To me the Ford Mustang is one of the most beautiful (affordable) cars ever built and I've been wanting to buy one for about 4 years, but lacked the money. This year, after saving up, postponing our trip around the world and selling the Buggy, the time had come to look in earnest.

I wanted the 1966 model as it still has the original shape, but has the round speedometer (instead of the very wide one in the 1964-1965 model). I also wanted the more powerful 289 CI (= 4,57 l) V8 engine. But most of all I wanted the convertible version. And yes, I do know that this combination makes it the most expensive of all old mustangs.

When we decided to buy the Mustang this year I found prices in Holland had risen much more than I expected. The one I was looking for (66 model V8 convertible) in a decent state would cost me between 17 and 18.000 Euro. This was way over my budget. So I had the choice between saving up for at least another year or buying one in America. They were always cheaper there, but as the US$ was weak (1.1 for a Euro) they became a lot cheaper.

After first looking on ebay  I started looking at other sites where there was less time pressure. After about 2 months I found the one I was looking for (have a look at the original add). I send some e-mails and got some pictures which showed more of the car and got copies of the invoices. On Sunday 17 August I made an offer for US$ 10.500 which was accepted. So I got busy. On Monday I send over a US$ 500 deposit via Western Union Money transfer, booked flights to Dallas (nearest major airport) and started looking into shipping it over. Shipping proved to be complicated as in that I got few replies on my emails and got huge difference in quotes. I finally picked Astarte as their quote was lower as most and I got a good feeling talking to them. Also, giving all aspects (land transport, US customs, shipping and Dutch customs) to one company makes it easier when something goes wrong.

Thursday 28 August I left for Dallas via Houston. After a long flight and some questions at the US customs I picked up the rental car and got to the hotel at 11 pm (US time).

The next day I drove to Oklahoma and looked at the car. Have a look at the pictures I took there. The interior needed a bit of work and the paint is not in mint condition, but the engine was very good and many parts had been replaced in the last 2 years. The only problem was the (overhauled) 3 speed manual transmission. The spring was so tight I stalled the engine a number of times. I wanted the auto transmission, but I can always change it later. We had it lifted on a rack to see the bottom of the car, and I proved myself a lousy mechanic not spotting a lot of rust.... After transferring the title we made it back to the house where I shot some video. You can watch it in high or medium resolution

On Wednesday 15 October I picked the car up from the dockyards in Amsterdam and drove it home! Ok,it now sits in the garage awaiting the adjustments needed for the Dutch law and some minor repairs. These pictures where taken at my parents place that day: Picture 1, 2, 3

After putting it on a rack in a garage in Hilversum we discovered there was a lot of welding to be done to the chassis.... Have a look at the restoration in high or medium quality.