In February 1966 a 44 Year Old Woman Bought a Ford Mustang...

[Mark B. Morrow]

http://thedailyturismo.kinja.com/betsys-pony-the-story-of-one-womans-1966-ford-mustan-451337857

[grbeck]

What a great article. Thanks for posting it. I really like the color on the Mustang.

 

I was surprised when I read this opening:

 

In 1961 Betsy traded her 1957 Dodge Cornet Lancer to a dealer for a new Mercury Comet..and instantly regretted it.

 

In the Salt Belt, most 1957 Mopars were literally falling apart after four years. According to the article, she lived in upstate New York until 1960, and that area is very hard on cars.

[Mark B. Morrow]

What a great article. Thanks for posting it. I really like the color on the Mustang.

 

I was surprised when I read this opening:

 

In 1961 Betsy traded her 1957 Dodge Cornet Lancer to a dealer for a new Mercury Comet..and instantly regretted it.

 

In the Salt Belt, most 1957 Mopars were literally falling apart after four years. According to the article, she lived in upstate New York until 1960, and that area is very hard on cars.

My neighbors had a '60 Dodge wagon through the late '60s. It was a Purple and Lavender 2 tone. By the time they got rid of it for a '69 Mercury Colony Park wagon, there wasn't much left of the Dodge that had not been patched up with sheet metal and pop rivets. The quality control problems that plagued the new '57-60 Chryslers and their rust prone bodies, are the reason they are so rare today.

 

Betsy's Mustang looks like it led a typical southern California life. It is interesting that the picture of the interior shows the wood-grain steering wheel but not the Pony Interior package. The factory wheel would have been black.

[rwolson]

Great story! Car looks great

[Moosetang]

great article, hope it goes to a preserver and not a modder

[grbeck]

My neighbors had a '60 Dodge wagon through the late '60s. It was a Purple and Lavender 2 tone. By the time they got rid of it for a '69 Mercury Colony Park wagon, there wasn't much left of the Dodge that had not been patched up with sheet metal and pop rivets. The quality control problems that plagued the new '57-60 Chryslers and their rust prone bodies, are the reason they are so rare today.

 

Betsy's Mustang looks like it led a typical southern California life. It is interesting that the picture of the interior shows the wood-grain steering wheel but not the Pony Interior package. The factory wheel would have been black.

 

There have been some original condition Mopars from the late 1950s at the Chryslers at Carlisle shows. It's interesting how bad the panel fit, trim application and paint jobs are (particularly the 1957 models).

 

The first-generation Mustang has been so popular as a collector car that there are plenty of vendors selling various body panels and replacement parts, and lots of people performing backyard restorations. Unfortunately, the quality of the parts varies widely, and not everyone does a stellar job with their restorations. Many people therefore get the impression that these cars had lousy quality control.

 

But when you see an original condition model such as this one (and there have been a few at the Carlisle events), you find that the workmanship was actually pretty good by the standards of the day. It's not what we now view as acceptable, but, considering the original sticker price of the car, and how fast Ford was pushing them out the door from 1964 through 1967, they actually look pretty good from a quality standpoint.

Edited March 7, 2013 by grbeck

[markfnc]

reminds me of this story.

 

[Mark B. Morrow]

Markfnc, I saw that car at the All Ford Show at Carlisle a couple of years ago. It was still in pretty good shape especially given the miles. I couldn't help thinking she should have bought a Cyclone or Caliente convertible instead.

[grbeck]

She was at the Carlisle All-Ford show with her car about three years ago...and she was quite sharp, considering her age (in her early 90s at the time, if I recall correctly).

Edited March 7, 2013 by grbeck