There were many automotive success stories in the 1960s, but the Ford Mustang must top the list. Unlike the Chevy Impala, which hit one million units in 1965 alone, the Mustang was a brand-new car. And it strongly appealed to the “youth movement” with the new sensation finding more than 1.2 million homes between 1964 and 1966. The seller has what appears to be an original ’65 convertible left to him by his father-in-law. It will require some mechanical tinkering, yet the odometer reads just 39,000 miles. Located in Bowling Green, Kentucky, this survivor is available here on Facebook Marketplace for $10,000 OBO. An attaboy to “Zappenduster” for this tip!
Ford built 80,000 Mustang drop-tops in 1965 (including the so-called “1964 ½” models). Next to the fastback, the convertible is probably the most collectible of the body styles, and this one looks solid, wearing its original red paint with some slight damage to the finish on the top of the passenger-side front fender. The black top and matching interior look good, so the car has likely spent a lot of time inside (perhaps the mileage is legit).
No 289 V8 here, as a 200 cubic inch “Thrift-Power” inline-6 resides under the hood, rated at 120 hp from the factory. It’s paired with an automatic transmission, which should deliver 20 mpg in town and 25 on the highway (my ’66 coupe had this arrangement, and that’s the fuel mileage I got when it was 50 cents/gallon). The car sports wire wheels (like mine did), and it has a non-working Sears air conditioner under the dashboard (just as a “factory” unit would have been).
We’re told this machine ran when parked, but not so much at the moment. The carburetor is off, waiting for a rebuild, the transmission leaks fluid, and the shifter is “sloppy”. Plus, the brakes seem to be of the “Maygo” variety (may go at any minute). But the buyer might be able to remedy all of this by doing a few weekends of work himself. Mustangs are not the rarest vintage cars out there, but they’re still in demand.
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