A closer look at this 1970 Ford Mustang Mach 1 reveals it’s not just any Mustang. It’s not even just any Mach 1. It’s part of the rarest-of-the-rare 428 Q-Code line. It is one of only 320 ever produced. Gleaming in its 100% factory original orange and black, restored to the finest detail, this is one of the most gorgeous vintage pony cars you will see in exhibition. Restoration specialists Ron and Randy from Vail’s Classic Cars, Inc. in Greenfield, Indiana tell us about meeting this incredible find for the first time. Ron buys the car, then sells it to Randy’s brother. Randy steps in when he buys it from his brother as a candidate for a total authentic restoration.
From Screwed-Up to Like-New
Before Ron and Randy’s buy fest, a previous owner starts -and stops -a restoration where the work does not go well. Their rare beauty is in an ugly state, far off track from the kind of restoration it deserves. Getting it to the primo condition you see today takes a staggering six-and-a-half years of intense work. They want to restore the car with parts from original 1970 Mach 1 428 Q-Codes – and there are very few of them left on Earth. Ron admits, “It’s such a hard thing to find the parts for these cars.” Every tiny piece, down to the smallest part, has to be painstakingly sourced from all around the world.
Ron’s Tip: Avoid Over-Restoring
Ron and Randy are passionate about never over-restoring a precious classic car like this 1970 Mach 1. Over-restoring dilutes the integrity of the vehicle and mutates it into something that never would have rolled off the factory line back in the day. For example, some restoration enthusiasts might attempt to fix an original factory flaw by adding a fresh “correct” part that isn’t really true to the vehicle. Ron and Randy avoid this at all costs. Unless it’s something outright dangerous, over-restoring is generally a bad policy for those who are faithful to accomplishing 100% authentic restorations.
Once-in-a-Lifetime Find
For the lucky folks who see this Mach 1 at World of Wheels or another car show, it is probably a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Let’s look at it by the numbers. Only 320 of these 428 Q-Codes are ever built. Of those, only a limited number have this Mach 1’s orange and black body paint – and of those, only a few vehicles on the planet are restored to their full original body colors. It’s rarer – and worth more – than the R-Code, one of its popular close cousins. Ron and Randy are huge car enthusiasts as well as expert restorers, and they’ve never seen anything else quite like it. Have you? We welcome your feedback in our comments section.
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