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13K Mile Show Car: 1989 Ford Mustang GT

This 1989 Ford Mustang GT raises all sorts of questions, but the bottom line is that the seller claims it is a low-mileage example that has been on the showcar circuit for years. It certainly looks the part of a heavily customized beast, but with only 13,000 original miles, it could also be considered an impressive survivor given it was likely modified in-period. There are some questionable details and personal touches the next owner will likely want to remove, but at the end of the day, it’s an incredibly low-use specimen that capture the spirit of the 80s quite nicely. Find it here on craigslist for $17,500.

The seller claims the Mustang spent its life as a “trailer queen” and it certainly shows in the condition; however, I’m not sure how it ended up with this two-tone interior unless it was custom fitted after delivery. Those are stock Mustang seats covered in black leather, so I’m guessing the original cloth was tossed in favor of a custom leather interior. That’s simple enough to convert back to stock, especially since the original foam bolsters are likely in great condition. The interior shows some other custom touches, like the auxiliary gauge pod over the radio and an aftermarket head unit.

There’s lots of chrome in the engine bay, which is fairly typical of a custom car from the 1980s. The seller notes that the Mustang retains its original 5.0L V8 engine with the only performance modifications limited to a K&N filter and tube headers. Obviously, there’s a lot of cosmetic dress-up to remove if you’re going to take this back to stock condition, but I’d argue there’s a case for leaving it in place as this Fox body is a sort of car show artifact from the peak of 80s tuning culture. And despite no longer being in stock condition, the modifications all look to be in good shape and the car presents well overall.

The Mustang left the factory a well-optioned example, with the seller noting it came with “…power lock group, speed control, dual electric remote mirrors and power windows, and rear window defroster.” The A/C works and has been converted to R134A, and the Mustang just received a fresh set of tires. The bodykit is probably the one modification I’d absolutely get rid of it this were mine, but the big question is whether the next owner will keep the “Wild Pony” mural under the hood. Old show cars: an emerging collector class, or just someone else’s project?

Comments

  1. Avatar Tom c

    Extremely well done ? Not so sure about that . I’d keep it in a trailer as well, so no one could see it , but to each their own.

    Like 16
  2. Avatar RH

    I know, to each his own, it’s yours so do what you want with it. Just not sure why someone would take a decent Mustang and turn it into this. Maybe it was worse before?

    Like 4
  3. Avatar TRPIV

    How do you not include a photo of the mural with the horse head that morphs into a snake head!?!?

    Like 2
    • Avatar PRA4SNW

      Here it is:

      Like 6
    • Avatar ELVIS PRESLEY GARIBALDI Member

      its satan thats why.

      Like 1
  4. Avatar cmarv Member

    One word comes to mind , FUGLY .

    Like 6
  5. Avatar PRA4SNW

    Not my cup of tea either, but expecting someone to pay a premium for a one-of-a-kind is going to be tough.

    Like 2
  6. Avatar Blake

    title status shows it as missing. It would be hard for me to spend $1700 on an ugly custom job,such as this, with all paperwork intact, much less $17000 with no title.

    Like 2
  7. Avatar Douglas Threlfall Member

    How is the A/C functional with the stupid auxiliary gages where the dash registers are supposed to be? Someone spent A LOT of money to ruin a perfectly innocent Mustang.

    Like 7
  8. Avatar Troy s

    Being an ’89 it came at the very end of that blinding pro street, slammed mini truck era. I think those trends were already fading, and real performance from a showroom stock Ford ignited a whole new trend. The showy trailer queen status of this here Mustang really doesn’t fit into that at all.
    I like the car with a few minor gripes being the mural and dressy looking stock engine, however it’s everything the LX street/strip 5.0’s from the early nineties were not.

    Like 0
  9. Avatar Mark C

    I never understood the windshield decals proclaiming the car’s model. Were owners concerned people would be confused about what it was? I’ve even seen this on a Chevy Cavalier, as if owning a J body was something wild.

