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850 Genuine Miles! 1973 Ford Mustang Grande Hardtop

Some classics will appear on our desks here at Barn Finds, and we’re left to wonder what their story is. This 1973 Mustang Grande Hardtop is an excellent example because it has managed to survive for 48-years and accumulate a genuine 850 miles on its odometer. The seller doesn’t provide any insight into its history, but I’d love to hear the story. The owner has stored the Mustang in a garage for the past 5-years, but the time has come for it to head to a new home. You will find the Grande located in Burlingame, California, and listed for sale here on Craigslist. If you hand the owner $25,000, you could be driving this classic home. I have to say a big thank you to Barn Finder Shervin N for spotting the Mustang for us.

If you search the Barn Finds website, you will find that the majority of ’73 Mustangs that we feature are Fastbacks. Having a Hardtop referred to us is a bit of a rarity, but a change is as good as a holiday. It appears that this Saddle Bronze Mustang may have spent its life in drier climates. The owner purchased it in Nevada, which is conducive to the preservation of classic steel. There is no visible rust, and the seller doesn’t mention any problems with the floors or frame. The paint holds a winning shine, while the panels are free from dings and dents. The original owner ordered the Grande with a Ginger vinyl top, and this is in as-new condition. The external trim is in good order, while the original tinted glass appears to be flawless.

It’s no surprise to open the doors of this Mustang to reveal a spotlessly clean interior. There is no wear on any of the upholstered surfaces and no evidence of any problems with the wheel. The dash and pad appear to be perfect, and the overall impression is that this car looks like it just rolled off the showroom floor. Comfort and convenience figures include a tilt wheel, air conditioning, and a pushbutton AM radio.

The 351ci V8 was the largest motor that Ford offered in the ’73 Grande, and this is the 2V version that delivers 157hp. The original owner also chose to equip the car with a 3-speed automatic transmission, power steering, and power front disc brakes. This Mustang is not a hard-edged performance vehicle, but it is adept at turning gasoline into noise. Pointed at a ¼-mile, the journey would take 17.6 seconds. Drive the Grande hard, and it will chew through fuel at a rate of 12.6 mpg. The seller states that this car is original and that nothing has ever been changed. If the buyer is considering hitting the road in this classic, they would be wise to fit new tires. The ones that it sits on are what it wore when it rolled off the production line. Given their age, I wouldn’t trust them at speed because they’re probably pretty brittle by now. The seller doesn’t indicate how well the Grande runs or drives, but he does say that the tags and insurance are up to date.

This 1973 Mustang Grande Hardtop is an extraordinary car, and it may have the lowest genuine odometer reading of any example in existence today. That will leave potential buyers in a bit of a quandary. The thing that makes this car such a unique vehicle is the odometer reading. Every extra mile that it accrues will potentially harm its future value. The asking price is slightly below what you could conceivably expect to pay for a pristine example, which makes me believe that the seller will have no trouble finding a buyer. I would love to talk to that person to ascertain what their plans would be. Would you drive it, or do you think that the Mustang’s future is as a museum piece?

Comments

  1. Avatar rmward Member

    Looks like it picked up 150 miles in the last month.

    https://barnfinds.com/just-700-miles-1973-ford-mustang-grande/

    Like 8
    • Avatar Mike

      I wonder how many miles you could add to it and not affect the value too much? I would say sub 5000, but then again it’s a hardtop & auto.

      Like 2
  2. Avatar RayT

    Instead of driving it, I suspect I’d be replacing all the rubber bits — brake system, weatherstripping, tires, hoses, belts, various seals, etc. — and changing all the fluids before working up the nerve to get behind the wheel.

    Like 14
  3. Avatar misterlou Member

    The character of Mary Richards on the Mary Tyler Moore Show drove one. Just sayin’.

    Like 12
    • Avatar Mike Mesite

      Rhoda: “Yes, Mary, the car that you love, in the color that you hate”.

      Like 3
  4. Avatar DRV

    This is something I would drive daily. Just pretend it’s a new one but having more fun than a new one.
    Grande is a name they should attach to the new SUV one.

    Like 12
  5. Avatar Jim

    You guys are repeating a lot of cars of late. You need to check out the recommendations and write about some different cars.

    Like 6
  6. Avatar 6speed

    850 miles on a ‘73 anything is impressive.

    A bloatstang with a vinyl roof is not.

    Like 4
    • Avatar JoeNYWF64

      Bloat as in weight or size? The ’71-73 is about the same size as a 2nd gen F-body. & lighter in weight!
      “The 1973 Mustang had grown up, out and heavy since its birth in 1964. Wheelbase increased by 1 inch, it was 12.2 inches longer and 5.9 inches wider(latter is good!). In height it grew .4 inches and total weight increased by 575 pounds. Although 575 pounds does not seem to be much, since the original car only weighed 2562 pounds, this was about 22% increase.”
      So, the ’73 weighs about 3137 lbs.
      But the new stang weighs 3850 lbs!!! & looks smaller than the ’65! & certainly has less back seat leg & trunk room than the ’65!

      Like 4
  7. Avatar joe

    So they bought it at an auction for 40k and now want to lose 15k? Great way to invest in cars.

    Like 5
  8. Avatar Pauld

    We had an identical car except for the color. I put a 600CFM carb on a single plane manifold on it with dual exhaust. WOW, did it wake this car up. It added many horses to it’s engine. I would highly recommend doing this modification to the Cleveland engine. The car ended up having 120K miles on it when sold. It used no oil and the engine was still like new..

    Like 0
    • Avatar Dickie F.

      That is an interesting carb conversion.
      Will it improve the 250 hp on a 70 Mach One 351 Cleveland ?

      Like 0
  9. Avatar Big Schwag

    The seller states that all is original and nothing has been changed? Yet if you see the window sticker (craiglist ad) it shows that the car was equipped with trim rings and hub caps, neither which is on the car? What else is not true?

    Like 2
    • Avatar BRUCE

      Agree,That engine looks like its got more than 850 miles under its belt.I am surprised no one mentioned that.As usual another great find and read from Barn Finds.Bruce,Melbourne.Australia.

      Like 0
  10. Avatar FrankM

    This car looks and specs out as the raffle car at the 2015 or 2016 Hot August Nights in Reno/Sparks annual celebration of Cars and Rock ‘N Roll. I didn’t buy a ticket/s that year because it looked like something our grandmothers would have bought back in the day. I mean no disrespect to our grandmothers. I asked one of the organizers of HAN, what would I do with it if I was the unlucky winner. He said under his breath, “Sell it.” It was a dog in 1973, HAN 2016, and 2021. My question is this, “Whatever would possess someone to buy such bland model, put 850 miles on it, and attempt to sell it as a high value classic?” It’s an Easter Pig Contest winner.

    Like 0
  11. Avatar Bob_in_TN Member

    It’s a great example of a Grande of its era, somewhat upscale and nicely equipped. To me, that it isn’t a muscle car and it isn’t one of the more-popular model years gives it a certain uniqueness and attractiveness. I like it.

    Like 2
  12. Avatar Jack l

    73 Grande was my first mustang at 17, my dad gave it to me with a promise never to own or ride a motorcycle. I was the cool kid. It had 32000 miles at the time and blew the motor at 60000 miles. It was quick if you shifted it (auto). 129 mile per hour many times but never 130 lol. It was a great car.

    Like 0

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