Owning a pristine classic is something to which many enthusiasts aspire, while others find the lure of a tidy driver irresistible. Cars from the latter category often represent a more enjoyable ownership experience because the owner can slip behind the wheel without the fear that an errant stone might mar perfection. That is the opportunity offered by this 1970 Ford Mustang Mach 1. Its panels and paint carry imperfections, but it is a tidy vehicle featuring a highly desirable drivetrain combination. Its most pressing need is a new home, with the seller listing it here on eBay in Nogal, New Mexico. Bidding sits below the reserve at $45,000.
The seller has been this Mustang’s custodian for twenty-five years, and it has led a sheltered life under their care. It wouldn’t recognize rain, with the seller claiming it has been kept safely tucked away in their garage in Queens when the weather looks threatening. This has allowed the Mach 1 to remain rust-free, an important consideration with any First Generation Mustang. The panels are straight, except for a small ding on the passenger door, and there is no evidence of prior restoration work. It wears Bright Gold paint that retains a healthy shine. The photos reveal the marks, chips, and imperfections accumulated during decades of use as its creators intended. A repaint would address these shortcomings, but this could happen when (or if) the winning bidder deems it necessary. The trim is in good order, with only a few small bumps and marks. The original Sport Slats are a cool and welcome feature, and the car retains its correct spoilers and other distinctive Mach 1 items. The Mustang features Magnum 500 wheels, and while they aren’t original, they hint at the performance potential hiding below the surface.
Performance enthusiasts will love what they find occupying this Mustang’s engine bay. The car is powered by the 428 Cobra Jet V8 that sends 335hp and 440 ft/lbs of torque to the road via a four-speed manual transmission. Power steering will lighten the driver’s load, while the power front disc brakes should bring proceedings to a safe and sure halt. Cars with this pedigree offer neck-snapping acceleration, and the ability to cover the ¼-mile in 14.5 seconds confirms this Mach 1 is no exception. The seller doesn’t indicate whether the vehicle is numbers-matching, but they state it recently received a new exhaust. Most of the hoses and clamps are original and must be regularly tightened due to developing leaks. That approach is admirable, but I would probably replace them for safety’s sake. The concept of that Cobra Jet suffering a meltdown is too horrible to contemplate. The Ford runs and drives extremely well, ready to head into the sunset with a new owner behind the wheel.
Those seeking perfection will find this Mustang’s interior doesn’t tick the boxes. However, its overall presentation and condition are acceptable for a survivor-grade classic. The Black vinyl upholstered surfaces exhibit no significant wear, while the dash, pad, and woodgrain trim are in good order. The wheel has cracked in one spot, several small plastic pieces are marked, and the console lid shows typical wear and deterioration. None of the issues are insurmountable, and addressing them won’t break the bank. Preserving the interior untouched is viable because it is unlikely to deteriorate significantly if it receives continuing respectful treatment.
If anything surprises me about this 1970 Mustang Mach 1, it is that it has only received seven bids. I would expect a car of this caliber to attract more intense action. However, $45,000 is not what many would classify as affordable, which may have stifled the action. It will be fascinating to see whether the situation changes as the auction draws to a close. Do you think it will?
And Adam finds another nice presentable DRIVER as stated for this pony. 1970 my personal fave right behind 65-66. 45k tho idk. But other lesser bf’s have brought that. Old skool…..still lovin’ ’em 53 years later!!!
Fantastic 4sp Ford.
Looks like a stone stock beauty that comes from long term ownership – this is a winner. Engine and body are sharp – worth the ask to me.
Hope this one goes to a great caretaker.
Just make sure it’s not packed full of bondo underneath. Anybody who’s watched Uncle Tony’s Garage on YouTube knows that many of these cars are just flipped for a quick buck to unsuspecting buyers, and have all kinds of safety issues.
He featured one where they actually created a 1966 Mustang convertible out of a coupe, without putting in any of the convertible reinforcements like the torque boxes! The buyer ended up with a pretty paper weight as the car wasn’t safe to drive. Then he had a ’70 Cougar XR-7 where the underside literally completely consisted of bondo.
One of Ford’s best. Looks, power, and a high fun factor. Nice!
Nice fun car ! Too much money IMO
So the lights below the front bumper are just blinkers? Odd.
Notice the “colors” of the modern appliances on wheels in the various ebay pics.
The lights below the front bumper are the park/running lights, the turn signal lights and the 4 way emergency flasher lights.
Well, the parking lights are on in the above pics, but the lights below the bumper are not on – so either they are not parking lights – or maybe the bulbs are burned out or a fuse blew?
Yet, i don’t ever recall seeing any car with a set of parking lights above AND below the front bumper.
Yes, I see that the parking lights are turned on in some of the photos and that the lower front park lights are not on. I cannot tell you why they are not on since this is not my car. The lights in the grille are not parking lights, they are factory fog lights. They are controlled by a separate switch. You can see that switch in the 7th to last photo on this listing. It is a knob that you can see just above the radio. These lights were a part of the 1970 Mach I option.
I always thought that fog lights were mounted low.
According to
https://www.fordmuscleforums.com/threads/1970-sport-lamps.488399
those are not fog lights in the grill, but “actually modified 1969 Cougar turn signals and were only wired for the high filament to come on[!!!], You used 1157’s [bulbs] because the dual filament sockets were already pressed into the reflector.”
The very kool looking 1970 Merc Cyclone Spoiler also has similar such lights(though vertically mounted) in the grill above the front bumper, & also has parking lights/blinkers below the bumper.
What a year for cars! I would not know where to start to look for a new car if i was transported back to ’70 with $4000 in my pocket & all those insane choices of cars back then.
Today, the new “car”makers with all their colorless ugly lookalike 4 doors make it ez for me – i stay home & count my money.
The Challenger is ok, but i’m not spending all my money on a “new” car in 2023 with sheetmetal dating back to 2008!
A slight correction, they are not fog lights. Ford called them Sport Lamps.
This is one good looking classic Mustang. Classic muscle cars will always be better than the stuff their selling today because they were original and not some technical wizardry new generic stuff that’s being sold today.
I have a 1977 Pontiac Phoenix with the 305 V8 Engine and Automatic Transmission in it, very Beautiful and Clean inside Out no Rust even the AC and Heat Works. I Want to Sell it for $18,000 Let me know if Anyone Interested
I forgot that the early ’70s t-bird was also available with the sport lights
& even the Maverick Grabber! Check out these whitewalls!!
https://www.motortrend.com/uploads/sites/5/2021/06/Ford_Maverick_1G_10.jpeg
I wonder if cops in some areas had an issue with those sport lights using the brighter brake lite/turn signal bulb filament being on all the time when the sport lites were engaged!