Car Stories: Steven Grant

In April 1964, Ford Motor Company was honored by having the new Mustang named as the official Pace Car for the 1964 Indianapolis 500 auto race. To celebrate this honor and help increase the new Mustang’s exposure, Ford’s Dearborn assembly plant manufactured about 190 special Mustang Pace Car replica hardtops to be awarded to individual dealers as part of a sales program. These cars were painted a special Pace Car White color, and they all had the 164-horsepower 260 cubic inch V-8 engine, automatic transmission, power steering, back-up lights, AM radio, padded visors, and a white vinyl interior with blue appointments. They wore distinctive “PACE CAR” lettering and stripe decals and were awarded to Ford dealerships throughout the country as part of two special sales incentive programs.

Of these 190 Pace Car replica hardtops, only 3 are currently restored to Mustang Club of America's Concours Gold condition. This example was a Green Flag sales contest winner originally sold from Thompson Auto Company in Thomasville, North Carolina. Like almost all the early Pace Car convertibles and hardtops, the original stripe and lettering decals on this car were removed by the dealer at the original owner's request because he didn't care for them, despite the salesman's efforts to change his mind! Built April 20, 1964, it was used as daily transportation by eight owners, painted red by the fifth owner, and stored for five years in Virginia before reaching its California home.

I purchased this vehicle in June 1996 while visiting family on the East Coast. After delivery to Southern California, the car was sent for a full two-year rotisserie restoration in Orange County and completed in time for its first show in October 1998. Since then, it is driven about once a month for exercise purposes. At the 2003 Knotts Berry Farm All-Ford show with 2000 top show cars from across the country, the car was selected for the Johna Pepper Best of Show award.

After extensive research, effort, and expense, Mustang Pace Car hardtop 5F07F116036 has been restored to exact original condition based on the Mustang Club of America’s “Street Driven Concourse” standards, including the deleted driver’s side mirror and Autolite tar-top battery. As an early ’65 model, it contains many features found only on the earliest Mustangs.