Anyone who has spent any time around early Mustangs know exactly where they rust—everywhere. That’s why it’s important to look past the sunbaked paint to the solid sheetmetal on this 1966 2+2 barn find. The seller, who is located in Scottsdale, Arizona, says that this fastback spent its life in Texas and has been parked for 40 years. It’s going to need a restoration or at the very least a mechanical refurbishment, but the body itself and the Mustang’s ready parts availability makes this one of the easier projects out there. It’s being auctioned here on eBay, and the high bid of $13,400 has not yet met the reserve.
As always, it’s worth pausing to decode the data plate.
- 6: 1966 model year
- R: San Jose Assembly
- 09: Fastback body
- C: 289 two-barrel V8
- 103165: Factories started their serial numbers at 100,001, so this is an early build
And on the second line:
- 63A: Fastback with standard interior
- Y: Silver Blue exterior paint
- 22: Blue interior with blue trim
- 01J: September 1, 1965, scheduled build date
- 61: Dallas, Texas, District Sales Office
- 6: 2.80:1 open differential
- 5: Four-speed manual transmission (keep that in mind for a minute)
Inside this dusty engine compartment is indeed the 200-horsepower 289 two-barrel, which powered a lot of early Mustangs. It wasn’t fast, but it cruised easily in the light pony car and could achieve reasonably good highway economy, almost 20 miles per gallon if driven judiciously. The seller says that it has a six-blade fan, indicating that it’s an original air-conditioned car. The engine currently isn’t running, but it spins on the starter.
The only rust that the seller can find is confined to the battery tray (which is always rusty and readily available in the aftermarket) and a few pinholes in the passenger floor. That makes me wonder how the cowl floor is looking, as that’s an almost universal rust point on 1965-66 Mustangs. The underdash air conditioning unit doesn’t look as if it’s a factory piece, so this car may or may not have been converted at a later date.
Remember what I said about the four-speed transmission? It’s not in there now, but rather the floor shifter and brake pedal tell us that this car has the C4 automatic. Whether the door tag was misstamped or the car was converted to an automatic is lost to time. It might be worth a message to the seller.
One thing these pictures tell us is that Mustang Fastbacks look fantastic with Cragar S/S mags, but a set of original steel wheels, a new headliner, and new door panels will be included in the sale. The 21st century has been kind to the barn-find look, so cleaning this car up and driving it as-is is always an option, but a full restoration to its Silver Blue factory state would be another fine choice. What would you do with this barn-find fastback?
With 4 days and 22 hours remaining the bidding has reached $25,000 and the reserve has been met.
This looks like a great project, straight and rust free. The next owner can go any direction they please. It’s hard to find desirable cars like this in this condition, so it’s not surprising bidding has been so strong.
Steve R