The automotive world is a fantastic place that hides so many gems if you know where to look, and people in the restoration business know this very well.
Saving cars can be a super-rewarding experience, especially when you come across rare gems that would otherwise bite the dust. eBay seller mustangmasters428, also a shop owner, purchased the Mustang in these photos 25 years ago, planning to give it a second chance at one point in the future.
They did the same for hundreds of other projects, with the lineup eventually counting 200 vehicles needing restoration, so the Mustang never received a second chance.
However, they discovered that this Mustang wasn’t like all the other.
The car is a rare 1965 K-code (albeit you can all see what happens under the hood today), so it was built with performance in mind from the very beginning. The 1965 Mustang featuring the HiPo engine produced 271 horsepower, and while no specific production numbers are available for this model year, it’s believed a K-code model is very rare – this is also the reason they are very desirable in the collectors’ world, with original, unrestored, and tip-top examples selling for more money than we can imagine.
Ford produced over 1.7 million Mustangs in the first three years of this legendary nameplate, but it’s estimated that less than 1% rolled off the assembly lines with a K-code engine under the hood. Some people claim that Ford built only approximately 13K K-code Mustangs in these first three years, and the convertible is almost impossible to find, as only a handful (figuratively) were produced.
The owner explains that this car was purchased from a Mustang shop in Florida, and the engine was already missing, but if you plan to restore the car, they can help you with almost anything you need.
The car’s condition is obvious, and the bodywork it requires is unsurprising, but you must know that the car now wears a base coat paint applied 10 years ago to protect it.
A K-code Mustang is a great project for a professional restorer, and it’d be a shame for this 1965 model to end up using another engine, so fingers crossed that whoever buys the car installs the right engine under the hood.
Otherwise, I doubt the car will remain available for long, though the selling price could be a roadblock for this Mustang’s return to the road. The owner will let it go for $12,500, but they also enabled the Make Offer button, so they are willing to listen to your offers.
Meanwhile, the Mustang is parked in Jacksonville, Florida, and you’ll need a trailer to take it home, considering the fresh air under the hood, though I expect it to roll freely, so it’ll be easy to load.