Though it seems slightly criminal to rustle it from its peaceful confines, this 1978 Ford Mustang II Cobra deserves another shot at living, especially with the preferred four-speed manual transmission and iconic color scheme of blue with white stripes. The seller notes he has all the parts needed to complete this restoration, and the Mustang would likely look 100 times more complete if just the nose pieces were put back on. The seller is located in Cumberland, Maryland, and is asking $2,500 or best offer. Find the Mustang Cobra II here on Facebook Marketplace.

If this were my project, I wouldn’t touch the paint. It’s too perfect in its faded blue glory. I would track down the missing spoiler section and try my damndest to get the paint to match the faded blue body, as that wing was essential to the look of the Cobra package. The seller’s location hopefully means there’s no significant rust to sort out, and certainly in pictures, the Cobra II doesn’t appear rusty. Whether this Mustang II is restored or simply put back together and driven, hopefully a suitable exhaust will be installed to let the 302 breathe just a bit louder.

The interior doesn’t look great, but I suspect the disheveled appearance could be addressed by simply cleaning it up and putting the passenger seat back into position. The upholstery is shot and will require a re-do, and the carpets look like they could stand replacing as well. Fortunately, all of these pieces are available in the vast Ford products aftermarket, even for an unloved car like the Mustang II. I recently ordered seat fabric for the Recaros that came in the Fox body Pace Car, and I was shocked at how easy it was to find OEM fabrics, even in some hard-to-find colors.

It doesn’t sound like the Cobra II runs at the moment, as the seller doesn’t mention it if it does. I’d also be curious if this is the numbers matching engine, as many 302 cars from this era were pillaged for their drivetrains given the general disdain for this era of the Mustang. Not that it would add a lot to the final value of the car as plenty six cylinder-equipped were converted to V8s, but it would be nice to know in terms of deciding how far to go with its restoration. Either way, this would be a worthwhile project to simply get running and drive or bring all the way back – just make sure those Cobra II-specific mesh wheels are part of the build.