'68 Mustang Seafoam green with black landau top
My dad bought a 1968 289 V8 Mustang brand spankin' new. She became my favorite car in the world although he did not buy it for me. This was his racy little car, a departure from the Plymouth and Ford sedans he usually drove. She was sea foam green with a black Landau top, two-tone bucket seats in pearlescent colors Ford called Ivy Gold. She was fully equipped with A/C, AM/FM radio, white walls and chrome wheel caps with the Mustang emblem on them. She seated two comfortably in the front and two uncomfortably in the rear. I usually crammed three in the rear as none of my girlfriends had cars so we took turns driving our parents'. We once made the six hour drive to Mammoth with five girls in the car plus our skis and poles inside down the middle between the bucket seats and our luggage crammed into the trunk, listening to Wolfman Jack on XETRA radio out of Mexico.
Dad always told me he'd never give me a car but he eventually gave me the Mustang. It was many years later, 1974, before my final year of college. I needed a car and he wanted a new one so I lucked out big time. I kept this car until 1982 when I felt I had to sell it because I was putting over 500 miles p/w in sales in San Diego County. At this point, we'd had her restored and she was a beautiful yellow with a new black top, all back interior and chrome wire wheels...way more sporty than the original colors. Restoring a car not to original specs is a no no but I wanted something a little more sexy than seafoam green. She was on her third or fourth engine by then. We had the work done in South LA where alot of cars were restored, retro-fitted and such. They did her proud. Great interior, looked terrific.
Letting her go was painful but I did not want to risk the wear and tear of high mileage. I found a guy in his early twenties who was crazy about her and sold her for $3500, just $300 more than Dad originally paid. I've never forgotten her and I still gaze at Mustangs with wonder whenever I see a classic.
6 comments:
An elegant ride!
The only car I ever loved was a little red MG.
Great story, California Girl. I had a best girlfriend whose mother let her borrow her 1968 Mustang from time to time to drive to school. We'd pile into the car at lunchtime and drive around (hard-top unfortunately) feeling like nobody had anything on us!
I was jealous as hell - my dad wouldn't let us touch his car, a 1969 MGB, British racing green. I think my whole high school experience would have changed in an instant if only I could have turned up before class in that car....
I think that's partly why I got a big motorcycle a few years later - just wanted to stand out from the pack.
Nice to read about a woman's love story with a car.
Oh man, I love Mustangs! Hubs had a '66 cherry red fastback when I met him. I've told him many times it's why I said yes when he proposed. Then it got rear-ended right before our wedding, ruining the suspension. I married him anyway.
Susan: hahahaha! you "married him anyway". It's all about the car.
Deb & Vicki: My husband had so many cars when we were kids I do not remember them all. Since you both mentioned MGs, he had a '69 red MGB that he loved more than anything. He was in a car wreck t one night in the fog in San Diego on the UCSD campus. Hit the center medium on a hillside parking lot going downhill way too fast. Totaled the car and has had back problems ever since.
Love the idea of you all squished in with poles and skis listening to Wolfman Jack, we used to get that station over here in the 70's too. He did a late night top 10 Countdown broadcast from the US! Lovely car, my neighbour still has a fire engine red one for Sunday driving!
What a great story and car! My best friend's mother had a 68' Mustang, (red convertible), and we had a blast in it, too. Those were the days!
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