(I ran into this old friend at a local show recently and remembered featuring it here on September 13, 2011. It is still owned and loved by the same lady. I think that a golden anniversary warrants a re-run of this story.) Let us all agree: the Ford Mustang has been written to death (one small but worthwhile contribution is the CC that can be found here). Although Curbside Classic is generally not the place for fawning over one of the most widely restored models of all time, it is our motto that Every Car Has A Story. And when the story involves a young woman who went into a Ford dealer in 1967 and drove out in the car she is still driving over forty four years later, this is our kind of story.
Most of us do not marry our cars. We live with them for awhile, but the relationship inevitably starts to go bad. They begin to disappoint us in small ways. They let themselves go and start to cost a lot of money. At some point, they stop even trying to make us happy. Eventually, we break up and move on. But rarely, a new car and its owner develop a unique relationship, like a bond that cannot be broken. It is a beautiful thing, and that is what we have here.
About a month ago, I looked up on my way to work and found myself behind this car. Another Mustang convertible. Yawn. It turned into a shopping center. Do I follow it, or not? I almost kept going. CC had recently run a couple of Mustang items, including a great story about a ’67 convertible owned by the father of CC commentator EducatorDan (here). I am not sure what, but something made me flip my turn signal.
Maybe it was the warm, sunny morning. The Mustang’s top was down, which was in its favor. The car was not red, which is always a plus with me on a commonly restored convertible. I think that the kicker was the regular license plate which this car wore instead of the hobby plate. I followed the car to its stopping place, hopped out and introduced myself to the owner, and asked if I could photograph her car.
This started a delightful ten minute period of my life as we chatted about her Mustang. This is a 6 cylinder / 3 speed model that the owner bought brand new in May of 1967. Appropriately, she chose one painted Springtime Yellow. She has owned and driven this car ever since. Up until a few years ago, she drove it regularly. But as the car got older, it was driven less and less frequently, for reasons we all understand. However, two years ago, she and her husband took the car to a local shop known for Mustang restorations, and had the car brought back to a condition that could make her proud of it again. And she still drives it, at least in nicer weather, about five thousand miles a year.
Not everything on the car was redone. For example, the bumpers carry the same plating that they had the first time she turned the key. So it is plain that this car has been well cared for its entire life. You do that in a good, stable relationship.
I think that a long term relationship with a car is like a good marriage. You learn to get over the little disappointments and to remember the good things. You come to terms with and maybe even appreciate the little idiosyncrasies and personality quirks. (Aren’t we lucky that our cars are so forgiving of our own?) You become forgiving of some of the infirmities that come with advancing age. You learn to listen to it. Mostly, you enjoy it because it has become so much a part of your life. You make and keep a commitment, even when it becomes costly.
The Author’s ’68 Mustang in 1979
The owner did not share her name, and I did not press for it. I shared with her some memories of my own ’68 Mustang, also a 6 cylinder/3 speed, and how I wished that mine had been a convertible instead of a hardtop. My Mustang was an enjoyable car to drive in 1979 and ’80, and this one was enjoyable to look at now.
I have never owned a car for a long, long time. In my youth, I was a serial car philanderer. As soon as I netted the current object of my affection, I became disillusioned with its shortcomings. My eye would wander, and I would stumble across a new love, starting the process all over again. I only owned my Mustang for six months before I fell hard for a 1959 Plymouth (CC here).
Fortunately, my wandering car-eye did not carry over to my personal life. I am happy to report that I have been married to the same wonderful woman for over twenty one years. Maybe this has transformed my 4 wheeled relationships as well, as I find myself keeping cars longer than I ever have, sometimes too long.
I am secretly envious of the owner of this Mustang. If only I had changed my ways sooner, there might have been a car or two in the garage that, instead, went away a long time ago. In any case, I am certainly glad that I chose to hit the turn signal and follow this yellow Mustang, which turned out to have quite a story, indeed.
Imagine, there could be a 1967 era bug embedded within the depths of the radiator fins.
Never thought of that…maybe a mosquito trapped in amber also?
My first car was a ’66 ‘Stang. I never really warmed up to the mild restyle on the ’67. Something there just didn’t…seem…right. But this car (and this PARTICULAR car) looks like a masterpiece compared to what came later for the Mustang.
