1965 Ford Mustang Fastback - Under Construction

'68 Torino
Rinovation
For not being in the automotive industry, Dawson Davenport sure gets a lot of work done on his car. This didn't happen out of thin air; he spent much of his youth studying automotive magazines, building and racing slot cars, and immersed in anything related he could get his hands on. Once he was old enough to work in the biz, he realized that while cars were his passion, building and racing them was not likely to be a primary source of gainful employment. He changed careers and left building cars as a hobby; and that's where this '68 Torino comes into play.

Dawson says: "This Torino could not, and would not, be just a re-creation of a '60s stock car. I had gone too far to settle for that, having owned and driven modern production cars with 500, 600, and 700 hp, brakes the size of a pizza pan, coilover suspensions, airbag suspensions, A/C, comfortable seats, navigation, satellite radio ... well, you get the picture. I am spoiled." The Torino came with a 390 and a four-speed, both of which would be replaced with bigger, badder equipment during the build.

The project's name, Rinovation, is a play on two words that make up this project's name: Rino is a shortening of the car's name-a '68 Ford Torino GT-and innovation, giving it the sound of "renovation." The project is being performed by Dawson, along with other regular guys, which means it's on a real time line. Along with the entire build, Dawson has taken on the colossal task of documenting the build and writing a book about it. He's hoping to let people know what's involved in a project of this magnitude, and what to expect. Reading over his first draft, we think he's got something great going!

By The Numbers