I’d like to pose a question this week.  In light of the Cash For Clunkers situation, is there such a thing as a car that’s too good looking to die?  Specifically, is there a muscle car that was (in it’s day) spared because it was too good looking to snuff out?   I think the answer is a resounding yes for many models – but one in particular: the 1970 Boss Mustang.  I’ll make my case….

This past week I was able to attend the 2009 EAA Airventure air show in Oshkosh, WI with my Dad.  The show was fantastic, as always.  One evening as we were leaving the airfield we walked by the big display that Ford has every year.  This particular year they had a slew of new Mustangs (a 2009 Cobra Jet, a 2009 Mustang Challenge competitor, a 2010 GT500, and on and on).  In addition that that, they had one old one: a Grabber Green 1970 Mach 1.

mach1
Grabber Green 1970 Mach 1 Mustang.

As I said, as we were walking by the Ford tent I spotted the Mach 1 and stopped to look it.  It hadn’t been there the past several times we’d been by.  It was tucked around the side of the display and was not out front at all, but a little glimpse of it’s Magnum 500’s and roofline let me know it was there.  As I was taking a peek inside to see if it was a 4-speed car a couple of young guys walked by (perhaps 15-16 yrs old) looking at all of the Mustangs.  When they got to the Mach 1 I overheard one say to the other, “I’d rather be driving that one!”

That really got me thinking.  This car was 25 years old already by the time these guys were born.  It was already a “classic car” while they were on their way home from the hospital.  It’s highly unlikely that any of their buddies currently drive one, yet in the midst of all of the beautiful, safe, and outrageously powerful new Mustangs that were there the old Mach 1 is the one that caught their fancy.  There genuinely is something timeless about ’60’s and ’70’s muscle cars I suppose – these cars do have a never ending cool factor.  But still, one thought still lingered in my head…..

How did this Mustang get here to Wisconsin in 2009 so that we could see it?  How is it that it lasted nearly 40 years without being scrapped and sold for junk?  If there were a Cash-for-Clunkers program in the 1980’s would someone have traded it in for a new more green car and let the dealership fill the crankcase with sodium silicate solution, and then run the engine until is seized (and then sent the car to the crusher or shredder)?

I guess in the big picture of things we’ll never know, but I have a feeling that this Mustang was just too good looking to die.  Yes, it’s good looking in the physical sheet-metal sense to be sure, but more importantly I’ll bet someone saw it’s real “inner beauty”  – and that’s much more valuable.   Someone (or a few someone’s) that owned this car probably loved it.  It wasn’t just transportation to them – it was their Mustang.  Their pal.  Their compadre.  Someone they could count on when the chips were down, and someone they could show off when things were aces.  That Mustang earned a spot in their heart, and in return it was not treated as a mere commodity – it was treated as a member of the family.  They took care of it, and it returned the favor.  As such, it was spared a fate worse than death and was given a chance to live on.  A lot of other muscle cars (and unfortunately now modern muscle cars) may not have met such a kind fate, but this one did.

Was your muscle car too good looking to die?  I’m betting that it was.  The MuscleCar Place is filled with old muscle cars for sale that made the cut.  If there is a muscle car out there that you need to save then get to it, whether that means buying one and welcoming it to your family or restoring the old ride in the garage.  Let’s give them a better fate than this poor 2001 Blazer.  (Warning – you may want to go give you old car a hug after watching this.)

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The MuscleCar Place – Great Muscle Cars for Sale

4 Responses

  1. This website is really interesting. I have bookmarked it.
    Do you allow guest post on your website ? I can write high quality articles for you.
    Let me know.

  2. I had this exact car! Absolutely loved it and your description of owning one is spot on. Wish I had it today. ❤️

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