As noted in the article, this owner truly has loved this car and it has loved her back.
Anything better than a six cylinder, 3 speed?
Today of course, if you wish to row your own you must endure 6. Which gets old right quick in daily traffic.
If 3 were available today, I would probably never drive an automatic.
Tell it, Caljn. Love my 3 speed Valiant and feel the same way. Not a lot of drama, not a lot of thrashing around, forgiving, long lived, uncomplicated, honest.
Great attributes in a human being as well.
A classic, very nice. Old ponys (from 64 to 68) seem to never die, they just get lovingly passed around.
Wow! That is a really cool story. When I think of a Mustang, this and the 1968 model years are what turns me on. Those two years were, in my opinion, the best. The proportions were perfect, and I thought the build quality was superior to other years as well.
I wasn’t going to mention it, but,c’mon, JP, you had a genunine hardtop! I bring that up ’cause I’m forever jealous I never owned a hardtop, just 2 & 4 dr. sedans and convertibles! “nuff said. Oh, yes, six cylinder stick shifts rule! Remember, I’m cheap, too!
When I met my wife, she owned a 1970 Mustang convertible, 302 auto. Kind of a root beer reddish-brown color with black interior and factory air. We kept that car until we were about to have our first child in 1979. Wish we had the money back then to restore and keep it, but like my circumstances with my avatar, it wasn’t to be…sniff…
One more thing about this generation Mustang – remember the pink ones? A girlie car if there ever was one! Some say the Mustang is a girl’s car. Well, I never believed that, remember the history of Ford vs. Chevy, Mustang vs. Camaro years ago and now, again? That says a lot.
This article and Educator Dan’s a few months ago were excellent. When you can have a personal experience by talking with the owner when writing a car up just adds to the “soul” of the story and keeps it grounded in reality. In Dan’s case, it’s in the family (hope it stays there, too).
“CC” just gets better every day, it’s difficult for me to keep up with all this good stuff.
Nice. These cars are such a joy to restore with all the aftermarket and Ford parts still available. Looks like they did just that – I’m guessing an all-new suspension and brakes for sure, but how about the engine and trans – have those been rebuilt?
I believe that they were. She referred to it as a restoration, and even the old 200 6 cyl has to be rebuilt at some point. It certainly lacked the blue smoke that sometimes trailed mine. The shop where she had the work done is pretty well known for quality jobs on old Mustangs. I can tell you that from looking up close, the car was done very, very nicely.
The thing that keeps me lusting for my Dad’s ole’ 67 289V8 convertible is the availability of restoration parts. Their are catalogs that would make it possible to literally build a new one by ordering enough of the parts. And some of the parts that aren’t stock but have been designed to address some issue or make something more functional are just amazing.
Right on. You can pretty much build your own gen 1 Mustang these days, the only thing standing in the way is how much you’re willing to spend. No other serious issues, really – it is still relatively easy to find a beat up or rusted one and then off you go.
Pretty much any other car, even the box Panthers, involve a much, much harder resto work. Which is insane when you think that the boxes have some 20 years on the gen 1 Stangs. Can’t buy any sheet metal for the boxes though. So just like that (and with at least 75% of other cars 20 years or older), you’re relegated to looking (and cutting) at the yards.
Anyone who wants and can afford a nice gen 1 Stang should have one. It’s that simple. And they shouldn’t even have to buy a restored one. Something that still has a frame and a drivetrain should do.
I have to admit, I’ve been looking at a classic car project for myself for some time now, and even though there are are other cars I’d maybe prefer just out of obscurity, the variety and quality of aftermarket reproduction structural sheetmetal, as well as the almost lego set simplicity of construction, makes first generation Mustangs pretty damn enticing.
My dad bought my mom a beige ’68 Convertible back in 1973. The 6/Automatic combo was a disaster, at least for my 16-year-old tastes. It had a top speed of about 75…maybe. And getting there took forever. Scary for merging onto the interstate. I get the feeling if it had had a stick, it would’ve been a lot peppier and more fun to drive.
A guy in our small town owned a beautiful ’67 Galaxie 500 hardtop…and he loved to be a show-off. One day while traveling a state highway in the Mustang…top down and two girls with me…the Galaxie came up behind me, close enough to be drafting if we had been racing at Talledega instead of driving 50 MPH on Vermont Route 9.
