Mother Nature can provide us with unspeakable beauty, but she can also exact a high toll when she feels so inclined. Sadly, she set this 1965 Mustang Convertible in her sights, drowning it in a hurricane. It sat in a barn for many years, but the seller revived its desirable K-Code V8 so it could head to a new home. It is listed here on eBay in Buford, Georgia. The seller set a BIN of $47,500 but may consider offers.
The story behind this Rangoon Red Mustang is sad. The original owner purchased the car in North Carolina and used it sparingly until it fell victim to a hurricane. It wasn’t battered or bruised but became heavily waterlogged. They parked the Convertible in a barn, and it never saw active service again. When its owner passed away, the seller purchased it from their estate. The car presents well, but it hides a secret under the skin. The exposure to moisture caused rust to develop, with the floors, rails, and torque box region described as soft. These areas require replacement, although the trunk pan and exterior look pretty clean. The original owner ordered this classic with a White power top, and although the back window looks cloudy, the top itself is free from rips and tears. The chrome is acceptable for a driver-grade restoration, while the glass is flawless.
If this Mustang has a cosmetic highlight, its interior claims that title. The original owner ordered it trimmed in Black vinyl, adding desirable options like a console and AM radio. The presentation is pretty nice, with no rips, tears, or other problems. The console door is missing, and the faux chrome on the dash fascia has worn away. A replacement fascia retails for under $70, with a console door adding $90 to the tally. The carpet may be faded, but I would deep clean it before spending $220 on a replacement set. Otherwise, this interior presents well.
Ford offered buyers several V8 engine choices in 1965, but the undoubted king was the 271hp K-Code. That’s what lurks under the hood of this Convertible, with a four-speed manual transmission feeding the power to the rear wheels. That sweet V8 should allow the Mustang to cover the ¼-mile in 14.9 seconds before it winds to 123mph. The seller indicates the previous owner had the engine block replaced under warranty in 1966 but that the car is essentially numbers-matching. It sat for years following the hurricane, but they revived it, so the car yard drives. It is nowhere near roadworthy, but the buyer will start the process from a solid foundation. They claim it has a genuine 44,000 miles on its odometer, although they don’t mention verifying evidence.
Returning this 1965 Mustang Convertible represents a labor of love for its next owner. The ready availability of parts means it is possible, but it will take time and patience. If the buyer aims for a high-end build, the finished product could command a value above $75,000 courtesy of the desirable V8 under the hood. That figure will undoubtedly increase in the future, meaning I doubt the seller will have much trouble finding a new home for this classic.
This is hilarious, and frankly, stupid. The floor pans, frame rails, torque boxes, and rockers are “soft” from a hurricane decades ago. What??
So, you get a replacement frame, OK, then the doors are probably shot too, so you’ll need a replacement body. And, the interior is likely toast, so new interior will need to be bought. Oh, and the wiring is surely shot from the hurricane. And you’ll want to rebuild the drivetrain, right? Now you’ve got George Washington’s hatchet.
Given all that, why would anyone with $47.5K in disposable income buy this car and not something else similar for half that money? Lord knows there are enough Mustangs out there. It’s goofy.
Why not just buy a brand new body, a new interior, a new everything. In the end it will be about the same, cheaper if you do it yourself, and you have a brand new 1965 Mustang convert! If you are more a driver and less a purist or investor, then upgrade the suspension, brakes, maybe even a modern engine. The best of new and old. If I were a younger man and desired something like this, I would call up the Dyna people and start the process. I could care less about originality because after you are done, a great deal of this is not going to be original again anyway. Actually, in my opinion, only survivor cars should have great value. Everything elses originality is just fast talking to a gullible buyer after a restore. Now, I love restores, but don’t tell me it is worth a pie in the sky price because it is an old car, it is not. It is worth something for being functional and beautiful, but as an investment as an “old car”. Just don’t see that.
“soft” from a rust-out is new to me! Rustangs are known to live up their name, and this one’s had help.
If this was taken from a hurricane and just parked in a barn, there’s allot going on than most of us would want to find out about, especially after plopping down $47.5k.
How does it even have a clean title?? Ins co should have totaled it
It may not have been insured
The only good thing about this auction is that the seller is
upfront about it being hurricane damaged,but no mention if it was
salt water,or fresh water.
I wouldn’t think anyone would pay a lot for this.But then again,
we live in insane times right now.
I don’t recall there is a thing as a fresh water hurricane. Having just gone thru Ian here in Punta Gorda, FL I can tell you it’s pretty dang bern salty!
BF: “That sweet V8 should allow the Mustang to cover the ¼-mile in 14.9 seconds”
In a 1965 road test of a K-code fastback, Motor Trend got 15.9 in the quarter and that was with 3.89 gears. Modern tires no doubt would improve that ET some, but these computer sims cribbed from automobile-catalog.com that BF likes to cite don’t reflect what actual road tests showed at the time.
The car is ” essentially numbers-matching ” and yet the single most important item for a number matching vehicle is the engine block which was replaced under warranty in 1966. Does the replacement block have the correct date codes and did they stamp the VIN on it like the original would have had? A BIN of $47,500 for a not so numbers-matching car needing this much work is a bit of a reach.
Reminds me of the story about my friend who has the hatchet George Washington used to cut down the cherry tree.
Is that the story where the handle broke and was replaced, then the hatchet broke and was also replaced?
$47,000 for a swimmer? Not!
This is so rare that the rare engine is gone with the body toasty.
Reminds me of the time i trained my hunting dog to go hunt for raccoon’s that would fit any board i would make and leave on the back porch. Then mom one day threw out the ironing board and to this day that dog is still hunting to get that animal.
How this ties to the story written is about the same as calling a mustang all original missing all the original pieces. 😉🤣🎅🤫
So
The next victim will be the future buyer…
Why do I get the impression the photos here are of the car before the Hurricane? Notice there are no images of what is underneath the skirt of this Femme Fatal. Take the $47k and place it on a Pre-Order 2024 Convertible coming April 17th of ’23.
“adding desirable options like a console and AM radio”. – Desirable AM radio ? I’m not sure I ever saw a Mustang without one ! Since Ford couldn’t keep up with the demand for Mustangs in 65, I doubt this was even a special ordered car, as is always stated in these posts, I’m sure it was an off the lot purchase , though without a Marti report no one car be 100% sure .
$47,500 I think this owner was sitting in the garage with the door closed and the Mustang running while penning this ad
He Kind of matter-of-factly says that it was in a hurricane. If one was a real stickler for the original body, it would need to be dissassembled and acid dipped, to see whats left. Not for 47 large though. Good luck.
Cheers
GPC
A #1 K-Code 65′ convertible sells at Mecum and B-J in the 60k range..but those are concours to the hilt..he wants 47k for this and it’ll cost another 40k to get to be worth 60k,perhaps he should chop 25k off his ask.
If he car was flooded in a hurricane so bad the floors and lower body pans are soft, this one should be worth $47.50. Just saying, no car flooded in a hurricane is worth the asking price of this one. You can buy many cars that are in better shape with no problems. If the motor got flooded, this one is ready for the junk yard.