We approached a clean classic Mustang during Mustang Week Texas last year, and paused. The car was clean and nicely modified, but after a quick look at the interior, we swiftly confirmed this one is no classic, nor is it a restomod in a traditional sense. The Mach X was a newer Mustang with the body of a classic muscle machine.
“Wanting to stand out in a sea of restomod cars was a driving factor. And really, the psychology of people romanticizing old cars is what helps push us,” Aaron Duncan of Zero Given Garage, which built this ride, explained. It’s like people love cars and muscle cars, but they don’t realize how comfortable they’ve gotten with modern technology. What we offer is a perfect balance between the two, and we’re not destroying a classic in the process.”
If you aren’t familiar with Zero Given Garage, the shop specializes in building “Modern Vintage” projects that begin with contemporary performance cars and are reshaped into classic designs.
“Really, it was our partnership with Bill Tumas that led us to transition to Zero Given Garage, or as we say, zGg (we love our acronyms). Bill had the Zero Given brand since 2014, and my brother and I were moving away from traditional hot rods and custom cars and focusing solely on Modern Vintage,” Duncan explained. “So when Bill came into play, we discussed changing the name from Duncan Brothers Customs to something else immediately.”
Modern Vintage
One of its run of Modern Vintage machines, the Mach X build began as a 2012 Mustang GT/California Special. It was structurally reformed to resemble classics like the 1969 Mustang Mach 1 while presenting its own unique vibe. This car was commissioned by Jon, an aerospace engineer, and took on a moniker inspired by ground-breaking experimental aircraft that surpassed Mach 1 speed.
“Our customer (Jon) wanted this car to resemble his dream 1969 Mach 1 as much as possible. This wasn’t us coming up with an original design alone; this was a situation where Jon knew exactly what he wanted and trusted us to execute and refine it,” Duncan said. “Jon has been involved in some extremely top-secret aerospace development and is kind of a badass, so the nickname Mach X just stuck and seemed like it represented him and the build super well.”
Instead of applying throwback trim, zGg created new metal to alter the car’s proportions. Hand-made fenders, door skins, and quarter panels replaced the GT/CS originals to capture the width, slope, and contours of a ’69 fastback. A widened 1969 Mustang grille leads the front, supported by a one-off fabricated front pan built specifically for this car. Custom billet trim surrounds the headlight buckets, created in-house to fit the reshaped front end with tight modern tolerances.
“This one really was a different challenge. The beauty of when we do one of the ‘Franken’ series cars or something more custom is that nothing is off the table when it comes to design. When someone has a specific vision, and you’re honoring an original Mach 1 in building a tribute, you overanalyze every detail to help accuracy,” Duncan explained. “At the same time, you want to make the fitment of things better than an original without it being noticed that you changed something, so you’re walking a tightrope trying to balance it, looking classic but also streamlined. Subtlety really is key.”
A genuine 1969 front bumper was widened and frenched into the body before chrome plating by S&H Chrome. It pairs with a custom chin spoiler that matches the revised geometry rather than sitting as a bolt-on part. The hood retains the structural underbracing of the 2012 model but wears a 1969-style top skin, complete with a functional Shaker Ram Air hood scoop from Classic Design Concepts that feeds the Gen 1 Coyote 5.0-liter engine below.
“It’s euphoric and a total head trip,” Duncan said of the driving experience. “You have complete control, then you step out of it and think you’re looking at a 1969 Mustang. It’s wild.”
Inside Out
Even the fuel door was selected for its shape rather than its lineage, as zGg drafted a 1999 Ford Windstar unit and relocated it to the driver’s side to mimic the classic placement more closely. The side graphics are not reproductions; rather, they were created specifically for this build to add 1969 Mach-style striping to the flanks of the reworked body. At the rear, the transformation continued with a 1969 taillight panel and a widened and frenched ’69 bumper, also plated by S&H Chrome. Custom rear window louvers complete the fastback look.
“Generally, each one of these vehicles is completely custom, but we’re looking to get into the world of build-to-sell rather than each one being spoken for before they’re finished,” Duncan said.
The interior remains anchored in the 2012 Mustang functionality. The factory seating, safety, and electronics are intact, making the car usable without retro modifications that sacrifice comfort or structure. A carbon-pattern dash treatment subtly bridges the modern cabin to the aggressive exterior styling.
The rolling stock helps finalize the proportions achieved through fabrication, as the car rides on custom-cut, two-piece US Mags “Rally” wheels sized specifically for the reshaped body. They are wrapped in Nitto NT555 G2 tires that provide current performance but wear custom, retro-style white lettering to carry the vintage look. Underneath, Borla crate mufflers and a custom tip deliver a refined tone, and the exhaust exits below a taillight panel that could easily be mistaken for original 1969 equipment.
Full Circle
Debuting at the 2025 Detroit Autorama and catching our eye at the inaugural Mustang Week Texas, the Mach X nearly defies categorization as it is really a 2012 Mustang, but looks the part of a modified 1969 stallion. Of course, not everyone is on board with that fusion, particularly the purists.
“Once people realize what it is, the reaction is generally pretty shocked and good. People really love the idea behind it. Of course, you get the nerds that hate it. Hysterically, if they have no idea who I am, I never defend it when they’re smack-talking,” Duncan laughed. “I jump right in with them and dog it and high five them and such only to hope later on (maybe when they read this article) they realize I actually was the designer on the car.”
Today, the car’s story comes full circle. Its owner relocated from the Midwest to the West Coast after the build, taking the Mach X from Michigan to California. The project began with a GT/CS chassis, and now, it lives there — making the Mach X still truly a California Special.
“… It doesn’t get much more poetic than that,“ Duncan added.
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