This Mustang raises an interesting question: Do you leave it as it stands and continue its use as a show car, or do you take it and enjoy driving it? This Mustang is listed for sale here on eBay. Located in Rio Verde, Arizona, it comes with a clear title. The seller has set a BIN of $16,500 but the option is there to make an offer.
This Mustang has been someone’s labor of love. It has undergone a rotisserie restoration, and since then it has only ever been used as a show car and has never seen mud or snow. It certainly presents well. That Springtime Yellow paint looks to be virtually flawless, and the exterior trim and chrome also appear to be in really top condition.
The interior of this Mustang looks brand new, which is hardly surprising when you consider that it was restored to be a show car. The owner has obviously decided to restore the car to as close to its original condition and specifications as possible. As a result, the car was restored minus a radio due to it being a “radio delete” car which makes for pretty basic motoring. It seems that the original owner of this Mustang wasn’t heavily into creature comforts and luxury items. It still looks awfully well finished though. The rear seat looks just as good as the front. It does appear that this show car may have picked up some awards as there is a shot of the rear seat with a trophy sitting on it.
The car started life with a 200ci inline six under the hood and that is precisely what is there now. It is backed by a green dot C4 transmission. The Mustang does have front wheel disc brakes, but otherwise it’s pretty basic. The presentation is still amazingly clean and tidy. There are several shots of the engine in the listing, and it just presents brilliantly from every angle.
The owner of this Mustang has spent a considerable amount of time restoring this car to its original specifications and condition. It is a snap-shot into the history of the Mustang and demonstrates what was available in that era for someone seeking to enter the Mustang world with limited finances. Since the restoration, it has only ever seen show duties and has never been used as a daily driver. So I return to my original question: Does it remain a show car, or do you drive it and enjoy the experience?
The way the market is, the asking price might be high right now. One sold at Me Cum auction this past year for 15k. This one seems genuine. For a 6 banger it will go down the road ok and the disc brakes are a great upgrade. As always, look over every square inch!!
Good luck to the new owner!!
What a shame, this car needs to be on the road. I recently both bought a brand new car and several days later, had one come out of a 2+ year restoration that makes it look brand spanking new. The paint job on both cars made me crazily aware of the inattentive drivers around me. I am worried to park them next to other cars in a lot.. I worry some truck is going to kick up a rock on the road when out. I finally got over it, and now I drive them, door dings happen, grow up Billy and get over it. I am now willing to use them as intended. I enjoy looking at a well polished static car as the next guy, but in the end, why do we own cars? Neither of my cars will ever be an investment, even if the one ever does become valuable (doubtful) I am still going to drive it, why else own it? The 200 inch sixes by Ford were nice little cruisers, esp in a car this small, handled well too. My other problem with just using it as a show car is on the investment side. Many of you here know I am wildly against the car hobby become an investment, but if you buy this as one, it really isn’t going to appreciate because it is not a flashy color nor a Hipo engine. I doubt future potential buyers are going to want this. Presently the only person who would cherish this is someone who once had one in a similar spec and color, and let me tell ya kiddies, us baby Boomers are dropping like flys next to the barn cleaner and when we are gone, any youngsters with cash in hand, will have no connection at all to a plain jane every mans car, they will want the legend, if they want it at all.
I can see someone simply pulling the engine, and “upgrading” this. I would leave it and enjoy it( in the Summer).
If it were mine, I’d at least have gone with a 250 block. No one ever need know, just makes the car more enjoyable!
…Just add a Syrius XM radio, drive and
enjoy. Were I buying this car for my neice,
that’s the way it would be. It’s nice to see
this car in its current condition, but what
good is having a ’60’s Mustang if you’re
too afraid to drive it? Over restored
examples of this car are everywhere so
what’s the harm in taking this one and
enjoying it? None at all.
Why not let her pay for a car herself?
I’ve noticed kids tend to take better care of cars
if they’ve earned the money to buy it (the hard way),
by working for it.
Cool a boring plane Jane mustang show car ,its a nice car but nothing special, drive it and have fun🤓
There are times when rationalization is the enemy of good judgement. Whether it’s the guy who wants a 2 door ’57 Bel Air hardtop but settles for a 4 door sedan, or a first gen Mustang guy who goes balls out on a 6 cyl. car, the outcome is mostly the same. For the most part cars from the pre-tuner era are most desired when they have only two doors, bonus if the top goes down. After that the rationale of “restoring” to “show” condition costs the same: paint, upholstery, mechanical component restoration/rebuild, tires, etc. etc. all cost mostly the same. But the return on the “investment” plummets with the selection of a less desirable model/body style/brand. To each his own, but don’t delude yourself when it comes time to move on from the object of your affection.
If it was ordered radio delete then why does it have an antenna ?
Just in case.
I assume this was a mistake during restoration. Most of these cars came with radios and the chrome kit that restorers buy for these cars includes this antenna. The shops are so used to cutting the holes in the tops of the fenders that they forget to check if it doesn’t have a radio.
How do I know? Because the same damn thing happened to me on my ’66 Mustang by the shop that did the bodywork! :-(
My car was bought new by my grandparents in June of ’66. Vintage Burgundy with Black interior. Only options are the 289 2-barrel V-8, automatic transmission, power steering, wire wheel covers, and white wall tires. Still has under 36K miles. Interior is original but though always garage kept by my grandparents, 28 years of Omaha winters required significant bodywork.
