1964 1/2 Mustang Convertible V8 260 (Early Mar '64 Build Date)

Price: - Item location: Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States
Description:

1965 Ford Mustang

This 64.5 Stang's production date is March 18th, 1964. That's only 9 days after production began and one month before the first Mustang was sold! So, this beauty is one of the very first Mustang convertibles to ever roll off the assembly line. With a factory-original restoration so you're bidding on a practically brand new car with less than 500 miles of drive time.
This car is a numbers-matching F-code, Wimbledon white exterior with Palomino interior and Palomino trim. It's a rare factory a/c convertible with power steering sent to Arizona for its first sell. It has the 260 V8 2-barrel with correct date codes and casting numbers, correct C4 automatic 5 bolt transmission (brand new transmission installed but original will be included). Many early details like a small T-handle shifter, "A" air vent knob, original door/window handles, original dated glass all around, original AM radio, etc. Correct new white power convertible top with original chrome trim. Five new period-correct whitewall tires from Coker with four early Mustang NOS wire spinner hubcaps with corporate Ford logo. As mentioned earlier, this car was totally restored just as it rolled out of Dearborn in 1964. Every part and piece is in like new condition. As you can see, this is a very special collectible...an investment level car restored to preserve Mustang's timeless heritage. Realistic restoration costs at this level would far exceed my asking price so don't miss out on this great opportunity.
VIN (5F08F101908). Considering the first production Mustang (sequence #100001) and this car were both built at the Dearborn plant, this has to be one of the earliest Mustang convertibles ever built as the 1,908th car off the Dearborn assembly line. I base this on two facts: 1) Dearborn was the only plant producing Mustangs during March, 1964 and; 2) the preceding 1,907 cars included an unknown quantity of Mustang coupes as well as other Ford models such as Fairlanes and Falcons. One can only assume there were plenty of those other models rolling off the Dearborn line during the first nine days of the Mustang production. Research also shows the early Mustang records were destroyed for an unknown reason, perhaps by fire. Therefore no one knows, with 100% certainty, the exact number of Mustangs convertibles produced ahead of #1908. I was able to find an unofficial online registry with a considerable number of early Mustang owner entries. The best I can conclude from that data is there are 61 known convertibles that rolled out before this one. 17 of the 61 were Wimbledon White, 9 of those were F-code automatics but none of the 17 had the Palomino interior. So, this car is not only one of the first few Mustang convertibles built, it is possibly the "first" Wimbledon White convertible produced with a Palomino interior.
Considering the color combinations, the aforementioned registry, the factory A/C and the Phoenix DSO, I would venture to say this car is possibly the first convertible configured with extreme desert heat in mind. Based on the title trail of previous owners, I think it's also safe to say #1908 spent most, if not all of its life in the American southwest as evidenced by the rust-free original floor pans and sheet metal still on the car today. The only corroded metal replaced during restoration was the battery tray! The radiator support appears to have been replaced at some point during the car's life and the driver's rear quarter was replaced during restoration with a factory OEM fender but all other metal is original. I have detailed pictures taken during the restoration showing all engineering/date stamps. The A/C is all original with correct parts unique to the early 64 ½ to include the compressor, power steering brackets, idler pulley and the 6-blade radiator fan. Also included is the engine data plate and window sticker provided by Marti Auto Works.