It’s hard to forget your first car. It’s like your first love – not even bleach can wipe that out of your memory. Unlike the latter, getting another chance to see a car you owned 32 years ago restored can melt your heart. Craig LoPresti of Thecraig909 YouTube channel surprised an old timer with his restored 1982 Ford Mustang GL coupe that had been sitting since 1990 when he last parked it.
Craig got the 1982 Mustang last year as a fun restoration project. It had been sitting on the exact spot where the original owner last parked it in 1990. He’s been working on it since and, on his latest episode, thought it would be a brilliant idea to spark a bit of nostalgia to the original owners.
The third generation Mustang was produced by Ford Motors between 1978 and 1993. The 1982 Mustang GL got the short end of the stick running a weaker 89-hp (81 ps) 2.3-liter inline-four compared to the GT’s 157 hp (159 ps) out of a 5.0-liter V8.
“We will be taking the Mustang GL down to the original owner’s property and showing him the car for the first time since it’s been running and driving in the last 30 years,” Craig revealed.
Even though it’s not a complete restoration, it’s an impressive transformation from how he picked it up a year ago. So far, he’s done a mechanical repair, buffed the exterior, and detailed the interior.
It’s pretty interesting how Craig bumped into this fox body Mustang. Last year, his friend Justin reached out about a free fox body with paperwork. As corny as it sounded, Craig jumped on the opportunity.
The original owner, Don, was ecstatic to see his old car. His daughter couldn’t help but notice the sweat and hours Craig put into the car to get it running. It brought back memories, including when his daughter threw up in the car. She’s now 38, and that’s all she remembers about this 40-year-old Mustang.
“We asked him why he had stopped driving it, and he quite literally said, I don’t really know. I just stopped driving it,” Craig said.