    Like 2
    • Avatar JoeNYWF64

      My friend bought 1 of those windshoield banners in the ’80s to reduce sun glare for his 1st gen camaro because it had NO tinted flass at all! The decal was kind of silver reflective with Camaro on it in big letters – from JC Whitney. He got pulled over & the cop told him to take it off! Luckily the decal was only $2. I guess the reflectivity, & short height of the 1st gen windshield did not help matters.

      I sure would not want to see those rear spoilers on this stang on a ’69! The latter looks better IMO even w/o the factory pedestal spoiler, let alone a boy racer one.

      Like 0
  10. Avatar Roland Schoenke

    I’d bring the spoilers back to stock, and get rid of those 80s wheels for starters. Probably just cover the mural with thermal sound deadening.

    Like 0
  11. Avatar MrMustang

    Looks like crap but that’s just my opinion as your mileage may vary.

    Like 1
  12. Avatar Comet

    David Lee Roth, your car is ready.

    Like 3
  13. Avatar KC John Member

    Hey dude, jc Whitney threw up on your car.

    Like 2
  14. Avatar CCFisher

    I don’t know if I’ve ever seen so many bad choices heaped onto one car.

    Like 2
  15. Avatar Waaard

    Between KC John and Comet I’ve had the best laugh that I’ve had in a long time!

    Like 0
  16. Avatar 19sixty5 Member

    Every time I see fake braided lines under the hood it tells you a bit about the owner…

    Like 3
  17. Avatar firemedic2714

    While I wouldn’t have done this to my Mustang back in 1989, I can still appreciate it and it’s a good example of “day 2” mods. The ground effects could be much worse (I’ve seen them). There were sooooo many customs made back then that really did look like they belonged on the cover of a J.C. Whitney catalog. This is not one of them. I’d keep it as is and win Radwood car shows. For those of us who don’t like it, look at this car as a way to remember the past so we don’t repeat it (disclaimer: in no way am I comparing this to the holocaust with that last sentence). Other than maybe a few of the alterations (i.e. gauges in the dash) this car could be brought back to near factory condition.

    Like 0
  18. Avatar 4504 Member

    Ok, as long as we all are ragging on it a little, I for one cared little for the tall “towel rack” spoilers, especially when put on a coffee can exhaust tip, 95 horsepower 4 door whatever. I just don’t think those rear spoilers had a whole lot of function to what I call the “bleep bleep” cars of today (no manly horns like my 91 F350 dodge ram dually diesel truck that makes the grandma in front of you fully wake up in an instant from her snooze in front of you at a green light after waiting patiently for 10 seconds). Who is kidding who?

    Like 0
  19. Avatar JAWeibel6958

    You have to take into account the era. For most of the youth,(and young adults), appearance was everything. I had a shop at the time and people came in looking to spend hundreds to some times thousands of dollars on a car that ran like crap, they sometimes couldn’t even idle. I would ask them why they wouldn’t get their car/truck tuned up first, and they would say “It cost too much, and I can’t see it.” Those days were great for making money, but I questioned some peoples priorities.

    Like 0
  20. Avatar JAWeibel6958

    By the way, the ground effects/body kit is factory. But they were never the same color as the body, they were always a matte silver or light gray. To paint them properly, they had to be taken off the car and thoroughly washed, sanded and washed again, and an adhesion promoter used, otherwise the paint would flake off. A lot of people didn’t remove them because you also had the moldings, which were two faced taped on, molded into some of the body kit panels and part of the bumpers. Too much work (money) for most people. If you look closely at some of the pictures, you can see where the paint has flaked off around MUSTANG GT and in the door jam along the rocker. If I were interested in this, it certainly wouldn’t be for any where near $17,500. Might be a case of “It’s for sale, if you’re willing to pay the price”.

    Like 0
  21. Avatar RH

    I don’t think there is any question about the ground effects being part of the factory look. Pretty sure the goofy thing over the rear window and rear spoiler are not factory.

    Like 0

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