But my 16 year old inexperience reacted to Mr. Show-Off by speeding up (as best as that 6/auto could), trying to open up a safe distance between us…when just around a blind corner was a ’68 Fairlane stopped cold in the middle of the road, its driver in conversation with a young man outside (who turned out to be one of my classmates), leaning in the front passenger window.
On a major state highway.
I hit the brakes…trying to keep from being hit from behind while trying to avoid the oblivious Fairlane in front of me…but Mr. Show-Off and his Emerald Green Galaxie was so close he didn’t see the Mustang’s taillights. His lack of reaction led to the inevitable…and I was pushed into the stopped Fairlane. Oncoming traffic made veering left impossible.
Fortunately no major injuries but I was cited…and sued by both the Galaxie’s and Fairlane’s owners. Didn’t look good to Vermont State Police to be 16 in a Mustang with two girls riding along so I was officially assigned blame for the entire accident, although Mr. Show-Off was finally cited for some minor offense, enough that his insurance paid for repairs to the Mustang’s rear.
Only my two female friends took my side…and although my parents forgave me, some other family members threw it back at me for several years, making a trip to the dentist preferable to family reunions.
As I was responsible for rebuilding the front of the Mustang, it was baptism by fire, trying to line up body panels and make the character lines match up all by myself. I got it close but never right…and never got as far as repainting it. And it never drove the same. It was sold not long after.
Painful lessons learned.
Yet I look at the Mustang above and the memories are good.
Thanks in large part to TV jingles like the one below…a little taste of the eternal optimism that seemed to characterize the American psyche until the late ’60’s, but in reality was fading away before our eyes amidst war, demonstrations, assassinations and Days of Rage.
Ads like these gave the illusion that somewhere…at least on our TVs, if not at the Neighborhood Ford Store, that Camelot still existed.
All this story needs is a Falcon and a Thunderbird, and you would have the whole set!
My Mustang with the 6 and stick was not too bad, but still no lightning bolt. I got it out on the road once and found that its top speed was 90. It had a 3:25 rear end, as I recall. I read somewhere that the Ford Cruise-O-Matic soaked up more power than Powerglides or Torqueflites, so I could easily imagine the 6 with the autobox as being a slowpoke.
Great point JP, and a wonderful story.
A couple months before the accident, I drove from Brattleboro VT to Boston to take my FCC test to get a Third Class License, necessary to operate a radio transmitter.
Mass. Route 128 was particularly scary for a newbie-driver 16-year-old, I was driving too fast for the slow lane and not fast enough to keep up in the fast lane. Top down and WRKO playing Top 40 on the radio…living and learning.
>>Mass. Route 128 was particularly scary for a newbie-driver 16-year-old, I was driving too fast for the slow lane and not fast enough to keep up in the fast lane. Top down and WRKO playing Top 40 on the radio…living and learning.<<
"Roadrunner Roadrunner, movin' faster miles an hour, gonna drive past the Stop 'n' Shop, with the radio on…"
Thanks for that poignant story. Growing up…tough stuff.
You’re welcome Paul. I enjoy CC every chance I get.
My loving wife hates it when I tap the brakes on tailgaters (not too often in Western PA, we’re definitely not Boston!)…but they get the message and I make sure to leave a generous cushion ahead of me. And of course I shared the story with both my sons in hopes they don’t repeat my mistakes.
It was only as an adult I came to understand why Dad bought Mom the sexy Mustang instead of the other car they were looking at: a ’66 Chevelle wagon with a 283/stick. As much as I Iiked Ford & Mopar advertising back then, I was – and remain – a Chevy guy through and through.
Boy, the stories I could tell about driving and growing up, both before my air force years and during! I’ve told a few already…
How could the Galaxie guy sue you when it was he who rear-ended you?
That’s a universal tenet-Anyone who rear ends you is at fault, even if you did rear-end the other guy in front.
Small-town…backward state…the 70’s…the universal tenet, fortunately, finally prevailed.
