Our second “heap” belongs to Dan Wilson, our resident architect from the Class of ’62. Dan and I have been friends since I moved down to his neighborhood just north of 47th Street in the summer of 1955 and as long as I’ve known him he’s always wanted a career in architecture and had a love for somewhat unique cars (including, in the past, a ’54 Dodge Coronet convertible, a 260 V-8 Ford Falcon and a Volvo PV-544 - all now quite rare and/or collectible). It would appear that he’s done admirably in succeeding at both goals.
A few years ago he acquired this classic Mustang convertible (a numbers-matching factory GT) and spent 4 1/2 years restoring it to its current near-concours condition. It was something he says that he’d always wanted to do and would never, under any circumstances, take on again. While he’s modified the engine to bring it up to legendary “hi-po” performance, he’s also kept all of the factory parts to return it to stock in the very unlikely case he should ever decide to sell it (according to his kids, something that will happen over their dead bodies).
His nearly five years of hard work (and a pile of cash, more than enough to buy any one of several current model high performance cars, probably with some left over) have obviously paid off beautifully. I had a chance to see this beauty during the mini-reunion in ’08 and it’s something to quicken the heart of any car lover. We all need to lean on him vigorously to make certain he drives it to the reunion in October. Until then, his pictures and my prose will have to suffice.
I’ve always loved the lines of these early Mustangs and Dan’s is one of the nicest examples I’ve ever seen. Kudos on a beautiful restoration.
Regardless of the angle, coming or going, these cars are simply gorgeous. btw, those are the original Rally wheels.
Dan’s ‘Stang features the somewhat rare “Pony” interior, including the original, factory-installed Rally Pac Clock/Tachometer option (shown above flanking the steering column).
The embossed seats with Mustang logos and pistol grip door handles are unique to the option Pony interior.
That’s 289 cubic inches of high-performance Ford V-8 powering this baby. Though it wasn’t a factory hi-po K-Code car, Dan has brought it up to snuff (and a bit beyond methinks) with a factory hi-po cam, Edelbrock high-performance heads, tuned headers and an Edelbrock 500cfm 4-barrel carb.
Year/Make/Model: 1966 Ford Mustang GT Convertible
Color: Nightmist Blue
Body: Two-door convertible, power-operated canvas top
Interior: “Pony” interior with bucket seats, embossed vinyl, walnut-grained dashboard, wood-rimmed steering wheel, lots of chrome, Rally Pac Clock/Tachometer, courtesy lights and pistol-grip door handles
Engine: A-Code 289 cubic inch OHV V-8, modified with factory hi-po cam, Edelbrock high-performance heads and tuned headers
Horsepower/Torque (stock): 225 hp @ 4,800rpm/305 lbs/ft @ 3,200rpm
Bore x Stroke (in): 4.005 x 2.87
Compression Ratio (stock): 10.0:1
Fuel Delivery: Edelbrock 500cfm 4-barrel carburetor
Drive Train: Cruise-O-Matic 3-speed automatic transmission, rear wheel drive
Suspension: Independent ball joint/coil springs (front),
longitudinal leaf springs (rear), shock absorbers
Brakes: Power-assisted, discs (front) and drums (rear)
Wheelbase (in): 108.0
Overall Length (in): 181.6
Overall Width (in): 68.2
Overall Height (in): 51
Track (Front/Rear, in): 56/56
Curb Weight (lbs): 2,650
Base Price: $2,653