What if we told you there existed a 6.2L-equipped, 1968 Mustang fastback with a Pontiac GTO front end? Sounds like Redneck Rick created a monstrous pro mod in his garage, the product of too many Natty Lights, some inheritance money, and a little southern engineering, huh?
The Coolest Muscle You Never Heard of
What if we instead told you there existed a beautifully hand-crafted, completely custom-built, modern luxury muscle car? One that you’ve never heard of, yet it exudes the savoir-faire of modern exotics? This unicorn effortlessly embodies the unbeatable power and leather-bound, Ray-Bans style of proper Hendrix-era American track cars, too.
It’s called the Equus Bass 770.
Okay, so the name is a little bit of a fashion faux paus. Read that twice and you might imagine a tasteless pair of bleached and pre-torn Diesel jeans. But beyond the tacky Italian designer name, this car is mythically good by every measure of every automotive discipline – luxury, muscle, or otherwise.
This car gets something right, and that something is a thing we’ve never seen, nor can we measure it or compare it. It’s truly original. It’s a perfect amalgamation of classic and modern pro mod. At first glance, it’s a heavily modified ’68 fastback, but dive in and you’ll see the unbelievable originality and magic.
A quick side glance makes the Bass 770 look like a ’68 fastback – that’s where all similarities end (courtesy of Equus Automotive)
Hand-Built, Start to Finish
That magic is the result of 5,000 man-hours of analog production. Bloodied hands and a very storied yet anonymous car designer put this thing together, and it is to die for. The front end is a uniquely classic-yet-modern take on a Pontiac GTO (we think), while the rest of the body takes your typical 60’s Pony car and does some subtle linework to modernize it without killing its uniqueness.
In short, if Steve McQueen were alive, we think he’d want one. The rear lights are very Shelby-ish, yet it doesn’t feel unoriginal.
The Bass 770’s rear lights are quite unique, though very Shelby inspired (courtesy of Equus Automotive)
Equus Automotive is very mum about actually explaining their build process, but they reportedly combine a handmade aluminum chassis frame with reinforced floor panels, a roll cage, and carbon-compound body bits. From what we can discern, every inch of this car is truly sculpted by hand in the states, led by a relatively small and expert crew – very Koenigsegg indeed.
We say that because a ton of computer work and testing went into the Equus Bass 770, including 150,000 road miles and computer-generated crash tests.
Impressive Numbers
Underneath the bonnet, a lucky buyer will find a hand-built 6.2L supercharged V8 stolen from the Corvette ZR1, boasting 640 horses and 600 torques. The Bass 770 tops out at 200 mph and can do 0 to 60 in 3.4 seconds – faster than a Ford GT and Ferrari F50. It’ll do quite nicely on a track, too, thanks to magnetic selective ride suspension, traction management, and big Brembo carbon-ceramic brakes.
That’s all impressive, but we like the interior most. If a car company ever got the idea of mating classic, muscly nostalgia with modern luxury, Equus Automotive got it right. Inside is a carbon fiber tub wrapped entirely in hand cut- and -stitched leather. Chrome accents adorn a gloss black steering wheel.
Interior to Die For
Tasteful chrome bezels outline a simple but modern LED touch screen, while a very retro audio head unit rests just below. But the stars of this show are the dash toggles, the airplane-inspired vents, and the beautifully crafted aluminum gauge clusters. If we could summarize, sitting in the hot seat feels quite like commanding a personal luxury aircraft from the 40’s. We’re not even sure that such a vehicle existed, but the Bass 770 makes it seem so.
The Bass 770 interior is a perfect combination of noir, nostalgia, and modernism (courtesy of Equus Automotive)
High Barrier of Entry
Want all of this? Get ready to write a check for at least $534,000 and expect to wait quite a while. Equus Automotive’s entire website is basically a video collection of American craftsmen (and women) toiling away with raw steel, leather and CAD programs to build every Bass 770 by hand, bumper to bumper. We expect there’s quite a wait list, but that’s what it takes to own a dream car made real.
