The Mustang is the car that started it all. Released in 1964, it was the first "pony car", and other manufacturers quickly released muscle cars of their own in response. Produced with a lightweight chassis, a powerful front-engine, and rear-wheel-drive, the Mustang was a fun and capable car right out of the box. This was the beginning of the horsepower wars, and much to the delight of car enthusiasts, the conclusion of the horsepower war doesn't seem to be in sight.

Mustangs have been around for decades, and car enthusiasts have been modifying them just as quickly as manufacturers have been producing them. Over the years, enthusiasts have realized what a capable platform the Mustang is for builds of all disciplines. The envelope for Mustangs is continually being pushed, and it is becoming increasingly more difficult to find a truly unique Mustang build. This is a look at some of the pony cars that stand out from the pack.

15 The Tokyo Drift Mustang

This car should be instantly recognizable for any fans of the Fast and Furious franchise. Driven by the protagonist in the 3rd installment, this Mustang sustained some controversial modifications. The Volk Racing wheels would typically be housed by a "tuner" car.

The '67 Mustang also sported racing seats, upgraded suspension, and better brakes. The pivotal plot point and the modification that really put this Mustang on the map was its powerplant. This Mustang endured a heart transplant from a Nissan Skyline, receiving the RB26DETT from the car. This car would have been an absolute blast to drive.

14 Corruptt Mustang

At first glance, this might just look like another chopped-and-slammed 1968 Ford Mustang Coupe. Aside from all the handmade custom parts, what really sets this Mustang apart from the pack is its Italian Pony engine. The engine bay of this Mustang is filled with a bright yellow V8 engine from a Ferrari F430.

Helping the Ferrari breathe is a pair of ultra-pricey mirror-image turbos from Nelson racing engines. Builder American Legends says they haven't strapped Corruptt to the dyno yet, but they are hoping that at low boost settings it'll make somewhere in the 700whp neighborhood.

13 Mach IV Mustang

This wild-looking machine was the brainchild of Gary Weckesser. Gary was attempting to build an exhibition funny car in the late sixties and decided to utilize this 1969 Mustang Fastback. Stretched to fit 400% more engines than factory, Gary managed to stuff 4 351ci Windsor V8 engines. If 4 engines weren't already enough, he decided to spice them up with a little alcohol injection. The result is a roughly 3,000hp car that is rumored to have run as low as 8 seconds in the 1/4 mile.

12 LB-Works Mustang

LB-Works, more commonly known as Liberty Walk is a modification shop based in Japan. The company was originally founded by a 26-year-old and has grown to be an international phenomenon.

Liberty Walk is not necessarily a performance shop, but a shop that focuses on the styling and aero of vehicles. Best known for fitting radical widebody kits and air suspension to high-dollar supercars. Recently, they have been turning their focus to domestic muscle cars, resulting in low and wide Mustangs like this.

11 Maier Performance Nascar Mustang

This 1966 Mustang Coupe was built by the family business of Mike Maier, Maier Performance. Mike is a championship-winning Mustang driver, with a performance shop that specializes in Mustang suspension tuning. Sporting 315-wide tires on all 4 corners, this Mustang was built to corner. It also has a 750hp NASCAR crate motor that is built to rev to the moon. This Mustang would be a handful.

10 1991 Roush Racing IMSA GTO

Turbocharged Fords might be commonplace today, but that wasn't always the case. In the '90s, V8 engines were typically the go-to for go-fast Mustangs. This Mustang, built by Roush and SVO, proves that sometimes there is a replacement for displacement. Sporting a full tubular chassis, a turbocharged 4-cylinder producing 950hp at the wheels allowed Robby Gordon to drive this Foxbody-based Mustang to a second-place IMSA victory.

9 Abomination Mustang

Even at a glance, this Mustang catches the eye and warrants a second look. That is exactly what Beau Micklethun hoped to achieve with the iconic Gulf livery paint job on his Mustang. What started as a typical Red Mustang sporting a bone-stock and gutless inline 6 cylinder, it has morphed into what you see here today. It earned the nickname "Abomination" not from Beau, but from other Mustang enthusiasts within the community. This is due to the 2jz from a Toyota Aristo under the hood. This Mustang wasn't built to blend in.

8 Vicious Mustang

Builders love to say things along the lines of "only the windshield is stock". It seems to be a bragging point, being able to modify a car so much that very little remains of the original. When looking at the vicious Mustang, that claim isn't hard to believe.

Autotopia LA spent over $1,000,000 modifying this Mustang, and it shows. Supported by Ridetech coilovers and stopped by Brembo carbon-ceramic brakes. This Mustang likely needs that stopping power, considering it is putting 1000+hp to the ground thanks to both a supercharger and twin turbos.

7 Vaughn Gittin Jr's Drift Mustang

This party machine is piloted by none other than Vaughn Gittin Jr. Vaughn is a driver for Ford's Team RTR, or "Ready to Rock", and competes professionally in Formula D alongside Chelsea Denofa. This car is powered by a Roush-Yates Ford Naturally aspirated V8 producing over 900hp and is able to rev well over 9,000rpm. This Mustang has a full custom tubular chassis and carbon fiber body and weighs a meager 3000lbs.

6 Vaughn Gittin Jr's RTR-X Mustang

The RTR crew managed to get another car on this list with their 1969 RTR-X Mustang. This car is truly able to claim that "nothing is stock" because the builders didn't start with a car. Each piece was methodically planned and purchased individually before assembling this car from scratch. Built as the headline car for a Need For Speed game, the car arguably performs in real life even better than it does in the game.

5 Muzilla

This isn't a widebodied Mustang. This is a Nissan R35 GT-R with a Mustang body. Those ultra-wide fenders don't come just from an aesthetic standpoint, they come out of necessity. The GT-R has noticeably different dimensions than a stock 1970 Mustang, and yet somehow that body looks right at home on that chassis. While the driveline is mostly stock, the VR38DETT engine is still capable of making this Mustang a handful.

4 Matt Farah's Foxbody

Matt Farah is a familiar name in the automotive world. The host of TheSmokingTire on YouTube, Matt has had the privilege of driving hundreds of vehicles owned by hundreds of people. Safe to say that at this point Matt knows what he does and doesn't like in a Mustang. Built to be a nimble canyon carver, this car is filled with one-off pieces and personal touches. JDM-style carbon overfenders, Euro-style interior, and an American heart. This is one unmistakable Mustang.

3 Kyle Scaife's Corvette

Yes, you read that right. "mustangkyle" has likely heard every comment in the book about his body-swapped Corvette. The most common being "when are you going to paint it?" Kyle built this car out of two basically unsalvageable cars. It is mostly a custom tube chassis, using some Corvette suspension bits, and a stock Corvette driveline. What you can see of the factory body is all Mustang, with the glaring fender flares being all custom. As if the whole build itself isn't already unbelievable, the icing on the cake is that he daily drives this thing.

2 The Minion

This 1998 Rocketship is an extremely capable drag car. No hood, fender dump exhaust, and beadlocks are pretty dead giveaways of what The Minion was built to do. Capable of running mid-7 second passes thanks to an engine making north of 1200hp. If that wasn't enough, driver Yandro Ulloa rips gears all the way down the strip in this thing. The Minion has set multiple records for being the fastest drag car with a manual transmission in the world.

1 The Hoonicorn

For most motoring enthusiasts, this car needs no introduction. This car has gained millions of views on YouTube, and for good reason. The twin-turbo, methanol-powered all-wheel-drive Mustang is able to light up four 295 R888R Toyo tires with the just blip of the throttle.

NEXT: 20 Glaring Problems With Ford Mustangs Everyone Just Ignores