1969 Mustang Mach 1 ‘Patriarc’ by Ringbrothers Debuts at SEMA 2022

One of my favorite custom car shops is the Wisconsin-based duo of Mike and Jim Ring, and their shop Ringbrothers.

The brothers made their debut at the 2005 SEMA Show, and in 2006 captured the Mothers’ Polish award for their customized 1967 Mustang nicknamed “Reactor.” In 2014 they won a Chevrolet Best of Show award for their 1966 Chevelle “Recoil.”

The shop builds one to two cars per year, which are highly customized with one-off parts. What sets them apart from other builders is their attention to detail, and their impressive ability to manufacture custom parts using everything from carbon fiber to 3D printing to CNC machining.

Since 2005, their custom car shop has expanded as a parts supplier of high quality hood hinges, door handles, hinges, and other hardware.After sitting out the 2020 and 2021 SEMA shows, the Ringbrothers returned to SEMA 2022 in a big way, with four full custom builds on display throughout the show.

One project that caught my eye was the 1969 Ford Mustang Mach 1 “Patriarc” which was on display at the Centerforce booth. The car starts with the 580-horsepower 5.2L V8 “Aluminator” crate engine from Ford Performance, coupled to a Bowler Tremec T-56 Magnum six-speed manual gearbox and a Strange Engineering 9-inch rear end.

The car rides on a set of Ringbrothers signature G-Code wheels that were developed with HRE for the G-Code Camaro in 2016. The wheels are wrapped in Michelin Pilot Sport 4S tires. Handling is vastly improved thanks to an independent front and rear suspension using Roadster Shop Fast Track components with Penske Racing RS Edition coilovers. A Baer disc brake system with six-pison calipers and massive 14-inch rotors provides serious braking force.

Build time on the Patriarc Mustang is over 5,000 man hours. The body was widened two inches in every direction, and the rear quarter panels have been lowered. This required fabricating a new floor pan and transmission tunnel from sheet metal. While they were in there, they added a roll cage, too.The list of carbon fiber parts includes the air scoops, hood, and rear diffuser.

It is impressive that after building more than a dozen different one-off Mustangs, the Ringbrothers continue to push the boundaries of the resto-mod world with their creations. The Patriarc Mustang Mach 1 is a remarkable car from every angle.

Ringbrothers 1970 Mustang Mach 1 ‘Dragon’

As any chef will tell you, making an award-winning dish starts with having the best ingredients. The same is true for custom cars: if you’re going to build an award winning show vehicle, why not start with the best? That’s exactly what Mike and Jim Ring did with their 1970 Ford Mustang Mach 1 “Dragon.”

Mike and Jim are the owners of Ringbrothers, a custom car shop from the sleepy little town of Spring Green, Wisconsin (population: 1,648). They’ve built some high-profile cars before, but the Dragon is quickly becoming one of their most popular creations. It was built for an Arizona customer and made its grand debut at SEMA 2010. The car spent the next few years scooping up awards on the show circuit. I caught up with the Dragon at Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale 2013, where it was scheduled to go on the auction block.

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SEMA 2012: 1969 Ford Mustang Mach Forty by Eckert’s Rod and Custom

Like any trade show, the SEMA show has plenty of companies hawking products which they claim will be the “next big thing.” However, buried amongst the rows of vinyl wraps and import cars lies something truly amazing. Here is a car that was not just modified, but was fabricated based on a truly original idea.

The car you are looking at began life as a 1969 Mustang Mach 1, until it fell into the hands of David Eckert. For more than 25 years, he has run Eckert’s Rod and Custom shop in the little town of Molalla, Oregon. Eckert had the vision to create a one-of-a-kind Mustang like the world has never seen before.

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