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My 1969 Ford Mustang Mach 1 left the production line in Dearborn, Michigan on Aug. 18, 1969 and headed for a dealer in Phoenix, Arizona. The W5 door code indicates the car was originally painted Meadowlark Yellow. Somewhere along the line, but prior to 1990, the car was repainted, again in Meadowlark Yellow as evidenced by several areas of overspray. The original side decal was painted over (you can still see it when you open the door), and I believe a door guard strip was installed at that time.
I have no information on the original owner, but the car was purchased by a colleague from Cold Lake, Alberta (Gord Coulman), from what is believed to be the car’s second owner. A Mr. George Carmignani from Santa Fe, New Mexico, bought it on April 16, 1990. (Gord was a civilian IT specialist who worked for me when I was the Commanding Officer of 10 Field Technical Training Squadron in Cold Lak,e Alberta. This Unit was responsible for training technicians on the CF18. I am a retired officer trained as an Aerospace Engineer in the Royal Canadian Air Force. At that time, I was a Major. I retired as a Lieutenant-Colonel in 2012, having gone through 5 more postings since Cold Lake.)
The mileage at the time was 101,000 miles. I purchased the car from Gord Coulan on March 31, 1994. The odometer reading at that time was 14,300 miles, though it actually clocked 143,000 miles. I had helped Gord pull the motor and do an overhaul given the expected mileage. At the time, I mentioned that if he ever considered selling it to let me know. In 1994, he approached me saying that his wife was interested in establishing a B&B in Cold Lake and asked me if I was still interested in purchasing the car? Needless to say, a deal was struck.
Since I bought the car, I have replaced the heater core, upgraded the radiator to 3-core, repainted the hood, installed the rear window louvres and rear spoiler, replaced rims and tires, upgraded ignition system to Petronix, and replaced original Autolite carberator with Holley Carb. Given its roots in Southwestern USA and Alberta, the car has been rust-free with the only exception being a spot on the right rear quarter panel. I would like to say that with standard steering and brakes, the only thing powered is the accelerator. It originally came with A/C, but it was non-functional when Gord Coulman bought it. Although I have the original compressor, it has never been reinstalled. Perhaps a future expense along with disc brakes and a better steering system (it’s a bit wonky on the highway).
I fell in love with this car’s lines the moment I saw it. I’ve been to a lot of car shows and she always gets appreciated by participants and attendees alike. My first car was a 1970 Triumph GT6+, so I’ve always had a soft spot for sports cars. Between 1980 and 1983, I had an MGB, which was a lot of fun, but I sold it when I was posted to Winnipeg. Due to the Mustang’s near-original status, I have been reluctant to mess with it and have mostly attempted to maintain it in original condition.
One good story occurred when I was driving the Mach 1 from Winnipeg to my posting in Toronto. I was gassing up when a fellow in a newer Jaguar came over and asked if I would trade even? When I said no, he was surprised and asked why. I replied that tomorrow his car would be worth less while the Mustang would always appreciate. Regarding electric vehicles, I currently own a plug-in hybrid RAV4 and absolutely love it. My previous car had been a 2006 Acura TL, which I adored, but with the price of premium gas going through the roof, I must say the ease of plugging the RAV in at night and doing all my local driving on battery power is very enjoyable. The smooth power of the electric motors was also a pleasant surprise, as this was my first experience with electric vehicles.
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