This Mustang-bodied Honda successfully trolled the Internet

Before we proceed, let’s ensure we are all on the same page on the concept of trolling, as Merriam-Webster defines the act as to:

“Antagonize (others) online by deliberately posting inflammatory, irrelevant, or offensive comments or other disruptive content.”

Let’s focus on the phrase “disruptive content,” because the disruption presented here is on par with Amazon versus Sears. The trolling you feel isn’t a mirage: The oddly proportioned, first-generation Mustang seen above isn’t AI generated, and its owner uses this creation as a daily driver.

Contrary to information posted elsewhere on the internet, this “Honda Stang” was placed on Facebook Marketplace with the sole intent to raise the collective blood pressures of social media users. It worked, spurring another automotive news outlet to ask, “What would possibly compel someone to do something like this?” Sadly, they answered their own question with conjecture in lieu of reaching out to the owner for an interview. Kristofer (the seller) didn’t much care for what he was reading online, but luckily we here at Hagerty have the latitude to actually interview someone before publishing a story.

I reached out and got the truth about this Honda-infused Mustang. As our phone call progressed, Kristofer started shutting the Mustang’s doors/hood/trunk while asserting, “Tell me if there’s another Honda that sounds like that!”

He’s right; the Honda Stang made metallic thuds like every first-generation Mustang I’ve experienced. Kristofer’s choice in a commuter vehicle is certainly bold, and he wasn’t shy about the ramifications of his purchase decision:

“I know this is an insult to several generations of enthusiasts with a single car, and I bought it because my co-worker hated it. I drove 14 hours to buy it: Ford people hate it, Mustang people hate it, Honda guys hate it. I’ve hit a trifecta here, but I never thought a troll post would take off like this. I mean it’s got a backup camera for god’s sakes.”

And Kristofer wasn’t kidding when he said his troll post stirred things up. The feedback from Facebook users was both frustrating and amusing, as the positive comments were occasionally overshadowed by the most offensive words you can imagine. The lack of humanity in some people is tragic, as Kristofer notes the Honda Stang is “just a car…metal, cloth, rubber, tires. It’s not worth this.” At least the misleading reporting he read elsewhere on the internet was far more entertaining. So he was thrilled to set the record straight with Hagerty, and he shared things he did not post in the listing.

Kristofer openly admits that he was neither the builder nor the intended recipient of the Honda Stang, but he’s doing what it was designed for: It’s used for commuting to work and has needed nothing aside from maintenance and regular upkeep expected for an 18-year-old Honda.

Our treats from the owner started with shared photos of the original donor cars, complete with a listing for the rust-free doors needed to make that 1965 Mustang shell into a road-worthy body transplant. The donor Mustang was indeed left to rot in a field, and the builder was the only person interested in saving it. Or ruining it, and the same could be said for the (presumably) usable 2005 Honda Accord sedan that donated its heart and soul to this project.

The build pictures of the Honda Stang show how “disruptive” things got before the final coat of shiny paint was applied. This is a hat car in all its glory: The rusty shell of a Mustang was dropped onto the Honda Accord and modified as needed to fit into its new home.

While both cars have nearly the same wheelbase (the Honda is 0.1-inch shorter), the location of the cowl in a front-wheel-drive Honda necessitated moving the Mustang’s front wheel arches further back to get the dashboard in the right spot. From there, the rear also had to move back. The custom rocker panels (lower than a stock Mustang) and deep chin spoiler (to protect the radiator support) further show how the Mustang was altered to be a Honda Accord under the skin.

A set of 17-inch Torq Thrust style wheels from a 2005 Mustang GT completes the deception, as the Honda and the S197 Mustang use the same bolt pattern. Or, as Kristofer put it,”the Honda Stang is not a K24 in a Mustang, it’s a Mustang on a Honda!” The Honda DNA truly shines in its 30-mpg fuel economy, ice cold A/C, great heat, cruise control, airbags, catalytic converters, and full OBD-II diagnostic functionality. Modifications to the Honda part of the Mustang are modest, as it sits on coilover shocks and has a Flowmaster muffler.

“Its not a Mustang sitting in a field anymore, it even gets driven in the snow.”

The “hat” car adage of being able to get anything from the local parts store also holds true, as Kristofer recently grabbed a power steering line for his “2005 Honda Accord” and installed it without a hitch. He kept the Honda-themed rocker panels but notes that passersby unexpectedly hate the non-standard fuel filler location, as it looks too much like a Mustang II. But since Honda demanded a filler neck location in that quarter panel, the Honda Stang abided.

The reality of Honda Stang ownership is that Kristofer has also been trolling his neighbors in real life. He gets negative comments on a regular basis, and is “flipped off twice a week,” as you’d expect from a four-wheeled troll with world-class engineering. But with 8000 miles of commuting under its belt, it’s hard to deny the allure of daily driving with an interior sporting the modern comforts we expect, but in a vintage wrapper complete with crank windows and a pillarless hardtop.

The interior is familiar to anyone who has been in an Accord, but the Tesla-style touchscreen in the center stack is a nice upgrade. The stereo definitely adds to the experience, complete with a Pioneer amplifier and a subwoofer from a 2006 Chevrolet Cobalt SS. Kristofer admits he is brand agnostic in his choice of subwoofers, but the hat car purists among us would insist it needs either a Honda or a Ford loudspeaker instead … am I right or what? 

That upgraded stereo runs off the Honda’s dashboard wiring, to the point the fancy screen is integrated with the airbag-equipped steering wheel’s audio controls. That was by design, and Kristofer asked me the rhetorical question, “Why should I lose creature comforts in my ’65 Mustang?”

While other automotive news sources questioned the cleanliness of the carpets, their condition is to be expected in a vehicle that sees work boots on a daily basis. Kristofer is a mechanic by trade, and the Honda Stang is his mighty steed for just about everything. He noted how the new Honda floor created a far more cavernous trunk than that of a stock Mustang, a feature he regularly puts to the test as a commuter car.

Contrary to other reports in the media, Kristofer is a dyed-in-the-wool Blue Oval fan. “I have 2011 Ford F-350 Powerstroke with 643,000 miles, and I love Ford aside from the Focus DCTs.” He just has no problem trolling people—and enjoying the fruits of combining two fantastic vehicles into one nearly perfect daily driver.

But there’s an irony in Kristofer’s “disruptive” behavior, because he received two offers at his $15,000 asking price. Both are from out of state, however, so cash wasn’t exactly flashed in his face, ensuring that “the offers are tempting but it’s hard for me to let go.” Perhaps he should actually sell, as Kristofer is still in touch with the builder, and this troll post emboldened them to go even further. There’s a chance a rust-bucket 1965 Mustang fastback will donate itself to a Subaru WRX chassis in the future. Wow.

Watch this space for any updates, and follow Kristofer on TikTok, as there’s likely more to come on this story.

 

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