This 1970 Ford Mustang is said to be a one-0f-one Mach 1 with a 428 Super Cobra Jet. There isn’t much information in the ad which can be found here on eBay, but the car gained national attention recently thanks to an article found here on Fox News. Thanks to that article, the bid amount has tripled in the past 24 hours with the current bid standing at over $10,000. The car is located in Maquoketa, Iowa and will take a dedicated new owner to restore it.
As you can see, this car is merely a shell of what it used to be. The original engine, transmission, hood, fenders, etc. are missing. If this car is rebuilt, is it still a one-of-one car? If you are not familiar with the term “Ship of Theseus” it is the theory of original parts replacement. In other words, how much of the original item can be replaced before it no longer becomes what it was. Hot rod builder Boyd Coddington pled guilty to a “Ship of Theseus” fraud in 2005. If you replace all the missing parts on this car, is it still a one-of-one car? Perhaps your local laws will determine how much of the original car needs to be present to be titled.
This project is going to be a major undertaking. If done right, the car may be worth more than the restoration cost, but it will be a gamble. People often talk about a “holy grail” muscle car, this one certainly fits that description. Too bad there aren’t more original parts included.
What do you think? Is this car worth the investment? The new owner will probably spend well into six-figures to restore the car. Without the numbers-matching engine and transmission, will it be worth the time and money put into it?
Wasent this piece ofjunk just on here a few days ago? I said crush it then and ill say it again. Crush it!
YES this was on here just a few days ago and I see no one wanted it then and probably won’t now.
It was listed for auction last month last month on eBay and “sold” for a high bid of $3,550 on May 20th. This time through, it “sold” with a high bid of $10,900. It will be interesting to see if the buyer pays for it or if it shows up for sale again.
At this point, if it’s listed again I would mind seeing it show up on here again.
Steve R
One of one, but nobody cared enough about it all these years to preserve it. One of one of a mass produced car ain’t a big deal. Rust in peace.
It would be a parts car if there were any parts.
In its previous life, it was a parts car.
Steve R
I laughed :)
As I said the other day, it’s only rare because it’s one of the few Mustangs in existence where the carpet is a structural member.
Maybe it’s just me and my back-ground in motorsport. In racing, because a race car can be the subject of many changes during its life (engines, transmissions, etc.), the existence or otherwise of the original body/chassis determines whether the car can be classed as the original article. In a road car I’ve always believed that a car can only be classed as original if it is numbers-matching. Agree or disagree?
It’s pretty clear that the car is relevant, based on the VIN plate alone.
Everyone dumped on it when posted a few days ago. Looks like misery to me too !
Read me loud and clear, it’s market driven. The high bidder doesn’t care what our opinions are.
Would love someone that knows these cars to share some knowledge…
It’s not necessarily that the car is relevant, it’s the VIN that is. You are absolutely correct, the car turning up for sale after being stripped and left to rot in a field is market driven. There is a really good chance whoever buys this cuts out the VIN and attaches them to a nicer body. If that occurs it may only be the start of the builders deception.
Steve R
First thing I would do is have law enforcement run that VIN. I’ll bet it’s stolen.
Okay.
Unlikely the VIN plate leaves the car, Steve.
It’s one of one…Have you seen the publicity on it recently ?
The buyer will take it to a secret cave and perpetrate the “builders deception” lol.
Pile on guys…! Try to contact the potential buyer and share your wisdom with them…
Still junk, sold my soul. RIP.
Unfortunately it’s toast.
Would make a HELL of a flower bed…maybe sand box?
I love Mustangs, but sadly, this one here is worth only the scrap. Pull the tags and go drop it off at a scrapper.
Would the Mona Lisa still be the Mona Lisa if the original canvas was all that was left and the rest of the painting had been replicated last week? No, of course not. Is a Picasso still a Picasso if nothing but the frame is original? Of course not. That heap of rust stopped being a “one of one” a long time ago. Now it’s nothing but a rusty old body shell and nothing more, no different than a thousand other rusty old Mustang body shells.
Dirk nailed it.
IMHO, the best among many really good comments here.
I guess that the counter argument would be that yes, the Mona Lisa would be worth less, but it still would be worth something more for the original frame and canvass than a fake Mona Lisa. Just as this car (fully restored) would be worth less than the same car (fully restored) that was 100% original sitting next to it.
Part of the joy of this hobby is resurrecting.
“Can Geico save you 15% or more on car insurance?” “Is a scrap Mustang VIN tag worth more than $50?”
Big deal…one of one painted lime green.It might be rebuilt but could never be restored.All the original parts are long since gone.
If price was low enough I’d buy it and hang it from the rafters. Still cool to have something like it. But don’t need it restored..
Welcome to “Meth-Ko-Ket-a”, Iowenie-a.
