1971 Mach 1 Mustang

My very first car was a 1971 Ford Mustang Mach 1.  Not this one, but it was similar.  When Ford came out with this new body style in 1971, I thought it was a really cool look.  I went and bought a brand new one at the local Ford dealer.

It was a light pewter color with black accents, a 351 Windsor motor and 4-speed.  I had a lot of fun with the car.  I ended up putting headers and side-pipes on it.  I also did some tune-up work and it was a quick car.  My one regret was that I hadn’t gotten a Boss 351 with a Cleveland motor.  Still, it was a great car for me.  Unfortunately, I ended up selling the car.  Like most collectors, I wish I had kept my original one.

It’s not easy to find nice 71 Mach 1’s.  It’s never been that desirable a car in the collector circles and it’s hard to do a nice restoration on one and have the value hold up.  I looked for a few years and didn’t have much luck.  Boss 351’s are more valuable and you see those that have been restored occasionally.  Since my original wasn’t a Boss 351, that wasn’t what I was looking for.  I found this one at a car auction in Scottsdale, AZ and finally got one.  The motor was built more than mine had been, but I really couldn’t complain about that.

Bill Sefton
Bill Sefton
Bill Sefton, Chicago native, and passionate car collector. Currently retired, but still involved in the car collection community. Reach out, happy to connect!