Tuesday is National Mustang Day, and more than 1,400 Ford Mustangs are listed on ClassicCars.com, which is a typical daily amount. Mustangs of every kind are consistency among the highest-searched vehicles on the website, every day of the year.
The ads include a supremely special very-early Mustang, a convertible reportedly built in the first hour of Mustang production in 1964 and which was used as the pace car during the 1964 Indianapolis 500. It is powered by a tweaked 289cid V8 that was under development at the time for use in the GT40 race car. That Mustang is priced by a Charlotte, North Carolina, dealer at more than a million dollars.
Getting a little more down to earth, the Pick of the Day is another very early example, a 1964½ Ford Mustang convertible that the private seller in Flagstaff, Arizona, says has been in the same family since 1971. But instead of a seven-figure price tag, this one can be had for a slightly more-reasonable amount.
The bright-red convertible has an equally red interior, which the seller says is in nice original condition. The paint job is 20 years old but “looks like new,” the seller adds, and a new convertible tip has been fitted. The car’s 1963 California black plate still hangs below the front grille (Arizona does not require a correct plate up front).
The Mustang is powered by its original, rebuilt 260cid V8 engine with an automatic transmission, and all numbers are matching, according to the ad. Included in the sale are the original registration and owner’s manual.
Although the car did not come with power steering or power brakes, the pictures show that an air-conditioning system has been fitted. The car also wears its original spinner hub caps. A Southwest Mustang since new, the car is said to be entirely rust-free.
The asking price for this early pony car is $46,000. While perhaps lacking the exciting provenance of the million-dollar Indy pace car, this does seem to be a nicely kept Mustang convertible that you can enjoy any time, as it was meant to be.
To view this listing on ClassicCars.com, see Pick of the Day.
