The world wants to see a lifted 2024 Ford Mustang, at least that’s what I made out of the insane popularity enjoyed by a rendering mixing the S650 ‘Stang with the F-150 Raptor R last fall. And the artist behind that 3D work is back with another jacked-up seventh-generation pony depiction. This time around, though, his 3D fantasy is linked to the lifted Mustang-featuring Thomas Crown Affair movie. And, coincidentally or not, the motion picture is getting a remake these days.
Oscar Vargas (aka wb.artist20), the pixel master responsible for this rendering, has gathered around 2M Instagram likes for a pair of posts depicting his S650 Mustang Raptor unofficial concept. Nevertheless, while that was a solo project, the artist’s new work, wich is currently parked on our screens is a collab with Gas Monkey Garage. You know, the Texan shop founded by Richard Rawlings, whose popularity exploded after it became the topic of the Discovery channel’s Fast N’ Loud series.
On Instagram, the digital artist states we’re dealing with a “modern tribute to the famous Thomas Crown Affair Mustang“. This explains why the custom styling is not what you’d expect from a modern build of the sort, like the one portrayed in Oscar’s earlier work. So, what’s up with the original movie car, and why is Gas Monkey Garage involved in this digital project?
The Thomas Crown Affair Mustang was the hero car of the second movie
To answer the first question above, we need to discuss the Thomas Crown Affair universe. It all started with the 1968 original, a Norman Jewison-directed heist film starring Steve McQueen and Faye Dunaway. The former’s character, Thomas Crown, drives around in a variety of vehicles, from a Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow to a Meyers Manx dune buggy—you know McQueen did his own stunts, and the latter was perfect for it.
However, the movie vehicle referenced in this fresh rendering, a 1967 Ford Mustang Shelby GT350 lookalike, flared fenders, knobbly tires and all, became Crown’s ride for the 1999 remake of the motion picture. This time around, Pierce Brosnan was cast in the role, while Rene Russo played Catherine Banning, an insurance investigator and Crown’s partner.
Of course, given the original Shelby GT350’s pure performance ethos, this has to be the most controversial movie Mustang of all time and that’s usually the kind of legacy that sticks even in the virtual realm.
Director John McTiernan owned the car and, according to Richard Rawlings, the vehicle’s present state is a bit of a mystery, as he believes the vehicle is hidden in a barn somewhere in the Carribean. And I inserted RR’s name here as he not only built a replica of the Thomas Crown Affair Mustang, but also gave somebody a job just to make another tribute, as showcased in the YouTube video at the bottom of the story.
Even with the seventh-generation Mustang still maintaining a certain visual connection to the 1960s original, pulling off the mix we have here couldn’t have been easy. Nevertheless, Oscar delivered a tribute digital build that feels accurate, but will we get to see something like this in real life?
The third Thomas Crown Affair film is official
The now-confirmed third installment of the Thomas Crown Affair franchise is written by Wes Tooke for MGM. The leading role went to Michael B Jordan, who is also co-producing the motion picture with Joe and Anthony Russo of the “Captain America” and “Avengers” lines.
Filming dates for the new Thomas Crown Affair haven’t been announced yet, and it’s too early to talk vehicle casting. However, given the popularity of the IP and the massive momentum of the S650 Mustang, the two might just come together on the streets of San Francisco, where an important part of the production is set to take place in a nod to the original.
