We are extremely excited to be help Drew find a new home for this Mustang Mach 1. He actually doesn’t live too far from our office and brought it by for us to have a closer look! The picture you see above is from when it was pulled out of storage just recently. It has since been cleaned up and is now back on the road. It does have a few minor imperfections in the paint, but it looks fantastic overall. Drew is helping the original owner of the car find a new home for it and they decided that auctioning it right here on Barn Finds sounded like the perfect way to do it!
Seller’s Description: 1972 Mustang Mach 1. Still registered to the original owner. Warehouse find. Unrestored in extremely good original condition. 351 Cleveland engine, automatic transmission. The original owner drove it from 1972 until about 1982 when it went into warehouse storage for 34 years. The car was repainted the original color before it went into storage. The following has been done since coming out of storage last year. New B.F. Goodrich Radial TA tires. Gas tank removed and cleaned. Carb rebuilt. Tune-up. New belts and hoses. New rear brakes. Transmission serviced. New coolant and fluids. Engine compartment detailed. The interior is extremely clean. There is a small seam separation in the drivers seat as shown in pictures. The car drives and handles very well.
While Drew had the car at our office, we grabbed some additional photos of it. We can attest that it really looks as good in person as it does in photos. From a condition standpoint, our only complaint is that someone decided to repaint the engine. They didn’t take anything apart, they masked everything off quite carefully, but there is some overspray on the headers and they even painted the alternator. It looks alright at first glance, but it’s something the next owner might want to redo right.
From an options standpoint, it’s a fairly basic car. The 302 was the standard engine for the Mach 1 in ’72, with the 351 as an option. There were several 351s available, but this car was equipped with the base two barrel engine. With the two barrel carb it is rated at just 177 horsepower, but it does create a respectable 284 ft. lbs. of torque. It runs great and sounds nice, but it certainly won’t be waking up any of the neighbors. A set of headers and a new exhaust system would help to remedy that issue, while also addressing some of the blue overspray.
Other than the popped seam in the driver’s seat, the interior looks great and Drew believes it’s original. We can’t say for sure if it is or not, but it looks correct and the carpet around the gas pedal shows the kind of wear you’d expect to see in a car with 69k miles.
While we tend to prefer original paint when possible, we can definitely appreciate a high quality older respray. It was done sometime in the eighties when the car was parked and we couldn’t find any overspray, bubbling, or signs of poorly done body work. There is a brand on the title but it’s not because of accident damage or anything like that. The owner lost the original title and there wasn’t a record of it in Idaho’s computer system, so they put a brand on it that expires in two years. That shouldn’t cause any problems because the car is still with the original owner, but make sure your State can do the transfer before bidding.
We wish every classic that came out of a storage unit cleaned up this great, but you have to give Drew some credit for why it looks so great. He’s clearly spent considerable time detailing it. The owner lives in New York now and wants to see it go to a good home, so if you’d love to make this Mustang yours, be sure to bid! Thanks Drew for giving us a chance to find a good home for it! If you have a classic that just came out of storage and needs a new home, please consider auctioning it here on Barn Finds.
Location: Boise, Idaho
Mileage: 69,000
Title: Clean (Brand expires in 2 years)
VIN: 2F05H116749
Bid On This Auction
Mark bid $11,000.00 2017-08-22 07:37:51
Joseph bid $10,500.00 2017-08-17 20:30:34
Terry bid $10,100.00 2017-08-17 07:21:50- Joseph bid $10,000.00 2017-08-16 16:37:51
JAMES bid $6,000.00 2017-08-16 16:33:43- Joseph bid $5,500.00 2017-08-16 13:42:47
Keith bid $4,800.00 2017-08-16 13:35:49- JAMES bid $4,700.00 2017-08-16 13:34:17
Mark bid $4,000.00 2017-08-16 12:05:29- Joseph bid $3,500.00 2017-08-15 22:27:10
Lawrence bid $2,750.00 2017-08-15 20:51:11
Jacob bid $2,150.00 2017-08-15 19:35:09
larry bid $2,000.00 2017-08-15 18:25:35
Christopher bid $1,500.00 2017-08-15 18:15:16- Joseph bid $500.00 2017-08-15 17:40:28
Chandler bid $300.00 2017-08-15 17:17:19
Bruce bid $100.00 2017-08-15 17:15:50
The dealer plaque on the trunk lid looks like it is attached with deck screws and looks awful because of it. Otherwise great car.