Wow, all that Ford-on-Ford violence! About five years ago I had a similar experience on the Taconic Parkway, but this time it was Toyota-on-Toyota violence. Just goes to show how times have changed. I was in the front of a three car pile-up, driving my first-gen 4Runner. Traffic stopped suddenly and a lady in a Lexus RX-something hit a guy in a Sienna, sending him into and under my bumper/hitch. The frame of my truck was so rusted that the bumper peeled it open like a tin can as it was pushed under the car. Insurance ended up totaling it out, but I bought it back for $175, put a new bumper on and gave it to a friend. I was planning on towing a trailer with all my belongings to Michigan later that summer and without a hitch or even a place to attach it, I decided a new car was in order. With the insurance money I bought a ’97 Crown Vic, mint green in perfect shape. I did (and still do) lose interest quickly in cars, so I traded that out within a year, but it’s one of the ones I regret selling.
Great to see this. I had an almost identical car. Bought used in Dallas in 74 – 1967 yellow convertible, black top and interior, 289, 3 speed, no power anything, no air. Really loved it and probably would have kept for many years. However, one night a drunk straightened out a curve behind my apartment complex, had to be going 100+, blew threw a brick wall and totaled my car and 3-4 others. Many more were damaged by flying bricks. Driver did not have license or insurance. Nothing. Never even found out his name. Insurance paid very little on a 7 year old Mustang. Bought a 66. Turned out to be pretty bad and sold it quickly.
I love stories like this. Person “X” buys a nice car of their dreams and keeps it with TLC over the years and, when like a worn couch, has it’s cushions re-stuffed or in this case Mr. and Mrs. “X” takes said car to a professional specialty restorer and the result is the car looking just like it did back in ’67.
I am also happy that this car didn’t get driven in the ground like so many Mustangs, or would’ve wound up in the hands of some dumb kid (like me circa 1975-1976) and ‘rodded out’ (302 4 barrel) and probably driven into a tree (coulda been me but instead was a buddy who had a ’68 couple 289 2bbl/210 horse 3 on the floor – beat to death and driven into a tree).
Anyway, love stories like this. A car that has been cherished and driven – driven with love and then refurbished back to new.
BTW – the shop that renewed this pony ragtop did one HELL of a good job – very evident from the posted pictures – I’m sure a gem of a gem in person. Great article!
Also, I’m a sucker for YOM license plates. Can’t run these (yet) legally here in the Aloha State, but at Mustang meets folks bolt on the period correct 1961-68 Green/white letter first gen “Hawaii – Aloha State” license plates . . . and some people find unissued window registraton/inspection stickers, common in Hawaii through 1968.
I have three original un-transfered Hawaii window inspection/registration stickers from 1963 and 1964 as well as C&C (City and County Honolulu) and SH (State of Hawaii) tabs from the sixties in my license plate collection. I also have an unissued 1958 Honolulu dealer’s plate (the island counties had their own dealer tags through the early 80s).
lovely mustang very cool ..its for me strange looking at it it represents a part of america thats gone forever…imadgine driveing this mustange alonge the pacific coast highway on your way to haight ashbury in 67 listening to the beach boys…wow..a time and place thats gone forever.
JP, I love the picture of your ’68 Mustang in ’79. That photo-bombing ’78 or ’79 Pontiac Grand Prix in the background gives good context to how to your Mustang must have seemed / looked relative to other, then-modern cars at the time.
Thanks, Joe. In truth, I never paid attention to Mrs. Bordner’s series of Grand Prix’ in the 70s and 80s. After all of the GTOs and Firebirds that had lived there in the 60s and 70s, those later cars seemed like pretty dull stuff to me. (And still do. 🙂 ).
JP,
Has the owner of this ’67 Mustang fielded any offers as of late? Just curious.
Wonder if she’d like to sell it.
When I ran into her at a small local show, I was pretty sure I recognized the car. I did not ask her and our conversation gave no indication that she was ready to let go of it any time soon. After 50 years, I wouldn’t either. Unfortunately, I do not have her contact info.
I loved the ’67 refresh. Little upgrades everywhere. The taillights, trim and especially the interior were all markedly better. Fully integrated A/C available for the first time, as well as the big block 390. Loved the turn signal indicators in the louvred hood. Hard to believe the Bunkie K. bloated ‘Stang was just around the corner, not to mention the dreaded Mustang II.
