Ford unveils 1966 Mustang R125 restomod marking 125 years of racing

Ford has revealed a restored and modified 1966 Mustang called the R125, built to mark 125 years since company founder Henry Ford first went racing. The car is on display at SEMA and uses Ford Racing Parts throughout, with a naturally aspirated 5.7-litre V8 crate engine rated at 360 horsepower and 400 pound-feet of torque.

The anniversary dates to 1901, when Henry Ford built and raced his own car and took a victory that helped him secure the investment needed to found Ford Motor Company two years later. Ford's own line on the project is that racing is in its DNA.

A restomod that resists the power race

The R125's engine combines a Ford Racing Boss block with Edelbrock Pro-Flo electronic fuel injection and aluminium cylinder heads, and it drives through a Tremec five-speed manual transmission. Ford Racing also fitted two-piece valve covers and integrated spark plug wire looms to make the engine easier to service.

That 360hp figure puts the R125 well below the hypercar-power restomods that dominate the scene, a deliberate choice to build on the original Mustang's legacy with updated components rather than chase output records. For a car meant to celebrate the brand's competition history, a tractable, naturally aspirated V8 and a manual gearbox read as a more honest tribute than a big power number.

Black paint, gold roundels and a roll cage

The exterior is finished in plain black under a gold-and-red motorsport-inspired livery, with a bright red stripe across the rear, a bumper and gold Ford Racing lettering, and gold roundels carrying an R125 Ford Racing logo on the doors. Gold wheels match the painted gold accents.

Ford has not released detailed photos of the interior. One image shows a subtle gold roll cage and a brown leather suitcase sitting where the rear seats would normally be.

Why Ford is leaning on its racing past

Chief executive Jim Farley has driven the brand's motorsport push since taking the role in 2020, rebranding Ford Performance as Ford Racing last year and overseeing the return to Formula 1 and a forthcoming LMDh prototype for next season's FIA World Endurance Championship.

The R125 fits that strategy neatly: it is a show car rather than a production model, so it carries the racing message without needing to justify itself on a price list. Ford has not announced pricing or a production run for the R125, and the car has so far appeared only as a SEMA display piece.

A weekend of street takeovers in Los Angeles County ended with 22 arrests, 74 citations and seven cars impounded for a month, the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department says. The gatherings were billed as Bay to LA, with participants travelling from Northern California for the illegal events.

Where deputies enforced and what drivers were charged with

Deputies ran several enforcement operations across Carson, Cerritos, Compton, Lynwood, Commerce, Lakewood and unincorporated parts of the county. The alleged offences included reckless driving, exhibition of speed, driving with a suspended licence, felony evading, felony illegal firearms possession and felony conspiracy to commit reckless driving.

A further 22 vehicles were cited and ordered to undergo state referee inspections. Those inspections can change how an owner approaches the future use of their car, since a vehicle that fails can face restrictions until it is put right.

The department did not publish a list of impounded cars, but video it posted to social media shows an SN95 Ford Mustang convertible, a Chevrolet Camaro of similar age, a Pontiac G8, at least one Chevrolet SS and a third-generation Lexus LS.

Social media posts are giving police a heads-up

The result follows an operation a week earlier in which deputies shut down two takeovers before they began, making another 22 arrests, issuing 104 citations and handing out 55 emission or exhaust violations. Authorities credited their ability to see the events advertised on social media for helping them act.

Organisers appear to have posted about the Bay to LA events online again before turning up. That matters because the pattern gives the task force a window to plan enforcement rather than react after crowds have gathered. If organisers keep advertising in advance, police have shown they will be watching and ready to close the events down.

Spectators and blockers can be cited too

California does not treat only the drivers doing donuts as participants. Occupants of a car taking part in a takeover can end up with charges too, and police can cite people who use their own vehicles to block an intersection even if they are not performing manoeuvres themselves. Spectators can also receive citations, meaning simply being at the scene can carry significant financial penalties.

For anyone who turns up to watch, the practical lesson is that attendance is not free of risk. The enforcement net covers the crowd as well as the cars in the middle of the intersection, which widens the deterrent well beyond the drivers at the centre of the action.