Launched in 1964, the Ford Mustang became one of the best-selling automobiles of the decade. In 1966, demand for the car would peak at more than 607,000 copies, of which 56,000 were the “luxury” edition of the automobile in the sport coupe body style. This Ivy Green Metallic Mustang was hit in the rear and has been off the road for several years (we did know which happened first). It’s being offered as a project with no title from Baltimore, Maryland, and is available here on eBay where the no-reserve auction is holding at just $1,225.
The seller’s VIN decodes with the pony having a 289 cubic inch V8 with a 2-barrel carburetor (200 hp; C-code). That may have been the most popular selection in 1966, paired with an automatic transmission. Back in the day, this was a sharp car, with the best color offered (IMO) and the best interior, a step up from the standard Mustang passenger compartment. It hasn’t been on the road for several years and we assume that’s because of the whack in the rear on the driver’s side. If there is no internal damage, some new sheet metal may cure that problem.
Paint on this Ford may be original, but it has deteriorated badly from exposure over time and will need to be redone. There is likely some rust to deal with, and some is visible down below. The jury is out on the interior besides the carpeting and headliner, and you won’t know for sure without detailing the passengers’ world. But, look, it has headrests!
If you’re looking for a Mustang to restore, perhaps this one has hope and it might be obtainable at a cheap price due to the body damage. I had a ’66 Mustang in the same color but with the standard black interior. It was a great car, even though mine had the inline-6. Wish I still had the car – sold it in 1975 for $700 (who knew!).
I’m no Mustang expert, but I have seen every Mustang on the planet twice now.
My question is: why would someone buy this car and invest 30K (or more?) restoring it, when there are probably thousands of nice driver-quality Mustangs out there for 15-25K that are ready to drive?
I don’t get the whole Mustang thing; it’s just so overdone at this point, dare I say like the Tri-fives. Yawn.
Sometimes the fun in this hobby is to do the work yourself, not just buy someone elses already finished trophy winner.
James, yes, I do all the work myself. I’m all about taking that long-neglected classic and getting it back on the road. But I have the good sense (after three dozen cars) to pass on the junk.
As proof, here again is my 63 Riviera (a car you won’t see 10 of at any given car show), 30 years dormant in a guy’s driveway in Largo, FL. I paid 6K for the car and put 7K into it, doing all the work myself. Not bad for 13K. That 30-year-dormant motor screams now, and the interior I did looks amazing. I even did the headliner, and it’s perfect.
So, yeah, I kinda know a little bit about the hobby.
I did a quick Facebook marketplace search and found really nice one, same color for 12k
I agree about the whole “Mustang thing”, but I’d add that I don’t get the whole Camaro thing, GTO thing or Corvette thing either. When I go to a car show, if that’s all that’s there, my stay is brief.
JDC, what thing do you get? Evidently the whole classic car industry is not your cup of tea? Why not search for some lawn art or other useful venues to occupy your time. All the classics you listed above are the Americana of the classic car industry in America…perhaps a nap?
So I guess in the eyes of “Not Again”, if you don’t like the cars that are as common rednecks at a Walmart, then you have no right to like old cars. You can keep your dime-a-dozen Mustangs and Camaros which are the lawn art of classic car shows. Give me a Jag, a Triumph, a Lancia, or even a couple Imperials or a Yugo! I like the rare, not the common. Now go back to listening to your 70s rock and taking your nap.
Jags, Triumphs, Lancias, and Yugos? Nothing at all wrong with that, but you’ll be lucky to even get to a car show!
I bring my 1963 Mercury Comet s22 convertible. Only one at cruises and cars and coffee… Love my little stand out…!!!
I hardly call the bloated prices of C2 Corvettes in the redneck Walmart category. If Brit cars are your thing, so be it. Like those Jag XJ’s myself but not limited to Brit cars.
Exactly, at our annual car show here in the retirement community I walk right past those cars,especially the newer Corvettes.
you seen one immaculate Camaro you seen them all
You’re right – you don’t get the whole Mustang thing. Mustangs are among the easiest and cheapest cars to restore. Parts are cheap and plentiful and procedures are well-documented. Someone willing to do the work him/herself can get this car back on the road for far, far less than 30K, and be able to take pride in doing it him/herself. It’s been over 30 years since I brought my ’68 convertible back from the dead (and it was in far worse shape than this one), and I still take pride in doing it myself at age 19.
No you don’t get the whole Mustang thing. Mustangs are an entry level vehicle into the world of classic car restoration. It is a vehicle you can find close to home no matter where you live, and at any given point. You don’t have to wait around and search for months and travel hours and hours away to find one. When you do purchase one, literally every part is reproduced meaning you don’t have to be a master fabricator. These kinds of vehicles need to exist to bring the next generation into the car hobby. If everything that people restored was only the rare (and expensive) then hundreds of not thousands of potential car people would cease to exist. Do I enjoy seeing something different at car shows? Absolutely. But 99 percent of the time the owner of that car has done nothing to it but wash it. His only contribution to the car hobby is through a check book to a professional shop. Cars like mustangs, Camaros, Chevelle’s, can be much more easily restored with the actual labor of the owner, and as we all know, nothing makes you feel better than to be able to say I did that myself.
Now I do have my own pet peaves about the car shows about here. I can’t stand it when people bring brand new vehicles like the latest Corvette, or latest Shelby to the show. I don’t go to car shows to see the same thing I can see on the dealer lot.
