Say you found a clean ?66 fastback Mustang body and wanted to make it something different.  Sure, you?d restore the body to factory specs, lay down a killer paint job and dress the car up with all the good options, but what about power?  How about building the car as if it was a concours restoration done in 1970?  You?d pull Ford?s newest small block powerhouse, the 351 Cleveland, decked out with correct parts, markings and date codes!  Sound like your kind of ride?  Well that?s exactly what the builder of this stunning 1966 Ford Mustang Fastback did.  After the dust settled, he was $70,000.00 + lighter in the wallet, and had created a machine so nice that he was reluctant to drive it.  After putting less than 150 miles on it, we lucked into this bad boy!

What you?ll notice first, and what others are going to notice, is the fantastic black finish.  Ripple, wave and orange peel free it?s a stunner?do you know how hard it is to get a black car this nice???  There are new bumpers at both ends, a new grille. New taillights and bezels, new emblems, GT stripes and fuel cap and new stainless reveal and drip rail moldings.  A new wheel set with new trims, centers and lug nuts hold new B F Goodrich 215/70/14 Radial T/A?s at all four corners.  A new date coded Carlite glass set?s in the greenhouse while new fog lights are up front.  The white side stripes provide just enough of a punch with the chrome to break up the deep black. 

Underneath you?ll find quite a surprise.  This pony?s a hot rod of sorts with its engine, and hot rods are normally done nicely?they?re just not done to a factory correct, concours standard.  There?s black overspray underneath the car just like there should be, but the rest of the floor pan is red oxide, as it should be.  All suspension components are finished properly with inspection daubs and markings as there should be.  The front control arms are half black and half silver as original.  The driveshaft and leaf springs have their correct paint stripes.  The axle?s black with proper notes while the center section is properly red.  There?s a new fuel tank, sending unit and straps, new lines, new brake hoses and lines feeding correct 4 piston calipers up front and new drums out back.  The restorer obviously paid attention to the detail guides on this one!

The interior?s quite a treat?take a closer look.  A full Pony interior?s in place from the brand new seat covers to the door panels, window cranks, dash bezels, door handles and deluxe steering wheel.  That?s new carpet below with new sill plates and a new headliner above.  The dash pad is new, the dash frame is fully restored along with the gauges and bezels, all switchgear is new and operational and a Ken Harrison digital AM/FM/cassette deck resides in the factory hole.  A new shifter and knob stirs the four speed transmission below, the steering wheel is a very nice original with a new center cap and horn mechanism, the pedal pads and trim rings are new?again, the restoration was a complete one! 

Open the hood for the best view in the house.  First, look up as the paint on the underside of the hood is easily as nice as the outside?the whole compartment?s reflected in the shine.  What grabs your attention immediately are the chrome strut tower and Monte Carlo bars and the big oval Cobra air cleaner.  There?s a newer Holley 4160 carb underneath, perched on a seriously old school Edelbrock F351 manifold.  Finned aluminum valve covers cover the rebuilt 2V mill which was given the same detailing treatment as the rest of the car.  Inspection stamps, stickers and decals are on the correct Ford Blue paint, there?s a correct coil feeding a correct distributor and 2Q69 date coded Autolite wires while correct reproduction battery cables work with a reproduction solenoid to get the battery?s juice where it needs to go.  A new radiator with a correct cap feeds reproduction hoses with proper clamps for cooling while a new reproduction washer fluid pouch and line set keep the windshield clean.  The motor?s tweaked slightly with a noticeable cam and a set of Flowmasters underneath, but it retains its correct appearance with its correct exhaust manifolds.  If you didn?t know the 351C didn?t come in a ?66 Mustang, there aren?t any clues in here! 

Now what?s it like to drive?  Well, I had the opportunity to take this Mustang on a nice 35 mile freeway cruise a couple of weeks back, and then the wife & I went to dinner.  The first thing you will notice is that EVERYTHING works ? and I mean EVERYTHING.  Every gauge, every control, the radio, the wipers ? it all works exactly the way it should, which is a testament to the build quality of the car.  This Mustang sounds mean and looks mean ? people stare at this car.  You might as well leave your thumb in the up position!  The car drives perfectly down the freeway at 70 mph, with no vibration or pulling.  It handles perfectly, brakes perfectly and idles perfectly.  Shifting is tight and crisp.  In short, this is a well done, well sorted out car that needs only one thing ? a long term driver!  This is THE perfect car for someone who is looking for a sharp Mustang Fastback that can be driven, shown and enjoyed, with no disappointments or excuses!

Run, don?t walk to our showroom to take this one down.  Our last sharp 66 Fastback, painted Pepper Grey, went for more than $70K.  Sure it had air ride, but it wasn?t as cool as this one.  We have this one priced to sell and will probably regret it when it leaves.  You just don?t find high quality 66 Fastbacks like this sitting around waiting for a driver.   Don?t pass on this one!