The Ford Mustang is an American icon and was based on the humble underpinnings of the Ford Falcon compact. The first production Mustang rolled off the assembly line in Dearborn, Michigan in March 1964 and was introduced to the public at the New York World's Fair on 17th April 1964.
It was, and remains, one of the most successful car launches in automotive history with over a million Mustangs selling in the first 18 month. The legend lives on to this day with current models still in production some 50 years later.
According to the VIN code and the Warranty Number this exceptional Mustang was built on 11th April 1965, having been ordered by, and subsequently delivered to a dealership in Oklahoma City. When first built it had a 289ci 4 valve V8 engine and C4 3 speed automatic transmission. We know that by approximately 1980 it had found its way to San Antonio, Texas, before being purchased and imported into the UK in 1989 by the Collective Car Company in Twickenham.
At that time the Mustang had covered just 25,185 miles. It was first registered in the UK on 17th August 1989. The first UK owner then took the Mustang to his house in the South of France to use whilst on holiday, and he kept the car for 15 years until 2004 when he sold it to a friend who also lived in France. At this stage the Mustang was still on its 1965 “C” plates.
The second owner put a private plate on it and kept in France until he bought it back to the UK in 2012. Upon his return he contacted a US company in called Express Engines and ordered a virtually race specification 347 cubic inch stroker engine and new transmission to be built and crated to the UK, and then handed both the Mustang and its new engine to Thunder Road garage, who specialise in V8s, to install it along with various other upgrades.
Now being offered for sale by the second UK owner in 32 years the Mustang has now only covered 37,000 miles having spent from 1989 to 2012 in a warm garage in the South of France!
There is a significant folder of history with the Mustang, some of which dates back to the 1980s when it was still in Texas. There are Texas vehicle registration details from the early 80s, and a US Texas Title for the car from 1989, marked “Cancelled” as the Mustang was being exported. The original sales receipt to the first UK owner, the first MoT at 25,185 miles, and a copy of its first Registration document are all present.
Moving forward to the second owner there is plenty of information on the new engine, including photographs when built, and dyno sheet, and list of parts and full engine spec. It’s obvious that no expense was spared! There are a few MoTs that show the slowly increasing mileage, the most recent being from 2018. Also in the history folder is the original Owner’s Manual.
Most recent work took place in 2017 when £1,434 was spent upgrading the cooling system with a new bespoke aluminium radiator and thermostatic electric fan with manual override switch, along with oil and filter change. The private plate currently on the Mustang is not included in the sale.
From the VIN we can tell the Mustang was ordered with a Blue Crinkle Vinyl interior, and we can say that the majority is still as ordered in 1965. We know that recently the steering wheel was replaced as the original had significant cracks, and the sun visors are also new, replaced due to age damage. As far as we can tell, the rest of the interior is possibly original, and in pretty impressive condition for a convertible of this age –especially when you consider the strong sunlight in both Texas and southern France!
The blue vinyl seats are in great condition, front and rear, the fronts being fitted with lap belts. The blue plastic cover on the passenger belt buckle has become brittle and broken.
Up on the dash everything appears stock, from the Ford FM/AM radio and period Rally Pack extra gauges, with 8,000 rpm tach and clock that look to be period, not reproductions.
The general feel of the interior is comfortable and usable, with no major faults, but some age related wear and tear as you might expect.
According to the history file the Mustang was given a recoat of attractive Caspian Blue Metallic paint in the US not long before it was exported into the UK. There is nothing on file to say it has been repainted since, and if so it has lasted extremely well, and all the panels look to be original. With only the odd mark and chip here and there, we would say that the finish is in nice, usable condition. The off white manually operated roof is in great condition, and fits well when raised and stows away neatly beneath its cover.
The rear Perspex window shows no misting or cracks. In the trunk you’ll find the spare wheel, correctly attached, with a more period thin white stripe tyre fitted, and the correct plaid pattern trunk mat. The trunk lid is fitted with a luggage rack which is a correct period accessory, and was probably very useful for extra luggage on the roads of France.
The wheels are 15 inch American Racing Torque Thrust D's, a design that looks great on virtually any car! The tyres are Kumho Powermax that are only lightly worn. At the time the engine was fitted, the Mustang received suspension refurbishment that included lowering the car by about 1.5 inches that has improved the handling as well as the looks.
A brief look at the photographs and you will see most of the big bucks have been spent under the hood. The 347 ci engine has been built to virtually race specification with J & E pistons, ally heads, roller rockers, flat tappets, and dual Edelbrock quad carbs on an aluminium intake manifold. A four into one tubular header exhaust, flowing into a Magnaflow stainless system that exits through a pair of 2.5 inch pipes below the rear valance. Add to that a full MSD ignition system and high capacity sump etc, etc… you get the idea.
Have a look at the spec sheet in the photos. The dyno print out confirms what you can hear when you start the engine; if any of the original 380 ponies have left in the intervening years they must have been the lame ones! This engine is HOT! Ticking over like a NASCAR we can confirm it has easily enough power to melt the Kuhmos and probably the tarmac beneath them too!
At the time of the engine upgrade the owner sensibly decided to add front disc brakes, changed the steering to rack and pinion, and the Mustang received new springs and shock absorbers too.
Along with the new crate engine was a new 3 speed auto transmission that was specially built to handle the extra horsepower. As noted earlier, the cooling system has also been upgraded to handle the heat of the high output V8 as well.
We can’t think of a nicer way to cruise the countryside of Southern France than in a convertible Mustang, so we applaud the original owner for his choice of holiday transport! We can also thank the second owner who has obviously spent a large amount upgrading the Mustang without spoiling the period look and feel of the car. But it will be the new owner who benefits, and make no mistake; this is a truly gorgeous car. Powerful, fast, well built and comfortable with a drop top. We’d buy it!
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1965 Ford Mustang 5.7 V8 Convertible
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