I have frequently seen a 1965 Mustang convertible driving around my neighborhood by an older lady, and like the author, rarely paid it much attention. Recently, however, I saw the Mustang at car show, and went to take a closer look. The owner wasn’t there, but she had a poster about the car — she’s the original owner, drives it regularly, and the car has been driven over 500,000 miles. How unbelievably remarkable!
I think Springtime Yellow is the best color for these Mustangs — now, I’m somewhat biased because my wife owned a Springtime Yellow ’67 Mustang coupe, but the subtle-yet-interesting color complements the Mustang’s shape perfectly.
Eric,
I know exactly what car you’re talking about. That is a 1965 ragtop owned by Lyn, who owns the Christian bookstore in downtown Fairfax, VA. Seen it many times.
I’ve met her on a few occasions. She did buy the car new in 1965. No, she’s not selling it, either.
1967 was probably peak Mustang as far as the original concept went, the restyle tastefully embellished all the good traits of the 65-66 design, the dash finally shed any vestige of it’s Falcon origins, the K-code 289 was still available, the horizontal bar grille corral just looked more right on Mustangs than without, like 66 & 68, and all three bodystyles looked equally great (my personal favorite Mustangs are 69 & 70, but only in sportsroof form). 68 was cleaner in details but a lot of those details worked very well on that body and lost some sizzle over 67, and with the demise of the K-code and introduction of the uninspiring 302 it was clear performance emphasis was fully shifted to the big engines (390 and later 428cj), and by 69 the Mustang was all muscle and any combination or bodystyle below a 428 Mach 1 was basically an afterthought, and it remained that way until 1973.
I can relate with the owner, I still have my first car. As much of an enthusiast as I am I’m very loyal despite an active wandering eye. If I had the means and the space however I’d be the type to buy and collect all the cars I lust over, never selling any them out of boredom or profit.
1967 is still my favorite but I’m biased. 😛
So alike, XR7Matt.
From an early age I wanted the family 66 Mercury Montclair as my “forever” car.
Didn’t work out, of course, but the Valiant [37 years] and the 86 Calais [in the family for 25 years and back to me recently] and the ONION at 12 years and counting will probably be my crew till the very end.
I owned a nearly identical car. Only difference was mine was a 289 V8. Wonderful and I absolutely loved it. One night someone who was extremely drunk and driving extremely fast failed to negotiate a curve by our apartment complex. He crashed through a brick wall and totaled five or six cars including mine. Flying bricks damaged a bunch more. My unit was away from the parking area so I did not know it had happened until a friend came and got me. What a terrible surprise that was. No idea what happened to the driver but it could not have been good.
1967 is my all time favorite year of the Ford Mustang, I’ve liked that it was a little longer than the 1965-66 Mustang’s but still had the original style to it, were the 390’s available on the 1967 coupe’s or just the fastback’s?
I recently bought a 1973 Mustang coupe. 302 Auto factory AC factory AM radio manual windows. 8100 original miles
My ’68 coupe was a 6cyl/3pd. I’d buy one again and restore it if I could.
Love the car, but my seething hatred of these Thriftpower engines should be well known to anyone who has read my other posts here on the subject.. Even as a 5 year old in the showroom with my parents when they were buying theirs, I knew that the fancier one next to it, with a funny little number on the fender, was better than the one we got. I cussed out that POS six for the next 22 years, until the car was sold.
As for the prospect of me purchasing a modern one, it has GOT to be an 8-holer!
I couldn’t care less if the V6 or EcoBoost 4 made 1000 HP, either.
Nice follow up to the original post. Long time, one owner (current) cars are very cool. It’s very hard to hold onto a car for such a long time. The need for a different type of car, or just a better equipped newer model makes it hard to hold onto the old machine. Space to store the car is always a problem. A lot of times the car is passed down to the off spring, sometimes through a whole string of siblings, usually to the detriment of the poor old car. But at least it can remain in the family. I kept my ’77 Sportster for over twenty years and it went through four or five restylings and a couple of engine rebuilds. Near the end I just got tired of it and sold it.
Nice to see a stock Mustang that hasn’t been butchered, hot rodded or modified into some kind of clone.
A while back, probably close to 2 years ago, I was at the local pharmacy when a bright red ’69 Mustang convertible pulled into a handicap spot, top down, with an elderly man behind the wheel. It looked original, except for the new paint job, had original black interior still in good shape. I started a conversation with him after he got out, told him how much I admired it car. He smiled and was happy to talk, he was (as he should be) proud of his old ride. Asked him how long he had it, said he bought it brand new in 1967 when he was 35.
