Photo: Barrett-Jackson
We all know most of the Mustangs made back in the day when the moniker was still young are special in way or another, but few Mustangs can compete with the ones that were conceived for track duties, even if said track duties are as mundane as pacing races.
Last week, auction house Barrett-Jackson held its mammoth event in Scottsdale, Arizona, and it is there where a large number of Mustangs went under the hammer. Not all sold, some went for respectable, but not impressive sums, while others, like this here 1970s ‘Stang, really rocked somebody’s world.
The car is one of five to have been made that year to serve the needs of American Raceways International (ARI) as pace cars for competitions taking place in Atlanta, Texas, or Michigan.
Styled and branded with logos to match the racetracks where it was supposed to serve, the Mustang is one from the top of the family’s food chain. We’re talking about a Cobra Jet example rocking a 428ci (7.0-liter) engine linked to an automatic transmission, a 3.00:1 rear axle, and NASCAR-spec T oil pan, among others.
This particular machine, wrapped in Grabber Green, served the needs of racers that took to the Michigan International Speedway. It’s unclear for how long it did its job, or what exactly happened to it after it retired, but the reality remains it was saved in the 1990s from “underneath a tarp behind a garage” and restored.
It was then included in the Mile-High Collection, from where it sold to an unknown individual at the said auction last week for exactly $192,500. It went complete with a duplicate original Build Sheet and period photographs.
Chances are we’ll see it pop up for sale at some future event, but we can’t stop from hoping we’ll see it in action on a track somewhere until it does.
The car is one of five to have been made that year to serve the needs of American Raceways International (ARI) as pace cars for competitions taking place in Atlanta, Texas, or Michigan.
Styled and branded with logos to match the racetracks where it was supposed to serve, the Mustang is one from the top of the family’s food chain. We’re talking about a Cobra Jet example rocking a 428ci (7.0-liter) engine linked to an automatic transmission, a 3.00:1 rear axle, and NASCAR-spec T oil pan, among others.
This particular machine, wrapped in Grabber Green, served the needs of racers that took to the Michigan International Speedway. It’s unclear for how long it did its job, or what exactly happened to it after it retired, but the reality remains it was saved in the 1990s from “underneath a tarp behind a garage” and restored.
It was then included in the Mile-High Collection, from where it sold to an unknown individual at the said auction last week for exactly $192,500. It went complete with a duplicate original Build Sheet and period photographs.
Chances are we’ll see it pop up for sale at some future event, but we can’t stop from hoping we’ll see it in action on a track somewhere until it does.
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