This is truly Eleanor in the flesh! Looks just like the one in the REAL Gone in 60 seconds Eleanor. Before the chase of course!
Or after the car wash 😁. The look on that poor woman’s face when the chase car came out, priceless!
Then Mandrian pulling up next to the Caddy on the hook, “Stay cool Billy”.
Gone in 60 Seconds & American Grafitti, best car movies of all time!
Nice gar, and good luck with your auction. A little discrepancy though, Drew states it’s a 351 Cleveland, and the editor a 302 …
Ops! That’s my bad, it’s a 351, not the 302.
The motor is a 351 Cleveland.
I don’t believe the Mach 1 ever came with a 302, at least never anything with a measly 2 barrel. It was not supposed to be a decal package.
Pretty close to the REAL Eleanor! Yeah, the engine paint is a little over the top. Love that poverty cap beauty ring combo though.
Unfortunately, there are too many people that won’t understand this comment, as they don’t realize that Nick Cage travesty was a poorly adapted remake of the greatest car chase movie ever captured on film.
I just made that discovery yesterday when I was in a toy store with my kids and they had models of BOTH Eleanors! I did a double-take because I didn’t remember the yellow Mustang from the Cage movie, and then I pieced it all together with the info on the cars’ boxes. Now I resolve to watch the original movie.
I don’t like the engine paint color either. I think it’s too light to be “Ford blue.” Plus…someone has removed the decal on the air cleaner that states what the engine is. Those decals are available as reproduction items and it would make sense to put one back on; only after the engine is painted the correct color. I also hate the fact that they painted the alternator and the power steering pump. The work of amateurs, for sure. But all of that is trivial stuff, because the car is a great example of the “big pony” Mustangs.
I thought of Eleanor when I saw this too. I don’t live too far from Long Beach and have retraced much of the car chase in person. It would only be that much better in this car :)
What dealer puts SCREWS into sheet metal?? My bigger question is – why was it left intact after the respray? These things keep me awake at night…..Nice car and should be kept original. Forget the headers and hop ups. Way too nice a car for that. Not every Mustang has to be GT500 clone….
A lot of them did. This was just an every day car back in 1972. Nothing special really.
Elrod I love your ” screws into the metal comment” . You must be young. That was the way it as done for decades. It still amazes me a brand new car would have the metal and paint compromised buts that is what they did. I have near 1000 dealer logos all pot metal on the ceiling of my garage and two cars with them screwed to the truck lids, originals from the dealer. I love them on old cars but I won’t allow a dealer decal on my new cars. Those were the days, TR
The dealer “screw logo” brings back memories. In 1973 I ordered a triple black Toronado and I told the dealer not to put his dealer plague on the car. He was offended, he just couldn’t understand why. I told him that the first thing that I was going to do when I went to pick it up was to check and make sure that he didn’t put one on and if it was there I wasn’t going to take it. Stickers are bad enough, but drill holes in a brand new car, wow!
Said the exact same thing on every new car I have ever bought. Even when I was a young kid I could not believe dealers drilled holes in new cars. Amazing, but it was common.
In 72 I was 12… guess I never looked that close for the screws back then. I think it could also be more frequent in certain geographic areas. I can honestly say growing up in Michigan – never saw one here :) Guess we weren’t screwed.
I’ve removed a bunch of dealer medallions over the years that were installed with pop rivets too. I have a pair that I took off each side of the cowl panel of a 67 C10 that were riveted on.
That’s the way the a lot of dealer script was attached back then. It came with holes for the screws. I have a 1972 Chevelle with the script attached the same way. Two sided tape wasn’t used then. Not pretty, but that is how it was done.
Looks like someone went a little crazy with the Ford blue on the engine paint on the alternator and power steering bracket. Lol.
The big mustangs got little respect at all , even by the Mustang clubs years ago. Mean looking cars if you ask me, and with powerhouse 351Cleveland they could be real terrors if built right. Great car.
