1974 Ford Mustang II

Asking Price: $5,500 OBO
Location: Thousand Oaks, CA
Mileage: 89,000
Title Status: Clean
VIN: 4R02Y253597

Seller’s Description: Just noticed it was here before, notes at the bottom

As seen in the Petersen Automotive Museum’s “Mustangs Forever: 50 Years of a Legend” exhibit in 2014. Also seen in Car and Driver, Top Gear Philippines, and… my driveway.

From what the Petersen told me, it was a little old lady car from Palm Springs. They bought it days before the exhibit opened in May 2014 and drove it back to LA. Perfect for a collector, due to how unbelievably rare it is to find one in commuter-spec. Everyone saved the fancy fast ones, these base models are the rare and collectible ones that people remember as their first car. At least, that’s what they tell me. I’m 23.

Those of you who know Mustang IIs can tell this one’s special. First-year, absolute base model. No power steering, no power windows, no power engine, no power seats, the list goes on. It’s got 6 total options, but that’s only if you count “California Emissions Testing” and “Whitewall tires” as options. AM-only radio, but I don’t know if these ever came without a radio so that could be standard. Bumper overriders are nice to have, the dealer-installed bump strip down the side of the car has saved it more than once. The only real “option” on the thing is the Luxury interior, out of the Ghia model. Everything else is either standard or dealer-installed. I know that, because it has a deluxe Marti.

Extremely fun for car shows. It steals the spotlight at every show, Cars and Coffee, etc. I’ve brought it to. Everyone loves it, even the people yelling “LEE IACOCCA GOT FIRED FOR THAT!” from the peanut gallery. Has the distinction of being the only car that came with a factory Mustang II front end! I’m 6’5” (38″ inseam) and I fit better in this than I do in 95% of cars. Tall people will love this thing.

-2.3 Lima 4cyl (embarrass your local VW and weedwhacker scene with raw horsepower!)
-4 speed B-W SR4
-6.75” rear end (yep, there’s something smaller than the 7.5)
-Notchback, lighter and stiffer!
-99% rust free, which is how ‘70s economy cars and most International Scouts came from the factory. It’s been repainted the factory white at one point, they did a good job.

Quick note, V8s don’t physically fit in ‘74s without a bit more work than usual, so if you want to 302 or LS swap this isn’t the car you want. One-year-only hubcaps, turn signals, and the fuel filler is in a slightly different spot.

Flaws:
-Tiny rust spot by the passenger rear wheel and the trunk has a small rust hole by the seal.
-Driver’s headrest is missing the vinyl on the side and the dash has a crack.
-Heater doesn’t work. Not sure why because I’ve never needed to use it.
-Rear axle leaks a little, which means it has fluid. Be concerned when the leaks stop. (I also own a Jeep…)
-The little old lady who owned it used the ultra-rare short console as an elbow rest, so that’s turning to bacon bits. I’ve only ever seen one other like this and it was in worse shape.
-Rearview mirror inside has the usual Ford problem of not wanting to stay on the window.
-Requires a good sense of humor.

My unsolicited opinions on the flaws:
-Interior sun damage is impossible to miss but I didn’t want to risk the rest of the interior for something that’s just going to happen again if the car isn’t kept in a climate-controlled bubble. Plus, the center console is impossible to find.
-88 horsepower 4 cylinder is a flaw to some people, but compared to the 2.8 Cologne, it can make WAY more power.
-Not kidding about the sense of humor, everyone’s a comedian and it helps to be funnier than them.

Will include my 2.5+ gig folder of information/pics of this car, and the show board I made for it. Maybe a year-correct AM/FM/8 track if you want…

I have over 200 good pics of this if you want another angle, or I can take one for you. Video too.

Email or text first, please. Too many robocalls recently so I stopped picking up numbers I don’t recognize.

Price has a bit of negotiation room if I wasn’t clear on something when you come to take a look, although I’ve tried to be. If there’s anything you want to know, I can tell you! Already knocked 500 off the price for Barnfinds users, be sure to mention that when you text/email!
There’s not enough similar cars to get a good idea of what to ask. I’ve seen ones in worse shape going for 4+ and minty Cobras for 8+ so I tried to split it. Again, 23, first time selling a car that has a very… polarized market, pandemic, etc.

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Oh hey look, it was here before! https://test.barnfinds.com/mustangs-forever-exhibit-car-1974-ford-mustang-ii/

Gonna address the comments cause why not? Not defensive, just too late to reply to the original threads.

Price: I knew that was a bit high, but had no reference as to where it should be. I was trying to leave room for negotiation, because similar cars that don’t run were selling for 6k somehow.

Rust in trunk and other condition-related stuff: It was there before the Petersen bought it so I don’t know. Someone said crash damage, but I’ve been over the back end of that thing with a fine tooth comb and I haven’t found ANYTHING. My best guess is since it’s on the outside of the weatherstrip, something was there that held water. Would explain the overspray too because it looks like sealer in that area and the rest of the respray is much higher quality than that. I have photos of it in the exhibit and it was a “survivor” then.
Engine bay isn’t detailed because the hood was closed in the exhibit and it gets driven. The new positive cable is there because the old one was too… crunchy for my comfort. Other wiring is fine, all works well. It had been sitting in the Vault for 4 years so I had to do all the usual stuff, now it’s driven on weekends and runs great.

Smog: Yeah, I saw the smog pump but since it’s pre-1976 you can take that off without issue out here. Otherwise it would have to stay. I left it because it’s not hurting anything, and because early smog stuff is interesting to me.

V8 swap: It’ll haul the mail, but the entire driveline would need to be swapped. The 6.75″ rear can only handle about 100hp.

Douglas: No mice, that’s where the shorter lady’s elbow rested when she drove it. That wear and the CA desert sun did the rest. My elbow sits almost in that little bucket behind it, so that’s how I figured it out.
Nlpnt: Yeah, the interior is the only major option it has. Even then, the real Ghias had the full console.
Bob_in_TN: Thanks!

TL;DR: It’s a VERY nice driver.