John Murphy's 1966 Mustang Convertible

Story by John Murphy, owner of this 1966 Mustang Convertible.

This car is loaded with creature comforts and is an absolutely rust free example of a 66 Mustang. The reproduced invoice lists the equipment, and we have had many enjoyable miles in this car over the last 20 plus years. In the evenings with the top down there is nothing better, and when the broiling sun is at high noon the top goes up and the air conditioning goes on. Tunes from an AM/FM radio on an oldies station, this car is a pleasure to drive. Have taken it to New Mexico, the East coast and the Florida beaches, and is a great road car. 17 - 18 miles per gallon can be expected which by today's standards is not great, but typical of cars with automatic transmissions and air conditioning during the mid sixties. The convertible top is white and helps keep the car cool on hot summer days. This car was restored in 1987 with the help of a great many members of the Central Illinois Mustang club. Mark Patrick installed the seat covers, and my good friend Kenny Crow furnished not only the paint booth but also the talent to apply the Ditzler base coat/clear coat in Springtime Yellow. Mechanically freshened with .030 bore; balanced, hardened valve seats and careful assembly, you really cannot feel it idle. The thermactor system is fully functional, and the bottom of the car is completely detailed to replicate its condition when sold in the fall of 1965. The car was shown in the MCA concourse driven category and now is an MCA retired car, still attracting positive comments at major Mustang shows. Always driven, never on a trailer! I feel fortunate to own such a nicely equipped example of an early Mustang, and Janice and I are committed to being good caretakers. Again, these cars just simply must be driven to fully appreciate their full value.

This car now is equipped with a removable hardtop, an extremely rare accessory. In the future you will get more images of the top and copies of the original sales literature that was given to Ford dealers as "sales aides" so they could sell customers of new Mustangs a winter top.

We want to thank John for providing this story and the pictures of this incredible car. This Mustang Convertible was also recently featured in the January edition of Mustang Monthly Magazine. You are probably thinking that he is lucky to have his beautiful High Performance Fastback that we have featured here, and then you see this Mustang Convertible! What a great collection!