I’m glad to see I’m not the only one wondering why that new Corvette or mustang is at this show I probably worse than most I question why any thing made after 1980 is at a show really only look at 40 50 and 60 models
Everyone has their own tastes and opinions. In my state a vehicle has to be 20 years old to get historic plates (used to be 25 but at some point that changed). Personally if I were in charge of a car show that would be my requirement, that it be at least old enough to qualify for historic plates with the motor vehicle administration. Not that it would have to have them, just that it would be eligible.
I’m not as “down” on Mustangs as Rex is, but I agree with the point about their availability. I’m convinced there indeed are thousands of driver-quality first generation Mustangs out there, and thousands more which are better restoration candidates than this example.
I’m not really a mustang fan I was 19 years old in 1964 driving a 348 Impala stand shift and always liked the falcon Sprint better and still do
Yep, 3 for 3 here, and all this is, is another kick in our memory nads, a more influential car of the 60s you’d be hard pressed to find, reduced to its eyes rolled back. tongue sticking out, and forlorn, long forgotten its former glory. Someone in ’66 optioned this car heavily, to the salespersons glee. The good news is, someone thought enough to save it, albeit poorly, but only a fool would even attempt this, as said, no shortage of Mustangs. I foresee a big pile of cars like this in the not so distant future, that have little, if any chance of being restored. Unfortunately, that “pile” begins with many of the cars featured here.
4 for 4 now. If I was trying to sell a car like this I would surly at least clean the car up to entice someone who might want it or need it for parts.
Doubt this would be a “parts” Mustang; there are numerous companies that sell new parts for these cars. Why buy junk?
Yes!!!
If this was 1500 miles closer to Idaho I would buy it. Because my granddaughter is in college now learning auto body and paint and this would be a perfect car for her to work on her Dad has already taught her some of the other things like brakes and tune up stuff.
30 minutes with a pressure washer would have been helpful here.
It comes with a JC Whitney footy gas pedal?!?!
SHUT UP AND TAKE MY MONEY!
I like to look at my 1969 JC Whitney catalog … can’t believe the stuff we bought back then … my Ah-Oooga horn got me a noise violation ticket when I used it near the college hospital …
The reason someone would buy this car is because the price of admission will be low and this will be an easy restoration for some people. It’s equipped nicely so It will be a nice ride when it gets back on the road. There are replacements and/or improvements for most every thing needed to finish it so my bet is that it will be back on the road before too long. No title will discourage some people from bidding on it but there are legal ways to obtain a new title. Good luck to the buyer and seller.
This had the extended head rest added.
The rear quarter panel skin is a cheap easy repair. If someone wanted an lower coat project to putter around with then this is it if the price stays low.
GLWS!
Bidding is up to 2300. lol. I bought a one owner car with boxes of spare parts, that runs and drives for 2800.
Yes, lots of them out there. I am caught by the headrests. I haven’t seen those before. It looks like a well optioned car. That quarter panel looks like a straight forward fix.I will through a bid or two in, if it stays low.
That quarter panel is literally just the tip of the iceberg for this sad pony. Since its been outdoors for many years and the trunk is misaligned from the accident, there’s a missing taillight and holes from a dent puller , you can bet plenty of water has been doing its work , even without seeing them, the trunk floor/gas tank is rusted away, the wheel arch and probably the rear frame rails ( if those weren’t already rusted before the accident ) . Its going to need a lot of work , but you can start with one screw, open a catalog and buy every single part of a Mustang to restore it
Somebody has already started your restoration for you with those early 70’s Torino front buckets. In my state (Michigan), cars without titles are almost useless as this state is getting tough on proving ownership. I prefer my 67′ as it will carry a big block FE motor.
This car sat in the woods or under a tree somewhere, and this guy found it for a song. No title can be a problem in many states, so with all the work it will need and the fact that he is likely selling a vehicle he never owned – it should be a no go for everyone.
Obviously the driver door cannot be closed via the latch, so it has been very wet in the interior, and the trunk has been letting rain in since it has been whacked. I guess with the flat tires it doesn’t really matter where the shifter is, park, low…
At best this is a $500 to $750 car. Way to many that you can get for less than 15K.
Yep….a quarter panel like that got my dad into a 35 yr love affair with Mustangs in 1973 – when what the heck you could buy a really nice one for cheap ! But he was a 6 cyl guy and that yellow color was just what my sister wanted along with an automatic ! Pretty nice frame for a car from up North and it might just clean up well…..
a clapped-out mustang with no paperwork with a ton of rot sitting at over 3k with 3 days to go, what are people thinking. as said in other posts you can buy a nice 1 needing minor tlc for under 20k. i want what these people are on. good luck.
Well, it has bid up to more than I expected, so even if I wanted it the bids now are more than I would pay for it. I still think it could be made into a nice car but I’m not interested in doing it. The bid level makes me feel that it will surely be restored and put back on the road. I think we older car guys and girls have seen too many Mustangs and they have no interest to us, but to many teenagers Mustangs are still their dream car. The interest is still out there even for the early models like this one. Those seats have the Mustang horses molded into them so the seats must be original although I don’t recognize the headrests. Those footprint gas pedals are like Hurst T handles to me and never look like they belong there, but that’s just me I guess.
Since it still has the original wheel covers it’s well worth $1,225.00!
looking at the chewed up nuts on the seats, I can imagine this car reeks !