Modern performance cars have a tough job replicating the feel and presence of iconic models, a case in point being the Ford GT40. Ford, itself, has been trying to come up with a proper successor for about half a century before coming up with the 2005 Ford GT and later the 2017 Ford GT. Chris from “Ruffian Cars”, however, may have come up with the best homage to the 1960s legend, with his 1966 Ford GT40-inspired, all-carbon-fiber, wide-body creation, presented by AutoTopiaLA.

Chris from "Ruffian Cars" has been in the custom car business for 30 years and his latest creation is, arguably, his most epic one so far. It started life as a Superformance kit car, based on the 1966 Ford GT40 Mk I. Chris decided to paint the all-carbon-fiber body in Cavalry Blue, which is a Toyota color. Additional graphics include a dark-grey motive mimicking the shape of the orange Gulf accents, with a thin red stripe in the middle.

The most distinctive feature is that the car has the unique wide-body, which consists of four individual fenders, rocker panels, motorsport-inspired roof scoop, and a 2017 Ford GT front fascia, all of which, carbon-fiber. In terms of exterior lighting, Chris has utilized repurposed Morimoto taillights, initially intended for a 2013 Mustang and custom-made headlights, featuring Harley Davidson aftermarket units and unique, 3D-printed housing that Chris designed.

Everything on the car is functional, including the fender vents, which go straight through. There is also a front-end lift kit, featuring hydraulic cups under the coil springs. The aggressive stance is enhanced by the Signature 3 wheels, which are 18x11 inches on the front and 19x14 inches in the back, wrapped in 295/30R-18 and 345/30R-19 tires, respectively.

Under the big rear clamshell hides a 5.2-liter Aluminator V-8 crate engine. The unit is based on the 5.2-liter Voodoo engine from the Mustang GT350, but features a cross-plane crankshaft instead of a flat plane and has an overhead (pushrod) valvetrain. As a result, the engine has a slightly lower redline of 8,000 RPM. Despite that, the engine makes 580 horsepower and 445 pound-feet (603 Nm). The gearbox is a Quaive 5S five-speed transaxle with a dog-leg first gear.

The distinctive features continue with custom-fabricated 180-degree headers, also known as “a bundle of snakes”. While these were common during the old racing days, Chris did not want his idea of a modern-day GT40 to sound like a Mustang. Because of this, he fabricated 180-degree headers with equal length, which gave the pushrod V-8 a flat-plane-like soundtrack.

Chris managed to combine function and form, which is why “the bundle of snakes” morphs into a quarter of highly-finished exhaust tips that come out from the middle of the car’s rear.

To get an idea about Chris’ attention to detail, the air induction scoop on the rear clamshell was initially made out of steel and weighed 23 pounds (10.4 kg). He later replicated the form in carbon fiber, which resulted in the new element weighing just 5 pounds (2.27 kg). The single, cone air intake kit is nestled right inside the “air grabber” for optimal airflow.

Because of the small pedal box of the GT40, the build features a remote throttle by wire setup, located in front of the rear right tire. To make it work, Chris has repurposed the throttle cable that would normally go on the Superformance car’s carburetor, which is a neat engineering hack.

The interior is even truer to the Le Mans-winning GT40 than the exterior. The 2005 Ford GT may have an interior, heavily inspired by the 1960s original, but the GT40 by Ruffian Cars looks like the real deal. The classic gauge cluster with a heavily off-set speedometer (which is reversed), and ventilated, race bucket seats are an exact copy of the original. But, the biggest highlight is the right-hand drive layout and the right-hand gear shifter just like on the original Ford GT40.

In addition to the Speed Hut gauges with a bronze background, the Ruffian 40’s interior also features a Vintage Air A/C system and a Gentex rear-view camera.

The GT40 Ruffian’s flat-plane-like soundtrack immediately dominates the senses, upon start-up. Instead of the traditional American V-8 burble, you are greeted by a Ferrari-like humming sound. The active exhaust is not subtle in any mode, but once you open up the valve, all hell breaks loose. The soundtrack is like nothing else, and really, words don’t do justice for such a unique creation. Watch and hear the Ruffian 40 in motion below: