We don’t know the story on this 1974 Ford Mustang II Ghis; the seller doesn’t really give any history of how it came to be in this storage unit or how long it’s been there. All we know is that it looks like it would clean up and would easily pay for itself for almost any YouTube detail guru. They have it posted here on craigslist in Fort Riley, Kansas, and they’re asking $2,000. Here is the original listing, and thanks to Tony P. for the tip!
We don’t get to see the passenger side, but it’s parked against the wall on that side, and you can see that this Mustang II is up on jack stands. That’s a good sign for how it was stored, at least as far as that part goes. A car cover may have been nice, especially if there is no possibility of mice getting into that storage unit.
I had a model of this car as a kid, I think it was a 1975 Mustang II, though, not that there’s much difference. It was a Ghia, but it didn’t have these wheels. The Ghia came with faux wire wheel covers, and I’d source a set of those, stat. It’s hard to tell the condition of the Bright Red paint, but if that’s mud on the lower portions and not rust, this one looks like it could clean and buff up to look almost like new again. The special Ghia vinyl top appears in perfect condition in the photos. Here’s a 1974 Ford Mustang II brochure to check out.
The special Ghia interior looks almost like new; those seats are fantastic! This era of the early 1970s had a few things going on at the same time to create this car and others like it. Personal luxury cars were big, and once Ford pounced on Ghia (as in, buying the majority of their shares), it was game on. Fashions and the gas crisis were two other seemingly unrelated factors that went into the all-night design brainstorming sessions in Ford’s studios. Other car companies were also trying to stand out with special editions, but fuel-efficient ones. As expected, the back seat looks great, but it’s a bit of a storage area. We don’t get to see inside the trunk or any underside photos, unfortunately.
I wasn’t quite sure what that was sitting on the console, but it’s the horn hub. It must have an issue, and this car will need to be gone over by the next owner pretty thoroughly, as we don’t know how long it’s been sitting. It also looks like there’s a dash crack or two, which is unfortunate.
The engine looks like it would clean up nicely, and this Ghia is loaded up with air-conditioning, which is a nice option. The seller lists the engine as a “6,” which would have been a Ford-Cologne 2.8-liter V6 with around 105 horsepower and 140 lb-ft of torque. It rolls through an automatic with a floor-mounted selector and sends power to the rear wheels. The seller says the drivetrain needs work, but it runs and drives. It doesn’t look like it was driven in years, but we don’t know. Any thoughts on this mystery Mustang II Ghia?
This was a sharp and well-equipped Mustang II in its day. Ghias like this were particularly well-trimmed. Who knows what it might need mechanically. But from what we can see, the body and interior don’t look that bad. Not too many left in restorable condition; maybe this one can be brought back.
Typical craigslist ad, sure would be nice to have more verbiage describing the car.
Thanks SG.
Based on research, those wheels look factory issued. They have a black painted stripe close to the outside, and the missing center caps are installed with four screws on the outside. One can see four tiny holes on the rim and the black paint in the last picture on Craigslist ad.
As far as “Barnfinds ” Mustang II cars go, ones left in storage for decades, this one looks pretty good. Scotty touched on something I’m into. When he mentioned an online, YouTube detail specialist, theres a guy I enjoy watching called The Detail Geek. Its amazing what he can do, and its therapeutic at least to me to just watch him bring vehicles back in the looks department. There’s a lot to work with here, and I wonder how it would respond to his treatment. The after market steering wheel would get replaced with a 3 spoke Mustang II Cobra steering wheel, while not stock I like them. I think those rims are factory rims, but I don’t know if they were available on the Ghia from the factory or not. (Bob, we are looking in your direction). But I like them and I’d keep them too. ( Sorry Scotty, disagreeing with you there). But they are classic mid 1970’s and just fit this. I’m wondering about the dirt or mud on the front fenders. If it’s rust, maybe its not bad and can be patched. I think this one deserves a resurrection. Especially for that reasonable price. I enjoyed your write up Scotty and your find Tony P. Thank you both. I always appreciate the time and effort that goes into the great tips from you guys on Fast-finds and the writeups too. And the link to the brochure, I thoroughly enjoy going back in time and looking at them. V6 automatic and air, this was a nice cruiser when new.
I do think those are the factory Forged Aluminum wheels, without their center caps; but not sure. Reviewing the brochure, it does look like they were available on the Ghia.
Trivia: there were 16 colors available, three of which were extra-cost “Glow” colors.
These are likely cast, not forged. OE manufacturers typically used cast of mass manufactured cars, forged would have been too expensive.
Steve R
$2000 that condition NO but it would be fun to work on getting it going again
$2000 that condition NO but it would be fun to work on getting it going again scrolling through the pictures I first thought it was a drug pipe sitting on the console had to blow up the picture and see it was a tire gauge price is negotiable so if your local it might be a fun flip