a Mustang based on George’s concept of what he wanted to build. George admitted the project, “was a disaster that wrecked a classic Mustang”.
That didn’t slow George down, so he found another vintage Mustang and tried it again. He said, “This made me a few enemies, because I wrecked another Mustang”.
George decided to hit the brakes on his custom Mustang dream and move on in life and become a journeyman mechanic—but he did sketch a concept of his vision for the car in 1987. That’s the one he locked on for decades until his buddy found a badly rusted ’68 Mustang notchback in 2018.
George’s friend was a highly talented auto restoration tech, and he advised George against the Mustang. He told George, “You’re an idiot—crush it.” George didn’t listen because he was a stubborn guy with a plan, so he took the project on with a vengeance.
George learned more about this Mustang when he brought it home. His neighbor saw the car, and recognized it because it was his best friend’s mom’s car–he remembered riding in the back seat when he was a kid.
A 2006 Ford Crown Victoria P-17 ex-police car was the other piece in the puzzle. George drove the car for awhile to make sure the power train was everything he expected, then he turfed the Vic shell and kept everything else.
This all took place when the Covid mandates shut down the world, so George found out he had plenty of time on his hands. He cut most of the Mustang body away from its original platform and fitted it to the Crown Vic frame—he kept the CV trunk and floors.
George also retained the Crown Vic 4.6-liter (281 cubic inch) V-8--but retrofitted an EFI to fit under the hood. The 289 decal was a nod to what the Mustang would have had back in ’68. George said the biggest issue was installing a 5-speed because this car was built to be an Autocross car.
George hand-built the custom side panels on the Mustang out of aluminum. Fabrication was a new direction for George, but he hit the mark with his recreation of the original Fox-body IMSA car. He’s modified many things on this Mustang—like door sills, trunk edges and gas fillers to make it exactly like his concept drawing. George also upgraded the brakes to race specs.
He built this car in three months—an amazing number. George said he spent 8-10 hours a day on the car because he had all that Covid spare time, so it came together fast.
George drove the car in rough form for a few years, but he did paint it in his garage after what he called “a year of sanding”. He also added a few decals to tell the world this track car has a police heritage.
He said the Mustang is not very competitive on the Autocross circuit because it’s massive compared to the other cars, but the other drivers love seeing it on the track. George added that the Mustang is incredible to drive— “just like a police Crown Vic”. His only concern is the massive rear wing—it’s like looking through a steel curtain.
This car is like every car project because George has a list of things he wants to upgrade. He wants more horsepower and options like an aluminum small-block, turbos and superchargers are on the table.
In the end, the real story behind this Mustang is the “dream came true” part—that’s the lifeblood of the car hobby.
Jerry Sutherland
By: Jerry Sutherland
Jerry Sutherland is a veteran automotive writer with a primary focus on the collector car hobby. His work has been published in many outlets and publications, including the National Post, Calgary Herald, Edmonton Journal, Ottawa Citizen, Montreal Gazette, Saskatoon StarPhoenix, Regina Leader-Post, Vancouver Sun and The Truth About Cars. He is also a regular contributor to Auto Roundup Publications.
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