From EBay to Carlisle PA to Dearborn MI

[Trueoo7]

I apologize in advance if this is long but,and let me preface this by saying I own a Backdraft Cobra replica I have about 38K into the car, owned it for 11 years and have won 2 trophies in all that time.
My 18yr old son who naturally got the bug was dead set on buying a MustangII. I tried to talk him out of it because it was not the most popular Mustang ever built as we all know but the price was cheap so as a first car I agreed.This was back in October. Looked around and finally found one on ebay. White 74 2+2 4cyl 65K miles. I don't like buying anything, especially a car, sight unseen but again the price was right and cheap. We took a chance and won the auction. Had to pick the car up in Pennsylvania. Drove out and was shocked when we pulled up as the pictures did not do it justice. There wasn't a ding or a scratch on it. Except for a little rust in the engine compartment, the car was in excellent shape. The first show he entered it in he won a trophy. Third show he entered it in he won another trophy.
Being the 50 year anniversary for Mustang we decided to enter it into the All Ford Nationals at Carlisle PA. Tried to get it into the 50 year Mustang display but lost out to someone who had registered earlier than us. The organizers liked it so much they decided to put it in the 110 year anniversary display instead. We were among some really cool cars including a GT-40, an original A/C Cobra, a Boss 429 Mustang and one of a kind Cougar as well as a beautiful 78 Cobtra II. My son was estatic to say the least.

Then last night he gets a call from a gentlemen out in Dearborn MI from the "FORD Design Concept Center". He wanted to know if we would be interested in showing the car at their facility for a 50 year Mustang anniversary show on July 18th where among other cars, they will be focusing on Mustang II's. They plan to have one car from every style ( coupe, Mach 1, 2+2, etc.) for every year (74 thru 78) and they will be shaped in a horseshoe configuration. He said the show is for Ford employees and by invitation only. The president of Ford and the Ford family will be there along with the original designer of these generation 2 cars. They plan on pulling out the prototypes and concept cars for this 2nd generation mustang as well. He went on and on about the different one of a kind cars that will be displayed too, like Mustang #1 and #3 that they gave Carroll Shelby to modify into GT-350's, a Monroe Handler (1 of only 7 built), a 1962 Mustang which no one knew existed (found it in a totally enclosed brick room within a storage building) and the first mustang ever sold to the public.

We told him we needed some time to think about it so.... after about 5 seconds we agreed. Its an 11 hour drive for us but a once in a lifetime chance.

So in just 8 months my son has gone from a sight unseen (cheap) car on ebay, to the Ford Design Center where it all began in Dearborn MI on a car I told him not to buy and I sit with my 38K 11 year old car and 2 lousy trophies.

[mrmustang]

Cool story about your son's Mustang II.

Originally Posted by Trueoo7

a 1962 Mustang which no one knew existed (found it in a totally enclosed brick room within a storage building)

However, you must have misunderstood the person you spoke with as this car is well known, and was never under wraps, hidden forever, or recently uncovered.

[Trueoo7]

Originally Posted by mrmustang

Cool story about your son's Mustang II.



However, you must have misunderstood the person you spoke with as this car is well known, and was never under wraps, hidden forever, or recently uncovered.

Yea, I'm a little confused myself now. This is the story he told me. He said that the car was basically stolen from Ford by one of the people who helped design it, because he feared it would end up in the crusher which evidentally happens a lot (he said they can't possibly store all the prototypes and thats what happens to them). Everyone had thought that this IS what had happened to it so it wasn't alarming when it disappeared. Like I said, it went into a storage unit and the guy built a brick room around it.

Many years later he stopped paying rent on the unit and the owner found the brick room and started to break it apart not knowing what was inside. One of the bricks fell through the back window and broke it (I don't see a back window in your car). When he realized what he found he asked FORD if they wanted it back and FORD declined for whatever reason back then.

Car ended up in the hands of a doctor for many, many more years later and then he went to sell it on Hemmings. Someone from FORD saw it and literally sent a guy with a trailer to pick it up right then and there, while the other hand was picking up the phone to call the person and let them know they were coming for the car.

Unless this is another prototype (NOS) that nobody has seen yet. When I go I'll have to watch for it and ask him to retell me the story and see if this is the same car or not. I could have it wrong, like I said he talked on and on and touched on so many different cars and the history of FORD, he was a wealth of knowledge.

[Mark IV]

The original Mustang prototype has been at the Henry Ford for years.....however there were additional non running fiberglass splashes of the Troutman and Barnes aluminum runner made and that may be the car referenced.

As to "stealing and hiding" a Ford prototype, that part is true! The "XD Cobra" (better known as the "Bordinat Cobra") styling concept built on a 427 Cobra chassis WAS removed without permission by a Ford employee to ensure it did not go the crusher. I saw the XD circa 1981 when it was hidden in a Detroit area prototype contractor. When I found it and the contractor realized I knew what it was he swore me to secrecy!

Jeff Burgy championed the XD restoration with Ford and arranged the display at a SAAC convention with the Cougar II show car (built on a 260 Cobra chassis).

[Ron61]

True007,

How about a picture of your son's Mustang? And some Ford employees do take cars to save them from the crusher. The Green Hornet is an example of that.

Ron