There is a really strong car club there with lots of knowledge about this find. The Coronados could enlighten a potential VIN buyer.
I’ve seen the shell and it’s worse than derelict.
2 hours left, pushing 11k, 47 bids. Not mine lol. Glad you guys talked me out of it ! I’m selling my autographed Picasso frame to Dirk…
Someone will restore this guaranteed. Looks like someone enjoyed the HELL out of this Mustang isn’t that what it’s all about?
Man-O-man, there’s some crack smoking mo-fo’s out there!!!! 😂
Grave yard car, the best it will ever be is a facsimile of a 1 of 1. I bet 2 years from now it will roll across Barret Jackson with a marti report of authenticity. Crime, con our a good deal ? time will tell.
Montana Danford either doesn’t understand what Boyd Coddington admitted to, or doesn’t know what a Ship of Theseus fraud is.
Boyd Coddington admitted to making a new car and putting an old vin plate on it to escape California emissions and safety standards requirements. He wasn’t misleading the buyer into thinking that he was buying something which he wasn’t. In fact, the buyers were spending thousands of dollars to have custom creations made.
A Ship of Theseus fraud is commonly explained in the US as George Washington’s axe. Over the last 200 years, the axe has had the head replaced twice and the handle three times. Can you legally sell the resulting implement as George Washington’s axe?
I remember looking on eBay and this was the car I saw it a week ago now it here like some of the car’s you guys been having them keep it up
Hey, who knows. Maybe you could dip this in an acid tank and it would come out looking like a pretty nice starting point for a rebuild.
Then again, maybe you could dip it in an acid tank, and only the hooks would come back out.
This must be “Sweeps Week” for Barn Finds. The clickbait machine is running overtime. I expect to see an underwater image of a 356 Porsche anytime now.
Look on the bright side.
Not many parts to remove before it goes on the rotisserie.
It looks like it’s already “well done”.
“Al dente”
“Cause he had hiiigh hopes, he had hiiiigh hopes, he’s got high apple pie in the skyyyy hopes”,,,
Did I miss something….. what makes this a 1-of-1 car?
“1 of 1” means absolutely nothing here. All the parts that made it “1 of 1” are long gone. Ebay listing “is no longer active, and can’t be found”
I’m doubting anyone would pay $11K just for this VIN plate.
why?????
Hey Barn Finds, go back to featuring only the rustiest Mopars u can find. People love bashing on them more than anything. But I guess u already know that, obviously
I’m not sure what I like more, how on point you people are, or how savage some of you can be.
Embarassing. We used to be worried about the Feds killing off the hobby via regulation but in the end it will be the self-inflicted attention seeking insanity such as this.
And you continue by commenting Mark !
The attention seeking insanity comment was in reference to those willing to pay ridiculous sums of money for an over-hyped VIN number.
Is it one-of-one because it’s the only door, fender, floor, fender, hood, interior and mechanical delete car from the factory? Patina is a plus… ;-)
“one of just 23 cars like it that were built in 1970 without the Ram-Air option, and is the only one of them that was originally painted Lime Green. In other words: It’s a one-of-one car.”
So it’s one a a very few that DID NOT have the desired option, and was the only one of those in this color? That might have made it rare originally, but hardly collectable. Is this case, it may be rare, but it’s so toasted it’s beyond well done… There is nothing there to justify its price in my eyes.
Color does not make a car rare. Drive train and body style make cars ”rare”. People are looking for anything to declare rarity. Soon it will be one of one because my car is the only one with this VIN.
It’s a one-of-one car and thank God for that.
It’s funny, it’s always the guys without the Bucks or Balls to attempt a resto project like this, are the greatest Naysayers and put downers of these fallen milestone cars… SMH at the stupidity…
After you pal. Please let us know how your “one-of-one” project turns out!
Just saying, 30+ negative comments from many here that only see negative and really don’t know about cars….References to Mona Lisa, Picasso, George Washington and his axe . Submit your collective knowledge to art and history muesems. The “carcass” sold for just under twelve bills with multiple bids.
If the buyer only listened to the barn find geniouses here in the know ! Sure he thought he could bring an engine and spare parts to drive it back home from Iowa !
Criticize all you want, folks. As the dust clears, this piece of junk just sold for just south of eleven THOUSAND dollars. Who’s laughing now?
The guy who sold it. That’s who.
Just because someone won the high bid on ebay doesn’t mean they will pony up with the cash or even show up to pick it up.
That has already happened with car once before, last time the winning bid was just over $3,000.
I think the 1 of 1 is still there wether it has any of the original parts or not ! Look at it closely, how many 1970 Mustang Mach 1’s Super 🐍 Jets out there look like this one sitting and rusting away in a field that has been stripped of all the important parts. I think it’s almost one of a kind 1 of 1. 😂
It’s a none of none