I want to point out something rather humorous, and Drew this has nothing to do with the quality of your car…it is absolutely a beautiful car. It’s funny that when a car find comes up on barn finds and it has an automatic transmission attached to it, it’s always referred to as a slush box and there’s always some talk about how it takes away its value… but, when somebody pays for a car for sale listing on barn finds I don’t see one mention of any such slushbox, It’s just an automatic transmission now…. LOL
To be fair, this isn’t some random find, the website is providing a paid service, they are brokering the car.
@Rx7turboII – We don’t trash on every automatic that comes through the site. Sure, some cars would be better with a 4-speed, but with a 351-2V this is more of a cruiser anyway. We didn’t cherry coat any of the flaws though so please don’t accuse of of glossing over things in order to get paid. No money has been exchanged on this one yet. We try to be honest and transparent with every car we help sell. That’s how we do it with our own cars and it has worked out very well for us so far.
To be perfectly honest, at my age, I prefer an automatic. Sure, cars with a clutch can be fun to drive, for a few minutes. But after that, it gets old & I’m wishing for that slush box. Besides, with the right stall converter, the auto can be just as impressive.
I thought a slush box referred to the foreign small car automatics that were terrible.
I never thought it referred to all automatics.
Jesse,
My comments were not a dig, criticism, or anything else against barn finds at all. My comment was purely an observation and is based on facts from being on this forum for quite a while now. I was not meaning to say that since someone paid for an ad that nobody will bash it for having an automatic transmission but it is ironic. No glossing over, cover-up type accusation was made by me, purely my observation. Thanks for the feedback!
Correct. The engine and valve covers require the later, darker Ford corporate blue, but black power steering pump, pulley and bracket. Also, the screwed on dealer emblems are now a badge of honor and accordingly restored and reattached after many restorations.
All the young guy’s Brag you need a 3rd Pedal to be a Man Sorry .I Passed that stage when I grew up past 18 .I don;t need a stinking clutch pedal to feel like a man when I drive .It’s called Work Smarter not Harder .drop it in drive and Ride :)
Very cool car, even for a Ford. Hope it stays just as it is.
Very nice car, my favorite body style; prefer the BIG ones. I would be curious what the color of the paint is called ? I always referred to it as “baby poop yellow”. And for the life of me, what is it with that crazy power steering hose ? It loops through what appears to be a correct plastic bracket, then back down to the power steering pump. Strange.
Yes it is a weird loop, it’s the way they did it, almost like somebody in purchasing bought to long of hose & they made it work! But easy to change when they blow & they do blow.
I’m thinking that Ford did it this way because if they had kept it short and under the shock tower to firewall brace it would have been too close to the exhaust manifold. Hot manifold + rubber hose = big problem.
These cars are often overlooked & undervalued, as a owner of two of these ( convertible & Mach one) these cars offer us on the high side of middle age a nice riding, performance car. This is a nice example and I’m having a hard time looking the other way.
This is the perfect car to really enjoy this hobby. Super nice, easy to maintain, fun to drive without tons of worry, looks cool. I love it.
Back to the focus of this auction:
Did I miss something .. what is the actual word printed on the title that identifies it as being branded? Also, what do you mean by the branding expires in 2 years and what reference literature do you have to back that up?
California branded titles remain “branded” as salvaged or rebuilt for decades. Ask me how I know!
The owner lost the title and it had been too long for the State to still have it on file. So they issued a new title and stuck an expiring brand on there. Just search for Idaho conditional title for more info.
Wasn’t Eleanor a modified 68 ?
No, the true Eleanor is a 71 Mach 1 with a 73 grille. Although there is some dispute as to it actually being a real Mach 1 or just a plain fastback.
The 68 you are thinking about if from some Nick Cage B movie, & that’s stretching it to call it a B movie. It was more like a C or D movie…
Over 237 Million at the box office and multiple sequels.
I agree that the original has panash but your criticism of the 2000 movie is a bit melodramatic.
But I can understand your confusion. Denise Halicki crapped all over the 1974 masterpiece when she licensed a derivative of the name be used in a 2000 movie. But to see the BEST car chase movie ever captured on film, watch the 1974 classic. It’s available in its entirety on YouTube, although the original music was replaced with some generic stuff due to licensing issues. Pay no attention to the bell bottoms & butterfly collars, just sit back & hold on for the ride.
well that’s an interesting way that the state of Idaho Issues duplicate titles when no longer in the system. Basically issued on the honor system based on the applicants statement.
Very nice car. Great find