Although this reinvented GT40 Mk1 is incredible in its completely customized wide body, and roaring V-8 beauty, part of that might be overshadowed by the owner and builder’s narrative. Chris Ashton has established himself swiftly, and his growing company, Ruffian Cars, is built on just two builds.
The Small Print
It took a lot of thought to decide to widen the fenders and add special touches to make the car bigger. His previous Mustang was entirely made of metal. Thus, creating the fiberglass GT40 duplicate required a different technique. Ashton, who has experience in graphic design and drawing, had the complete car 3D scanned and digitalized so that he could render the desired appearance with the help of his friend Kasim Tibekoy. The large format printer in his garage was then used to manufacture 3D-printed components. They were mounted, body-worked, and used as final molds before being sent to Competition Carbon for carbon fiber replication.
Ashton enlisted the help of five friends to construct the car as SEMA 2021 approached near. He completed it in time for a return trip to the major event under the Toyo Tires banner. Since then, the Ruffian GT40 has drawn more attention than the Mustang, which has led Ashton to look for a warehouse to utilize exclusively for the construction of automobiles. He still does his usual job in the video game industry. However, he has enlisted the aid of a small team to construct automobiles more quickly. The concept is to have enough space to manufacture more cars, but not for any particular buyer. Therefore, it is not a business in the classic sense because there is no storefront or parts to sell.
