1969 Ford Mustang Mach 1 Saved After Being Stored Since 1979, Is an Original 428

If you went to a Ford dealership back in 1969 and wanted to get the most powerful Mustang available, the 429 cubic-inch (7.0-liter) Boss V8 would be a perfect choice. And the second best thing was the 428 cubic-inch Cobra Jet, which developed 335 horsepower at 5,200 rpm and 440 lb-ft (597 Nm) of torque at 3,400 rpm. Back then, the Mustang weighed just over 3,100 lbs (1,406 kg), so it must have felt pretty impressive.

This Wimbledon White Mach 1 is an original 428 Cobra Jet from 1969, and it also has an interesting story behind it. The previous owner had purchased the car in August of 1972 and only drove it for about seven years. Then, the car went into storage and was sold to its current owner in 2007—it has mostly remained untouched for almost four decades. Surprising as it may be, the engine still starts and runs, but there are a few coolant leaks.

Also, there seems to be an issue with the reverse gear, so you might want to look into that. When this left the factory in Dearborn, Michigan, it had a 4-speed manual gearbox, but it seems to have been converted to an automatic at a Ford dealership. This classic Mustang still has the original radiator hoses, radiator, and fan shroud. The interior is all original too, and it does look impressive given its age.

The seller does point out several rust spots, but that's to be expected given the situation. There's rust on the driver's front floor pan and underneath the trunk lid, to mention a few spots, but nothing of major concern. It is not a show car at this point, but it could be, should you be willing to take on the task. I imagine that if you only want to drive it around, it's not going to be all that expensive.

There's a Marti report included with the sale, and there is quite a bit of interesting information on it. The order for this vehicle was received on the 12th of December, 1968, and the car was produced on the 10th of January 1969. It was delivered to Maryville, Tennessee, just a couple of weeks later. This Mach 1 is one of 4,761 to be delivered in this paint code and one in 6,473 with this engine and transmission code.

As the seller states: "This is a very nice, all original survivor car and it's very hard to find one of these cars that have never been restored." The auction is just one day away from being concluded, and the highest bid right now stands at $39,500. That isn't cheap by any standards but still fairly decent considering the potential of this vehicle. In a few years from now, this might end up evaluated at over $100,000, should it be in perfect running condition.