Henry Ford changed the face of our world forever. His ideas brought about one of the greatest revolutions in the history of man. But all that falls under the curtain of time. However, there is one thing for which Ford is a monument not only to the automotive but to our entire civilization. Bow to His Majesty, the Mustang.
The legendary automobile would fill entire libraries with stories about it. From 1965 onwards, the car has been an icon of everything the planet worships about America. Untamed and rebellious, young and daring, the Mustang became an instant symbol of a generation.
So it's little wonder that an ideally taken care of 1965 Ford Mustang is a motorhead's dream. But how about a' 64-and-a-half? Alright, then, how about two of them? Still not convinced yet?! They have consecutive numbers. Oh, you're going all-in for this! I'll see your call and raise you a pre-production pair of convertible Ford Mustangs, two out of only 15 still in existence.
Their story is quite thought-provoking. 180 mostly hand-made Mustangs were assembled before mass production began. Most of the lot was used for various tests or procedures and tool validations. Some of them were test-crashed. So the survivors left in the world are quite remarkable.
To a keen eye, they differ from the standard original version of the Mustang. Some pre-series vehicles (and one of those is now on sale) had silver-painted engines to allow for easier leak spotting. And speaking of which, these two pristine Mustangs are very well-taken care of, with 30 miles (that's thirty! or 50 kilometers) on one engine and 250 (400 km) on the other (click Play on the videos at the end of this story to hear the engines start up and run). Both cars are fitted with 260-ci (4.2-liter) V-8s mated to three-speed automatic gearboxes.The mileage stated for both engines is post-rebuild, but the odometers read just over 85k miles (137,000 km) and almost 89k miles (140,000 km), respectively.
Admittedly, the vehicles were for show rather than go, and the original engines – albeit restored – are running smooth, according to the owner. The twins underwent full Concours-level restorations (for which the Henry Ford Museum offered access to the Mustang exposed there), so it only comes naturally that the prizes won at various competitions elegantly accompany this pair of gems.
After nearly two decades in news television, Răzvan turned to a different medium. He’s been a field journalist, a TV producer, and a seafarer but found that he feels right at home among petrolheads. Full profile
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