Car 33 – 1966 Mustang Coupe V8
*Please note this Mustang is only available at weekends*
I moved to the US (California coast) in 1989 and used to cycle to work at my bar job every day, right past this used car dealer and gaze lovingly at this red mustang. It was in need of love but I could tell it was a solid car. One day, I had 10 minutes to spare so I stopped and asked how much, expecting the dealer (who was English) to give me a crazy price (I thought about $8k) and was shocked when he only asked for $3500. I had been saving like mad for a car and had almost $3k already and couldn’t believe my luck, It was a California car with only 1 owner and only 60k miles (really). Then he started it up and I was sold. I paid the deposit right there and then and bought the car two weeks later. I can still feel the grin I wore on my face as I drove it home
The car ticked all the boxes for me, red on black (the best colour combo), low miles, great condition body wise and the more I looked into it, the year ’66, was one of the best.
Since 1990, the car has had an engine out restoration and paint. I have generally done all of the maintenance on the car myself. It has had some performance mods done, headers, electronic ignition, 17” chrome cobra rims but other than that, the car is stock.
So if people ask me what I love most about the car, it would be: the sound, the sound, the sound! That and the low slung driving position and the fact that under the bonnet, you can see everything you need to and it’s so easy to maintain!
I love doing weddings in my car, one of the best parts of these gigs is that everyone is blown away by the car and everyone has questions. I think it sparks more interest than vintage UK cars or even supercars, it’s an ice-breaker and people aren’t intimidated by it.
So why do I chauffeur people on their big day? Simple, I love it, it’s a shared experience and I’m part of someone’s very special day, I feel special and I hope that is evident in the manner in which I treat my guests and passengers.
People always ask me; How old is it? How big is the engine? Can we hear it… can you rev it up?
It’s just generally bloody lovely 🙂
Mark
