Things aren’t always all that they seem, and that is a fair thing to say about this 1970 Mustang Mach 1. That faded and weathered exterior isn’t the result of age or neglect, as this is a car that wears a clever disguise. One of the attractions of this car is that it might not be as hard as you would initially think to return it to a stunning looking car. If you feel up to the challenge, you will find the Mustang located in Denver, Colorado, and listed for sale here on eBay. The owner has set the opening bid at $18,000, but there has been no action at this stage. He has also set a BIN option at $25,000.
Apparently, this is the seller’s second stint of ownership of this particular Mustang. He initially owned it in high school (lucky guy. I had a pushbike) before selling it in 1984. After 13-years of searching, he was able to locate the car again, but it took another 10-years to buy it back. The car originally rolled off the production line finished in Medium Blue Metallic, before it was treated to a repaint in Competition Yellow. Its current sad looking state is less to do with neglect than it is with design. This is actually a wrap, and hiding below it is that Yellow paint. If you want to know what it looked like before the wrap, check the last photo in the article. The owner even went to the trouble of painting the wheels to capture the “field find” look. Personally, I doubt that I could remove the wrap fast enough. The car has been treated to new lower quarter panels in the past, but it is hard to see what the actual condition is now thanks to the wrap.
The condition of the interior looks quite good, and the owner has supplied a good collection of photos which paint a positive picture. There is an aftermarket radio/cassette player fitted into the dash, but it looks like it is a quality installation that hasn’t resulted in any modifications to the dash itself. the pad is free of cracks, and the upholstery generally looks really good. The interior isn’t perfect, but it is certainly of very good driver quality.
The Mach 1 rolled off the line fitted with a 351ci Cleveland V8, a 3-speed manual transmission, a 3.25 Posi rear end, power steering, and power brakes. At some point, the transmission has been replaced with a C4 automatic. However, the owner has the original 3-speed components, so the new owner could easily return the car to original. The radiator has been updated with an aluminum unit, while the owner holds a collection of receipts for a fair amount of work to items such as the suspension and steering systems.
I referred to the wrap on this Mustang as being a clever disguise, but that probably isn’t right. I know that the owner was trying to achieve a specific look for the car, but there will undoubtedly be more than a few people who will be put off by it. This is less to do with the appearance than it is to do with uncertainty about what could be hiding under the wrap. This might account for the lack of bidding activity to this point. Do you think that the owner has done the right thing by leaving the Mustang as it is, or would he have been better served to have removed the wrap?
I don’t care for the wrap, but I don’t like yellow either. I’d have to have a beer and think about this one!
Same here! Drink a case of 25oz of King Cobra [black can] & lets put a Black wrap on it
Two beers.
Should be enough to get that wrap off.
No brainer here.
As in, the worm who put on the wrap didn’t have one.
No rap the yellow is stunning like it was in its day.
I would go back to the original blue!
Fishy.
A 3sp from the factory??? In a Mach 1??
A 3-speed manual was the base transmission even for the Mach 1. My ’70 Mach 1 had a 3-speed manual when I bought and the Marti Report shows it came that way from the factory. It also had drum brakes, manual steering and a single exhaust.
Did the owner actually take the lower fender trim off to put the wrap on ? That Mach 1 lower trim is pretty thick and its bolted on, so its not covered in vinyl – the whole idea seems like a lot of work to make your car look like junk – If they are the same car
Mustang with an autobox is just like a beautiful nun, you get the point.
I personally prefer the yellow, and think it would sell better in that the colour than in the present wrap it is in, doesn’t do a thing for the car at all.
yellow under the hood and a bit shows in the door jams, and they appear to have been primed :( – Nice car, goofy treatment!
I cannot understand how someone would sell a car with a wrap. The new owner obviously wants to see what he is buying. Especially with something that looks as awful as this. I do like the backstory about the guy hunting down and buying his old car back. the guy describes the car as “great condition, needs some tlc”. That tells you a whole lot. Seller is not helping himself with the dogturd appearance. Full inspection a must! Good luck to the new owner!
Cheers
GPC
Especially when you want some pretty serious coin for it, if you want higher bids, get rid of the wrap…or be ignore everyone’s advice, leave it on there, and get no bids…
On the other hand, if the seller is trying to hide something, I would ask of him, “So how is that working out?”
I would actually be interested in buying this, but as someone has already said here, something is “fishy”—back story or no back story.
This makes me miss my 77 CELICA GT Liftback. Was almost a copy of this 70 Mach. Even the interior was similar. Wish I still had it and a Mach1
I think it’s funny how it has changed from “my paint is shabby looking, I’m going to strip this car down and restore it even though it doesn’t really need restored”, and now people have flipped to “this car isn’t shabby enough, it needs more patina.”
At car events I get about half and half: “You should restore it” vs “Leave it like it is”.
I guess I could have it wrapped, but it really isn’t “smooth” enough to get away with that.
You combined a C-4 automatic with 351 Cleveland? That is a recipe for disaster. I would put back the 3 speed immediately or put in a top loader 4 speed.
Hey, I think wraps have their place. That said, this “wrap” looks terrible, and because it is a Mach 1–a highly collectible vehicle, someone has to be telling the seller, “Dude, if you want to sell your car for the most amount of money, get rid of the wrap”…which again suggests that—as I have already said—he is hiding something. This isn’t paint patina, this is an abomination! But beyond that, if there is ANYTHING in reasonable condition underneath that wrap, then the Buy It Now Price is very reasonable…
WTH? I wonder what is hidden……
Congrats to the seller, BarnFinds.com, and even Adam Clarke! I bet if this wasn’t faux patina it would never have made Fox News front page, although it hasn’t helped the auction yet, no $18,000 starting bid so far. I like all kinds of cars, I even like the patina look, however, this wrap attempt is kind of lame looking. I assume the top pinkish color is supposed to be primer showing where the blue topcoat wore off, but it’s just not convincing enough. I have seen wraps that have a lot better looking exposed primer/surface rust.
Ended: May 16, 2019 , 7:27AM
Starting bid:US $18,000.00
[ 0 bids ]
Price:US $25,000.00