---
title: "This 1969 Ford Mustang Is Actually a Toyota Prius Underneath"
description: "A triumph of the human spirit, or a hex upon the world?"
date: "2020-08-20"
modified: "2020-08-20"
authors:
  - name: "Peter Holderith"
    job_title: "Contributor"
    link: "https://www.thedrive.com/authors/peter-holderith"
url: "https://www.thedrive.com/news/35784/this-1969-ford-mustang-is-actually-a-toyota-prius-underneath"
categories:
  - "Builds"
  - "Culture"
  - "Ford News"
  - "News"
  - "News by Brand"
  - "Toyota News"
tags:
  - "Coupe"
  - "Ford"
  - "Mustang"
  - "sports car"
---

# This 1969 Ford Mustang Is Actually a Toyota Prius Underneath

![](<https://www.thedrive.com/wp-content/uploads/images-by-url-td/content/2020/08/prius-mustang-hero.jpg>)
*\<em\>www.thedrive.com</em>*

There can almost be no introduction here. This is a [1969 Ford Mustang body dropped onto the stripped-out frame and running gear of a Prius.](<https://www.facebook.com/groups/505269776754348/permalink/646477269300264/>) It's a project that I'm pretty sure gets mentioned in the Bible a few times, but now, it's here in the flesh for us all to enjoy.

The Prius 'Stang—I'm sure somebody else will come up with a much more clever name—is a project from the ["Like photoshop, but with welding" Facebook group,](<https://www.facebook.com/groups/505269776754348>) and it was put together by a member named David Phinney.

The 1.8-liter, four-cylinder [Prius](<https://www.thedrive.com/news/23797/driver-repeatedly-tells-state-trooper-i-drive-a-prius-refuses-to-pull-over>) engine that now pulls the Mustang body around makes 134 horsepower with help from its electric motor. Of course, since this isn't some complex swap of a Prius engine into a Mustang frame—just a body swap—all of the Prius's hybrid features should work fine. That's vital to the performance of this hybrid Mustang that [beat Ford](<https://www.thedrive.com/news/33079/the-next-ford-mustang-will-launch-in-2022-with-awd-and-hybrid-power-report>) to the punch. Without that electric motor, the Prius would have just 90 hp, which is not enough.

Don't lecture me, a prophet of the Prius 'Stang, about how 134 hp is not enough. The base engine in the ['69 Mustang](<https://www.thedrive.com/news/20256/you-can-now-buy-an-officially-licensed-brand-new-1969-ford-mustang-boss-429>) was a 3.3-liter six-cylinder making just 120 hp, and even then, it's nearly 100 pounds heavier than the Prius. I bet the Prius 'Stang could take on some tired V8 Mustangs with about 2:1 compression with relative ease, all while getting a *cool* 50 miles per gallon.

This body swap also makes a surprising amount of sense. The [Mustang's](<https://www.thedrive.com/news/34237/ever-seen-a-75000-ford-mustang-fox-body>) wheelbase is only 1.7 inches longer than that of the Prius, and there's plenty of room in the wheel wells to make up that difference. The Mustang is also just 3 inches wider than the Prius, making the wheel and fitment actually pretty good. Body-swapped cars often have a weird stance, but this one looks pretty clean. The wheels may look a bit out of place, but it's nothing too dissimilar from something you might find on a later model rental-spec [V6 Mustang.](<https://www.thedrive.com/article/13283/a-ride-in-a-v-6-ford-mustang-convinced-me-its-underrated>)

More than anything, though, I would be interested to see how this car drives. I will admit that I have never driven a Prius even hough I have been offered the opportunity. Since this is still very much a Prius, I'm guessing it wouldn't be very different at all. The interior is probably just a bit...draftier.

*Got a tip? Send us a note: tips@thedrive.com*

## Author
Peter Holderith is a former staff writer for The Drive. He enjoys covering the regular news cycle, writing reviews, and hunting down long features on obscure pieces of automotive history.

### Author social links  
[LinkedIn](<https://www.linkedin.com/in/peter-h-5ba447192/>)  
[Twitter](<https://twitter.com/_baldtires>)