There are two ways to look at a 60th Anniversary Mustang.
One way is to treat it like a future collector piece. Leave the factory pieces alone. Keep it as Ford delivered it. Park it carefully, wipe it down, and let the odometer climb as slowly as possible.
Ray clearly had a different idea.
His Mustang may have started life as a 60th Anniversary car, but it did not stay that way for long. Instead of preserving every OE anniversary part, Ray stripped the car down visually and rebuilt the theme around his own taste. What came out of it is something that feels familiar, but not factory. It still carries the spirit of the Mustang’s 60-year legacy, only now it has a much sharper edge.
Race results, how-to guides, and the stories worth knowing - straight to your inbox.
The first thing that grabs your attention is the color a vibrant “Race Red” already has a way of making a Mustang feel loud before it even starts. On this car, it becomes the foundation for everything else. The paint gives the build that classic Ford performance feel, but the custom striping pushes it into a more modern direction.
That is where Ray’s version of the 60th Anniversary theme starts to separate itself.
Instead of relying on the stock anniversary pieces to tell the story, he created his own look with custom 60th Anniversary striping. It is still a tribute, but it is not trying to be a copy of what Ford put on the showroom floor. The graphics feel more aggressive and personal, almost like Ray wanted the car to say, “Yes, I know what this started as, but this is mine now.”
That mindset is what makes the build interesting.
Mustang culture has never really been about leaving cars alone. From the earliest fastbacks to Fox Bodies, Terminators, S197s, S550s, and now the S650, owners have always found ways to make these cars their own. Wheels, stripes, power adders, suspension, exhaust, appearance packages, interior touches, and anything else that helps separate one Mustang from the next. That is the whole point.
Some people may cringe at the idea of removing the original OE parts from a 60th Anniversary Mustang. I get it. Anniversary cars carry a little more weight. They represent a milestone. They are tied to the history of the nameplate. But at the same time, what better way to celebrate 60 years of Mustang than by building one with personality?
Ray did not erase the anniversary theme. He reinterpreted it.
The RTR-inspired styling gives the car a more serious presence. It has that modern street car attitude, the kind of look that feels at home pulling into a show, rolling through a cruise, or lining up next to something that thinks it has the advantage. The styling cues sharpen the car without making it look overdone. It is still clean, still recognizable, and still very much a Mustang.
Then there is the Ford Performance Whipple supercharger.
That changes the entire conversation.
A custom stripe package and aggressive styling can make a Mustang look the part, but boost gives it the punch to back everything up. The Whipple adds the kind of power and personality that turns this from a visual build into a real performance statement. It is one thing to have a Mustang that looks custom. It is another thing to have one that sounds angry, pulls hard, and makes people rethink what they are looking at.
That is what I like most about this build. It is not pretending to be a museum piece. It is not stuck between stock and modified, afraid to commit in either direction. Ray picked a lane and went for it. He took a special edition Mustang, removed the safe parts, and built something that feels more connected to him than to a window sticker.
And really, that is the Mustang story in one car.
Ford builds the platform. Owners give it identity.
Ray’s 60th Anniversary Mustang still honors the history behind the badge, but it does it in a way that feels louder, bolder, and more personal. The Race Red paint gives it the presence. The custom 60th Anniversary striping gives it the theme. The RTR-inspired styling gives it the attitude. The Whipple supercharger gives it the bite.
This is a 60th Anniversary Mustang built by an owner who understood the assignment differently. Not preserve the moment. Personalize it.
Enjoy more Photos captured by Marcus Cervantes
