Watching Ford Mustangs over the past decade has been a study in the ebb and flow of the collector market. We have sold stock, V-8 cars with Automatics, 65-67’s for close to $30,000 and shipped them overseas on more than one occasion. But with the demand, all of a sudden anything with a Horse in the grill had to be collectible and it was a title wave of cars, some with 6 cylinders and auto’s that had people investing their kid’s college accounts in. Fact is that it was a production car, millions sold and they were not all that rare. Lot’s of money and effort that did not work out according to plan.

Then there were the exceptions, like the Shelby GT350H we sold years ago for close to $100,000 prior to Carroll’s passing. There were always going to be cars that Ford built that set them apart from the herd of pedestrian cars, even some over restored that brought pretty fair money a few years ago.

Then these were cars that were sold in limited quantities that mostly got rode hard and put away wet, so to speak. Not many made, not many left.

I had a friend back in the 80’s that all he talked about was a Mach 1 Mustang. Back in the day he was in high school when they were sold new and had promised he would own one someday. I am wondering if he is reading this today.

Not paying much attention, I had no idea of what went into a Mach 1 until just recently. And recently we had a retired gentleman walk into the shop wanting to sell his Mach 1 which how this long story got shorter. We will call him “Joe”. “Joe” had always been into Hot Rods and Muscle Cars, way before it was the 1000 pound Gorilla of collecting it is today. Looking through his photo album, it was 40 years of car shows and Hot Rods showing him without gray hair and in tank top tee shirts. He has a lot of cars. Time marches on and Joe recently retired to Southern Oregon and has reached a point of changing hobbies. Now it is gardening!

The Mach 1 was purchased in 2006 from a nationally known restoration shop in Colorado, “American Stang” during an eBay sale. The Mach 1 was advertised as having had a complete rotisserie restoration with floor panels and rear quarters replaced. It was also stated that the engine was original to the car and had been rebuilt by Maximum Performance in Denver Colorado. The Engine Casting # is extremely tough to see, but we believe it is 9A8. The Transmission # we see is 9F02S21046.

It was also accompanied by a Marti Report showing the car to be an original Mach 1 with a Small Big Block 390, 4-Speed, Black Jade Paint, Black Interior with build dates and locations along with all of the other particulars proving this to be an original, from the factory Mach 1. The Marti Report is attached as part of the images. There were a couple of deviations from stock that were made, nothing that could not be easily reversed, but changes that made the car more drivable and improved. There was a switch to 15” wheels from the stock 14”s, a high performance Exhaust System emptying out a set of Tube Style Headers and a change of rear end Ratio, from a stock 3.25 to 3.70 with a locker. The car won First Place in its first show before being sold, the new owner also won numerous awards over the years where ever he entered the car. “Joe” showed the Mustang at Pebble Beach in 2011 and is still very proud of the Trophy he received for his efforts. Not long after, American Stang unfortunately closed their shop for non-business related events. I wish them well today.

As soon as “Joe” got the car, the first thing he wanted changed was replacing the stock 4-Barrel Carburetor with a set of Triple Deuces. It just looked right and you have to admit, it does look impressive (If you ask what the fuel mileage is, this not going to be your car). He also had all of the lights converted to LED units. The stock intake manifold, carburetor and lights are included with the car when it sells. The stock four barrel cast iron intake comes with the car, but the carburetor we have is a late model, single pumper Holley which is not the same as it came equipped with.

The car has been inspected and most of the issues are minor from time and sitting. The intake manifold is weeping oil at the back, the power steering pump reservoir O-ring is also weeping. There is fuel on the intake manifold which appears to be from one of the accelerator pumps on the front carburetor. The body was inspected by a local body shop and again, minor issues were noted. The interior door handles surrounds had cracks, underneath the rear carpet in the trunk, the wrong screws were used to hold a piece of trim. There are no signs impact or rust anywhere and the work completed is exceptional.

I drove the car briefly for the photographs and will admit that it is totally different than anything I have driven at the shop. The whole car seems to be engine when you lean on the throttle, different than the 2007 Shelby GT500. There is no mistaking the two, a totally valid reason for wanting to own a part of history that is not coming back. There is no substitute for cubic inches.

The selling price is $59,995. Miles are 45,767 and the VIN number is 9F02S210466. For other interesting bikes and collectible vehicles, visit our web site http://www.automaniagp.com 541 479 8888 or come by and see us at 895 SE Gladiola Drive, Grants Pass, Oregon, 97526. Oregon Dealer DA1287.

Automania is a Consignment Oregon Dealer selling quality, privately owned vehicles including Aprilia, Buell, BMW, Citroen, Ducati, Harley Davidson, Honda, Hummer, Kawasaki, Moto Guzzi, MV Agusta, Nissan, Ossa, Piaggio, Suzuki, Triumph, Vespa, Classic Hot Rods, Buick, Dodge, Ford, Chevrolet, Lamborghini, MG, Packard, Porsche, Rover, Shelby, Toyota, Triumph, Volkswagen and any other vehicle