Said he was just getting it on the road for spring time, told me his daily driver now is a ’95 Cadillac. It was a floor shift automatic, I asked him if was a 302, he smiled and said “No, I got the big engine. A 351”. I told him I bet it really goes. He smiled and said, “Oh yeah”.
The odometer read about 60k miles, he said it turned over once and engine and trans were original. Wish I would have had a camera with me, I had forgot my phone.
I showed him my ’86 Jetta which I had owned since ’91, he smiled but I could he was thinking, check with me again when you hit 50 years ownership. In 23 years at age 84 I hope to be in his position. Great story.
Great piece, sir, Mine was also a ’67 – red convertible, black & white interior, 289/automatic.
It was in good – not great condition. The power top had quit and been disconnected from the hydraulics, but this wasn’t an issue – latch, latch, flip it back. The original AM radio still worked, but I had a Pioneer KP500 Supertuner kicking around the shop, so under the dash it went. A couple of weatherproof two-way speakers comprised rest of the sound system. I sourced a set of GT rimsringscaps and four Pirellis for it, and away I went. It was my daily driver for quite a while. I drove my Mustang all over Southern Indiana, and all over the Midwest. The car was terrific fun – but, alas, I also fell for another fetching thing with a wheel at each corner, and ultimately sought a buyer. A woman whom I worked with at the time was interested, and I quickly sold the Mustang to her. A few weeks then went by before I heard about the accident through the office grapevine – my co-worker’s 17 year-old daughter had snuck out with the car, and had had a wreck that was sufficient to turn it into scrap. I saw it not long after, and was amazed at the damage, but glad that her child had somehow walked away unhurt. That Mustang is on the short list of cars that I wish that I had held onto.
I guess I am married to my first car. My father may have bought it 16 months before I got my license but I am the one who cared for the car from day 1. Would even start the car balky choke which gave my father fits, in the morning.
Today the car is still with me in the garage. You open the glove box and there is a speeding ticket from 1974 along with car logs spanning 1969-1973. All the registration cards are there. You can find my Puka shell necklace, big in 1974, in the console storage. My Original San Diego State decal on the rear window from 1971. Became San Diego State University in 1972. In the trunk are my Churchill fins for body surfing from 1972-81.
The car has never let me down.
Now I do have a 68 289 Mustang purchased in 1984 from the original owner a woman who bought it in Houston in 1968. She had two buyers but one wanted to mod it and one wanted to restore to stock. I got it and restored to stock specs.
What a cool find, JP – and quite timely… Unrelated to the mustang itself but to the cause of keeping a good car on the road, my 2006 330i has lightened me by $2700 today. Rear shocks and mounts, front brakes, oil service, filters etc. Its a tall pill to swallow but in 40k+ miles the car has never let me down. I really cant complain as its showing 150k.
To that matter, anyone in the northern VA area, I’ll give a shout out to Convenience Car Care in Manassas VA. Timmy Tyrrell (owner) and his team run a tight ship and truly know and love cars. I toured the shop yesterday with him and they were working on everything from a Porsche 914 to a 1969 427 Vette to a 1963 Cadillac to an air cooled VW Vanagon being converted with a Subaru engine – I didn’t even know that was a thing! – to regular modern cars like my Bimmer. I really appreciate patronizing a shop where you can tell their team has their head in the game.
And of course, as it would happen, my 2008 CTS4 just started asking for an oil change two days ago.
Remind me again, what’s wrong with us?? Haha Haha!
Safe travels all !
Not an overly interesting car but I love long-term ownership stories! I hope she still has is and is cruising happily!
Sister brother in law married in “Sept 67”. Their car at the time was a “67 Mustang fastback”; this color yellow.
Was soo cool to us in those days!!
They traded it in spring of “69” for a “Pontiac Custom S”. The Mustang had “virtually” no miles on it.
My brother in law forever regretted giving in on that trade..lol
The “Pontiac” rusted to oblivion soo, so soon.Was “pitiful”.
Nice ~ I like the Pastel yellow .
All the great stories here too .
-Nate