Bid or pass on this tuned pony?
Plenty of people love Ringbrothers, the famous shop based out of Wisconsin. They’ve done some pretty sweet car builds for the SEMA Show in Las Vegas, and now you have the chance to own one. This 2013 Ford Mustang GT popped up recently on eBay and you have to answer the telling question: is it worth bidding on?
At the time of writing this article, the muscle car has a starting bid of $49,900 and zero bids have been placed. The eBay auction will last until Friday morning, so there’s plenty of time for someone to potentially meet the undisclosed reserve price. A total of 14 watchers are officially keeping tabs on this vehicle, while likely more are tracking it by just copying the link.
This Ford Mustang is called “Switchback.” The many cosmetic modifications are obvious, including BASF Glasurit Waterborne paint, carbon-fiber parts, and plenty of custom billet pieces. In addition, the 5.0-liter Coyote V8 has a ProCharger supercharger bolted on, along with an intercooler, Flowmaster headers, and Hose Candy sleeves. Ringbrothers said these modifications boosted output from 430-horsepower to 575. Not too shabby. A Moser Ford 9-inch rear and BMR Mustang stock suspension, and Baer 6P brakes complete the setup.
Apparently, a new Ford Performance 5.0-liter Aluminator crate engine was swapped into the car recently and has under 400 miles on it. The seller doesn’t state why, but they do disclose the Moser rear end was swapped out.
The seller is really playing up the claim this is a one of one build. Also claimed is that Ringbrothers has only done about 25 builds total. That number is accurate when talking about SEMA builds, but not even close for customer builds. A stretching of the truth like that could be an honest mistake or oversight, or something else.
Then we get to the logical leap: “you will never in your life be able to buy one of their builds at this price.” Maybe so, but who can really say for sure? Yes, the guy is trying to sell his car, but he doesn’t even know how high the bids will climb, so maybe it won’t be such a screaming deal.
On the Ringbrothers website, the photos for Switchback won’t load, but the photos in this eBay ad look like the professional promotional shots of the Ford originally used by the shop. If so, that’s somewhat concerning. While using some Ringbrothers photos would be understandable because they’re fantastic, some amateur snapshots with a smartphone would help establish that this person does indeed have the genuine vehicle in their possession.
Ultimately, this is a situation where the buyer should beware. If a car is a genuine Ringbrothers SEMA build it should essentially sell itself. Since the person who listed this is pushing it so hard should be cause to slow down and really assess the situation diligently, instead of rushing into a deal. The problem with eBay listings is you oftentimes can verify little, and you’re dealing with someone unknown instead of a dealer with a physical location and established reputation they have a vested interest in maintaining. Yes, eBay includes a blurb about whoever listed this being a “longtime member” but that’s all.
The seller is in Wisconsin and offers to have people come take a look at the car in person. That would be a good idea if you’re close and genuinely interested.
If you’re potentially going to buy something this expensive and rare, more assurance is necessary. Doing thorough due diligence, like possibly contacting Ringbrothers to see if the shop can confirm what happened to Switchback, would be wise. The sellers says he’s willing to have it towed to the local Ford dealership or Ringbrothers for an inspection, something a buyer should seriously consider.