I inherited the car in 1994 and the bodywork was done by a shop called Mid-County Mustang in Exton, PA in the early 2000s. When I saw the antenna I was upset, but the shop owner convinced me to take the car while the paint could cure, promising he’d fix it once it did. He never did. He used an outside body man who couldn’t take it for a long while, then I had some mechanical issues to address, then he couldn’t take it again. By the time schedules lined up two years had passed. The body man then said I had to check with the shop owner. I got a bad feeling. The shop owner kept dodging my calls. So one day after no luck I put down the phone and called back from my business line. He picked up. He was surprised it was me. After he recovered from his surprise, the first words out of his mouth were “I talked to my lawyer….” Prick! Even after I agreed to take all the risk that it wouldn’t come out right, he still didn’t fix it. He went out of business not long after that.
I ended up removing the POS antenna and there is just a hole there. I don’t tend to go to shows, but whenever I go to any show or car gathering, I put three pieces of tape around the opening forming the letter “A.” People keep asking me about it and then I finally say: “Well, let me tell you the story about the A-hole.”
BTW, these were not “radio delete” cars since the radio was not standard.
Not the original antenna. Original antennas were held on with 4 screws and torpedo shaped. Some one prrobly did a under Mount of some sort so they would not be Board to death driving a 6 cylinder with a slush box.
I drive a ’66 that’s “a 6 cylinder with a slush box.” It’s fun to drive, so light it’s surprisingly brisk, and handles well with the addition of an export brace. Very few people can tell its a 6 (the absence of the fender badge) unless the hood is up, and I get plenty of comments and thumbs up.
Sure, I’d love a V8 with a 4-speed. I’d love to vacation in Bermuda, too. I can’t afford either one so I choose to have fun driving the “secretary’s Mustang” and tent camping at the coast.
Zero sarcasm in this. I am truly happy you enjoy yours. I had an almost identical one to the one in question except mine had a/c added by a prior owner. It had 66k miles at the time and was in excellent condition. I just couldn’t get myself to really warm up to it. Maybe because I really wanted a 67 fastback with any V8 and any transmission. Lol. I guess it’s all about what rings our bell right? Lol
Nothing wrong with a 6 cylinder. These days I would rather have that than a muscle car or even a 289. I like to drive my cars and with gas prices at $3.00 and likely to go up, I prefer the improved mileage. I love my ’64 Lincoln convertible but at 10mpg I don’t drive it enough. I would use a 6 cylinder Mustang a lot more.
This is a nice car. I don’t much like static shows, so I would drive it as often as possible. I would add a hidden Bluetooth amplifier and enjoy it. Would make a great April to October car where I live.
Enjoy your Mustang!
– John
@angliagt: Your point is well taken sir, and under normal circumstances I would
wholeheartedly agree with you. But, in this case, where I have a visual impairment that prohibits me from driving a vehicle, it actually makes sense.
I buy the Mustang, and she drives me
around in it. Thankfully for me, she loves
all generations of Mustang so just as long as it has an automatic transmission,
she’d be happy driving it. She is also a
budding mechanic and this car is as
simple and basic as you get. And being
a doting uncle, I just can’t say no!
Nice driving car and the coupe in this yellow looks fantastic. Can’t help but think the price is a bit high for what it is though? Personally, if I’m actually going to drive it, I’d spend less for a ‘driver quality’ car and live without a ‘show car’ for my grocery runs.
seems like a lot of money for a 6 cyl even given the condition. These will never appreciate beyond inflation so if this is your thing then buy one and drive it. Maintenance costs are minimal even if you need a local mechanic as these don’t require much to keep safely on the road and parts are plentiful. You can buy nice ones like this for $10k+
Scottymac, the 250 ci didn’t come until later. 200 was it for the six although I think the 170 falcon engine was put in a few real early 65’s.
Cheers
GPC
I knew that, but they enjoyed the same outward “architecture”, so if you substituted the 250 for the 200, no one would ever know. I don’t think “numbers matching” applied to this era Ford. With the automatic trans sucking power, the extra cubes from the 250 could only make the car that much more enjoyable.
Or go all the way for the ultimate version of that engine, using the same block casting. The DOHC 24 valve V-tec Turbo 4 litre Barra version from Australia, as fitted to the final Ford Falcons. Up to 1600hp available.
It’s refreshing to see an “as purchased” low spec car restored to a high level. So many Mustangs were optioned this way when new. This car appears beautifully restored. I’m guessing if the car is accurately advertised, the person who commissioned the restoration is losing money on the sale. Drive it and enjoy owning an out of the ordinary car.
I would buy it and drive it all the time, [well, weekends and sunny days anyhow].
What can you buy nowadays for $16.5? A boring but decent used car. With this, your getting what amounts to a new car, that’s way cooler, and in 5 years sell it for near what you have in it.
Just as a point of information, the term rotisserie ground up restoration means different things to different people. Having owned a restoration shop in the mid ’80s, I know that every customer has a budget. It’s very easy to put lipstick on a pig. A ground up restoration by a well known restoration company would cost several times what the asking price for this car is. If the owner did the work himself, the price might be realistic, but you still have to ask the question like was the engine, transmission, rear end rebuilt or just painted and reinstalled. Was the frame actually stripped down or just painted with Rustoleum? For those who think ground up restoration means a NEW car, please don’t be surprised when the car leaks fluids, handles badly, or shows bubbles in the paint after 6 months. There are few “total” restorations that include every nut and bolt, and those that do are very expensive. Just be careful out there.