Photo by Photo Submitted
AN ACCIDENT OF HISTORY – The Ford Mustang that once again attracted international attention in the United States over the weekend was originally shipped to the Yukon by mistake. Photo courtesy of Barrett-Jackson
Famed Mustang sported Yukon plate at auction
The first hardtop Ford Mustang that was accidentally shipped to Whitehorse in 1964 was auctioned off Saturday for $175,000 US.
The first hardtop Ford Mustang that was accidentally shipped to Whitehorse in 1964 was auctioned off Saturday for $175,000 US.
The Mustang was sold at the Barrett-Jackson auction in Scottsdale, Ariz.
The buyer actually had to pay $192,500 US, given the 10 per cent commission added to the sale of vehicles auctioned off.
The pony car was the first pre-production Mustang hardtop to receive a vehicle identification number – VIN 00002.
The vehicle identification number 00001 was assigned to the first pre-production convertible Mustang that sits in the Ford Museum in the U.S.
The Caspian blue 1965 Mustang sold over the weekend was supposed to be shipped to Vancouver – but ended up in Whitehorse.
It didn’t sell initially, as it had a plain six-cylinder engine with a standard three-speed transmission, Wayne McKenna, a salesman at the Whitehorse Motors Ford dealership back then, recalled to the Star in an interview in 2017.
McKenna said locals were more interested in bells and whistles and the bigger V-8 engine.
He actually drove the Mustang as a demonstration model for about a year before it sold in the spring of 1965 – for $3,200.
As the story goes, it left the territory in 1983 and spent some time with different owners in Alberta. At one time, it’s said to have sold for just $300.
An attempt to sell the car at an auction in May 2017 was unsuccessful as the low bid of $300,000 US did not meet the owner’s minimum price.
Its value had been appraised back then by the Mecum auction house at between $450,000 and $650,000.
For Saturday’s auction, the car was fitted with a Yukon licence plate.
Information by Barrett-Jackson about the Mustang notes it had been owned for the last 20 years by Bob Fria, a renowned Mustang historian who fully restored the vehicle.
Barrett-Jackson pointed out the car was used in video shoots for an the upcoming feature-length movie Ford V. Ferrari about the battle between the two companies.
The film is scheduled for release this summer, starring Matt Damon and Christian Bale.
The Mustang came with two binders of information listing all the previous owners.
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Comments (4)
Up 0 Down 0
warren isherwood Q on Jan 23, 2019 at 11:46 am
Wow - now I have raised the price again my rust free 1966 coupe. Silly pricing. Dollar has no bite sad to see people over value. It's in Canada also Portmcneil, BC
Up 8 Down 2
PB on Jan 22, 2019 at 10:20 am
The Mustang with VIN 00001 that sits in the Ford Museum was originally sold in Newfoundland. Go Canada!
Up 3 Down 19
Bob Folster on Jan 22, 2019 at 10:06 am
YAWN - slow news day Whitehorse Star ?
Up 11 Down 5
SavvyInvestor on Jan 21, 2019 at 4:23 pm
Owners minimum 2017 price of 300 K . That’s an insult to me as an owner. Sorry, no sale. Wait a couple of years and look back and glory in the appreciation to ..... er. Wait a minute! (gee, those Yukon plates have, er, added real value eh?).