For Sale: 1965 Ford Mustang in Ft Worth, Texas

The first Mustang Indy pace cars have a fascinating story that's worth reading, although we certainly don't have room here. The short version is that given the shortage of Mustang convertibles, the special pace car replicas available to dealerships were coupes, all of them white with white and blue interiors and a 260 cubic inch V8 and automatic transmission. They were awarded to top-performing dealers as part of the "Checkered Flag" and "Green Flag" contests that were based on the dealer's sales performance prior to the introduction of the Mustang in 1964, and only the top 5 dealers in each district got one. This sharp little 1964 � Ford Mustang coupe was won by a dealer in the San Jose, CA district, and is one of only 185-190 built, making it incredibly collectable today.

To get enough pace cars for the festival, Ford tapped local Ford dealers to supply them. As a result, the actual cars used at the race ran the gamut of specifications, interior colors, and other features with the only thing tying them together being that they were all Wimbledon White. But the coupes are special, built consecutively and assigned special Pace Car White paint (code C, 1964 only) and fitted with special Pace Car graphics supplied by 3M. It included not only the familiar door markings, but also a blue stripe running down the center of the bodywork (remember this is before Shelby built his first GT350). The rest of the details were standard Mustang fare, including chrome bumpers, the "pony corral" front grille emblem, and familiar '260' badges on the front fenders. This one has been fully restored to those original specifications about 10 years and approximately 5,000 miles ago, and it was a beautiful restoration that's held up extremely well. It shows very little signs of use - top driver-quality if you actually have the stones to regularly drive it - and there's no question that showing up in this car is going to cause a stir.

While the festival convertibles had all kinds of different interior color combinations, all the pace car coupes were white buckets with blue carpets and dash, which is how this one has been restored. The combination is clean and elegant, perfect for a car that's designed to attract attention. The materials used throughout were accurately reproduced and unlike so many other Mustang restorations, there are no significant modifications or deviations from stock. In fact, the only thing missing are the blue floor mats, although reproductions can be easily sourced. The shifter sticks out of the transmission tunnel, sans console, as when it was new and the lovely white steering wheel matches the dash exactly. All the gauges were restored and look fantastic and the factory AM radio remains in place. It shows very little evidence of use and even with white seating surfaces, it looks crisp and fresh, a testament to the quality of the work and meticulous ownership. The trunk is detailed with a correct mat and a full-sized spare tire with correct bias-ply whitewall tire.

We have every reason to believe this is the original 260 cubic inch V8 engine (Ford didn't stamp VINs on their engines, so there's no such thing as numbers-matching), which was the only choice in your new pace car. Rebuilt in 2005 and approximately 5,000 miles ago to stock specs, it looks fantastic with all the correct factory Ford Blue dress-up parts. They were exceptionally careful to get the details right, from the decals to the hoses and clamps, with the battery being the only visible upgrade (although a reproduction Motorcraft could easily be sourced). Power steering is a desirable upgrade on any early Mustang and the C4 3-speed automatic transmission makes it a car you can drive anywhere, anytime. It runs great, as you'd expect from America's favorite pony car, and the single exhaust system has just the right sound. The undercarriage is clean and tidy, albeit not detailed for show, but the original rear end has a red oxide center section like it's supposed to and 3.00 gears inside. Standard steel wheels with hubcaps and bias-ply whitewall tires give it a totally authentic look.

Look up the history of these cars and you'll quickly realize that this is a very rare opportunity. Far more than just a clean Mustang coupe, this is one of the rarest Mustangs of all. Offered with a folder full or receipts of the build, a photo book documenting the build, the original trim tag, and original California tags, this is the one to have if you're look for the real-deal. Call now!