Classic car junkyards are usually loaded with mundane automobiles, but sometimes people get lucky enough to unearth rare gems. This post is not about one of those prized collectibles, but it involves a pony car that sports a rather unique feature.
The car in question is a 1966 Ford Mustang GT that was rescued after sitting in a junkyard for decades. Purchased by “Iron City Garage” and a yard sale, it’s an A-code pony, which means it left the factory with the second-most powerful V8 available that model year.
I’m talking about the 289-cubic-inch (4.7-liter) small-block V8 with a four-barrel carburetor, which was good for 225 horsepower, 25 horses more than the two-barrel version. In 1966, the A-code was second to only the K-code HiPo unit in terms of oomph. The latter came with 271 horsepower on tap.
Unfortunately, this ‘Stang has lost its original 289 V8 along the way, but that doesn’t matter much here. Because it’s the taillight layout that makes it stand out. Specifically, this pony received an additional pair of tri-bar taillights for an unusual and perhaps unique quad configuration.
Now that’s something first-gen Mustang purists will probably hate, so it begs the big question: why would someone do that? Well, I don’t know. It’s a pointless modification that does nothing to improve visibility. Yes, old Mustang taillights are small and poorly lit, but it’s not like a second pair of identical lights would do anything to solve that issue.
So this makes me think that whoever owned this car had an extra set of taillights laying around and didn’t want to let them go to waste. On the flip side, the Mustang looks like it was used for racing duties and also features an extra set of lights attached to the front bumper. Perhaps it had something to do with on-track visibility at night?
There wasn’t a lot of night racing back in the day, but who knows in which obscure series this Ford was raced. The white and brown (faded red?) livery and the “Paulsation” lettering on the doors don’t provide any useful hints about the car’s racing past. But based on the amount of rust covering its fenders, doors, and hoods, it’s been sitting for at least 30 years.
Is it worth restoring? Well, unless it’s some sort of historic race car, and it probably isn’t, it’s not worth much. It’s a donor car at best. But hey, if you’re a weirdo who likes Mustangs with quad taillights, “Iron City Garage” will probably put it up for sale soon.