Jerry Heasley
August 2, 2019
Contributers: Jerry Heasley

This is a little bit of a departure from the typical Rare Finds, as we can't confirm or deny that this car came like this from the factory, or perhaps the dealership. Could Ford have produced a limited run of 1967 Mustangs with a side stripes reminiscent of the two-tone paint insert on the 1956-1962 Corvette?

Ben Beasley recently sent us a photo of a 1967 Mustang he bought "30 years ago or so," in his words. He lives in Jacksonville, North Carolina, and explained how he got the car. He was the general manager at a Cadillac dealership, and one day a man came in to buy a new Cadillac, with this '67 Mustang as a trade-in. It was his mom's car, and she had bought it new.

The '67 Mustang today retains the paint scheme with white side stripes, but of course it could have easily been modified. The 1968 picture means the modification had to be done back in the day, but the lady that bought the car brand new has passed away. Her son inherited the hardtop and traded it for that new Caddy.

The owner of the Cadillac dealership asked Ben, "Are you trading for that car?" When Ben replied yes, the owner said, "Well, you need to have a home for it, because I don't want it." Ben found a home—his garage. He got a boatload of documentation with the car, but there was nothing about the unique side stripes. He was curious, so Ben phoned Ford Motor Company and talked to any older gentleman that was there and might know something about it.

This conversation took place over 30 years ago and Ben recalls, "He told me they had sent these cars to Arizona and California and they did less than 100 of them for test market, and that was all they made. They didn't continue with the test, so evidently it wasn't a success like they thought it would be."

1956 to 1962 Corvette models came with a sculptured side cove that could be painted a different color, allowing for two-tone paint combinations.

We were curious too, so we contacted Kevin Marti for historical help. Ford Motor Company has licensed its production records for every Mustang and other Ford, Lincoln, and Mercury vehicle built since 1967 with Marti Auto Works (martiauto.com). They have information available that can tell you all about how your vehicle was built on the assembly line (known as Marti Reports, in case you're not familiar with them already).

Kevin looked up the '67 by the VIN but found no evidence of a special build. He found no evidence that this paint scheme came with the car from Ford but found a stock order by a dealer in Colorado with a sale to a retail customer. If Ford did test-market this side-stripe model in 1967, we figure there must have been other cars and people might remember them or somebody might still have one with the original paint. More than likely the stripe is either a modification or perhaps was added by the dealer when this Mustang hardtop was brand new. Who knows?

The stock engine is a C-code 289 two barrel, so nothing special on performance.

If you have information send me an email at jerryheasley@gmail.com.

"I got the owner's card. I got the owner's manual, the warranty book, receipts back from 1967, 1968, right on through, you know, oil changes, gas receipts, stuff like that. The 'OWNERCARD' came with the '67 hardtop showing a date of June 27, 1967," says Ben.
The Mustang's odometer reads just 92,229 miles.

Photography by Jerry Heasley