The Story

The Ford Mustang recently celebrated its 60th anniversary. This Silver Smoke Gray Mustang coupe rolled off the San Jose, CA production line on March 22nd, 1965 with a 225 horsepower 289ci V8 mated to a Borg Warner T-10 4-speed manual. It has been in project status for more than four decades, spanning two owners during that time. The first owner, a young man, had it parked at his parent’s house for 20 years before moving away without completing the work. The second owners, a father and son duo, began restoration by stripping the body to bare metal, installing new brakes and lines, new front suspension, new gas tank, new heater core, and new instrument bezel before life circumstances forced them to let it go.

Both previous owners believed this was a factory GT, but closer examination suggests it's most likely either a dealer-optioned GT or a personal conversion from the 1960s or 1970s. A key GT component is present: the 16:1 quick ratio steering box, identified by the HCC AX marking on its metal tag. This GT box has been professionally rebuilt with zero miles. Supporting the dealer-conversion theory is the fog light switch mounted under the dash rather than on the lower dash face, a known characteristic of factory GT cars.

This Mustang holds a clean California title and is currently registered until February 2026 with new license plates.