Pick of the Day: 1986 Ford Mustang GT convertible

With temperatures climbing around the country, convertibles have emerged from their wintertime slumbers, shedding their car covers and breaking free from battery tenders.

The Pick of the Day is a 1986 Ford Mustang GT convertible listed for sale on ClassicCars.com by a private seller in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. (Click the link to view the listing)

“A true time capsule Fox Body,” the listing reads. “26k low miles, loaded with options, original hard-to-find Ford docs and Marti Report.”

The nearly 50-photo gallery accompanying the listing corroborates the car’s low-mileage condition, showing clean finishes inside, outside, underneath, and even in the door jambs. At 36 years old, this Mustang looks to have been well-preserved and garage kept.

The third-generation Mustang went into production in 1979 and endured for 14 years on the Fox platform that was shared with other models, including the second-generation Mercury Capri. The most significant model update during that date range came in 1987 when the quad headlights on the nose were replaced with composite headlamps and more aerodynamic styling.

This ragtop from 1986 draws power from Ford’s venerable 5.0-liter 302cid high-output Windsor V8 pumping out 200 bhp and 285 lb-ft of torque. The seller states that maintenance has been kept up over the years, but it’s currently due for an oil change. “I left it for now to show the new owner how clean the oil is. A mechanic did a pre-purchase inspection to prove the great shape.”

One of best-known resources in the Ford collector community is Marti Auto Works. Based in Arizona and founded in 1982, this shop specializes in VIN-specific production reports, replacement tags, reproduction parts, original Ford invoices, and more. The Marti Report for this 1986 Mustang sheds some light on some interesting data about not only the car’s configuration, but also its rarity:

According to the summary data, this 5.0 is one of only 21 cars in its exact specification including a white convertible top, Premium Sound, Bright Red with charcoal sport seats, and additional criteria. A fascinating research project might be to review a CARFAX report for the 20 other “twins” to this car and see where they ended up. Chances are, this one is the last remaining – or at least the best-kept.

Best of all, this Mustang comes with some of the requisite 1980s swag including a hood decal, a chrome luggage rack, and a cassette stereo. This Mustang is ready to cruise top-down while blasting Vanilla Ice.

The seller is asking $27,900 or best offer for this low-mileage 5.0 ragtop.

To view this listing on ClassicCars.com, see Pick of the Day.