Forget the Fastback, This 1967 Mustang GT ‘Notchback’ is For the Working Man

BOLD RIDE

Copyright © 2016 Bold Ride LLC.

 

Posted by Andrew T. Maness

                                         

The original fastback Ford Mustangs of the late 1960s are iconic. But personally, I’ve always been partial to the two-door hardtop “Notchback” ‘Stangs. While the design may not be nearly as ‘special,’ that’s part of the allure; the notchback feels more like a working man’s Mustang.

 

People always fawn over the upscale fastback, and lust after the convertible, but the more traditional notchback is capable of flying under the radar thanks to its blue collar aesthetic. For example, the car in question retains its factory AM radio, doesn’t have A/C, and if it was sentient, would probably prefer Waylon to Dylan—now it’s for sale.

 To most people, it’s just a classic coupe that happens to be a Mustang, but the longer you look at one, the more you’ll find things to like about it. The question is, how much is there to love?

First off, it’s been in California since it rolled off the assembly line in San Jose in March of 1967. A “driver quality” respray was done in 2010, and still has the car looking damn sharp. Flaws are limited to the occasional mark, some edge chips, and cracking between the trunk lock and GT pop open filler cap. There’s no major corrosion to be found, and though panel fitment isn’t exactly perfect in a few places, the exterior overall presents quite well.

 Both chrome bumpers still have a nice deep shine, and the glass is rather solid all around, showing only minimal pitting on the stainless window trim.  The desirable, and new for ’67 independent concave taillights are in good shape, as are the GT grille-mounted auxiliary lamps, which are among my favorite exterior design touches.

The interior looks great covered in red vinyl, with the white cue ball shifter making for a wonderful contrasting centerpiece. The seats have some marks on them, but no tears, or aggressive wearing that should turn anyone off to driving this thing as is. The carpet appears to be newer—which is always a good thing—and dash inserts look to be in great condition as well. The only patina visible inside the car is on the wood steering wheel, but that just adds to the character.

As for power, figures are not provided, but brand new, the trusty small block “Windsor” V8 made 200 horsepower and 289 lb-ft of torque with the stock two-barrel carburetor configuration.

 The seller swapped that out for an Eldebrock Performer setup that draws from a new fuel tank, breathes through an Eldebrock air cleaner and intake manifold, and makes noise through a quad tip exhaust. The seller also swapped out the three-speed manual for a four speed with a Hurst shifter, and put in a new clutch while they were at it.

Traction is found, or not found in some cases, by period correct white letter BF Goodrich T/As with enough sidewall to make an import tuner fanboy pass out.

 They’re mounted on 15-inch Magnums which look nice, but weren’t stock for regular Mustangs in ’67, if you care about that sort of thing. New pads are needed for the dual-circuit power brakes up front, and the power steering system feels a bit loose, according to the seller.

Ah yes, let’s get to that all important bit about what this car should cost. While I’m not an expert on the Mustang market, I have a pretty firm grasp of how much is too much for one of these. And despite having 64,000 original miles on it, the respray, and light modifications, I wouldn’t be comfortable spending much over $13k on this car.


That may seem a bit low, but given the panel gaps, inconsistencies in the trim, and non-OEM parts, it’s not anything exceptional, which is perfectly fine. This isn’t an investment opportunity, it’s a chance to own a solid example of a stylish classic that you could drive everyday, and not have to worry about something happening to it.