The damage to the driver’s door on this 1970 Mustang Mach 1 looks a bit like a shotgun blast, and that seems pretty appropriate for this car. This once potent classic has been turned into a bit of a shot duck, and the person who buys it will have some work ahead of them. That’s not because the Mustang is riddled with rust, because it isn’t. The problem is that the entire original drivetrain is gone for good. When you look at what this shell originally housed, you begin to understand just how tragic this is. However, if you feel that you have what it takes to return this Mach 1 to its potent best, you will find it located in Concord, North Carolina, and listed for sale here on eBay. Bidding has reached $12,600, but the reserve hasn’t been met.

If we consider this Mach 1 as a body in isolation, the news is quite positive. The lack of glass and the outdoor location had me fearing the worst, but that hasn’t come to fruition. Yes, the floors will need to be replaced, and I wouldn’t be surprised if the trunk pan needs some work, but things look up from there. The frame rails and torque boxes have a heavy coating of surface corrosion, but they look structurally sound. The same is true for the shock towers, but the panels pack the biggest surprise. The lower extremities, including the rockers, front fenders, and rear quarter panels, appear to have no significant issues. That means that addressing this Mustang’s rust problems shouldn’t be difficult. Given how far it has been dismantled, I’d be inclined to complete the process and get it onto a rotisserie. That way, the remedial work can be completed properly. The owner includes a good collection of parts, but it isn’t clear whether this will include glass and bumpers. I suspect that the buyer will have a pretty long shopping list for this one.

This was the photo that had me crying into my coffee because this Mustang’s entire drivetrain is long gone. It was quite a drivetrain too. Where now we see nothing but fresh air was once the most potent combination that you could specify for a Mustang in 1970. The original owner ordered this car as a 428 Super Cobra Jet Drag Pack. The engine would have been pumping out an “official” 360hp. Those ponies would have found their way through a 4-speed close-ratio transmission to a 3.91 Traction-Lok rear end. Throw in power steering and power front disc brakes, and this was as good as you could ever wish for. Despite weighing a relatively hefty 3,637lbs, this is a classic that could absolutely demolish the ¼ mile in 14.1 seconds. The low gearing limited the top speed to 113mph, but outright speed wasn’t what this car was about. A few peripheral components remain in place, including the engine oil cooler that was part of the Drag Pack, but the engine, transmission, and the original rear-end are all gone. It would be possible to locate date correct items to rebuild this Mustang to its original specifications, so it will be interesting to gauge whether that is the path that our readers would follow.

Every project car is going to have its good and bad points. This 1970 Mustang Mach 1 graphically demonstrates that. For a 1st Generation Mustang project car, its rust issues are remarkably minor. Addressing these would be a straightforward proposition without the stress of dealing with a shell that is structurally compromised. However, the loss of that fantastic drivetrain is a huge blow, and it means that regardless of how meticulous the restoration is, this can never be a numbers-matching classic. Is that the end of the world? It would seem not because eager potential buyers have already submitted 17 bids. Could you be the person to submit the 18th?