part 3 classified ad...owned by...
At first glance, it appears these one-off Mustangs personally belonged to both Edsel and his father, Henry II, which has never been true. Both 100148 and 721789 were special-ordered, yet corporate-owned vehicles that belonged to Ford Motor Company. Both were built for the Fords’ use, but not to keep. Afterwards, the cars were returned to corporate and sold off the Ford Employee Resale lot in Dearborn.
To set the record straight, 5F07K100148 is a “pre-production” Mustang unit bucked and assembled at the Dearborn Assembly Plant with a scheduled build date code of “05C” – meaning it was one of approximately 180 pre-production units built between January and March of 1964 prior to the launch of mass production at Dearborn on Monday, March 9, 1964. It has a DSO Code of 89 meaning Ford Transportation Services – a vehicle ordered by Ford Motor Company for corporate use.
It is a popular misconception that pre-production units were considered “prototypes.” They were not prototypes, but instead “pilot” units ordered and built for final shakedown and quality assurance. The “05C” date code flagged them as “pre-production” units. Most were retained by Ford for promotional use and for export. Several of them have turned up in Britain and Europe, with several campaigned as racecars.
When 100148 rolled off the Dearborn line, it was shipped over to Ford Design and into the capable hands of those who transformed it into the custom ride shown here. The conventional Mustang seat frames were clad in thick foam with leather upholstery and custom appointments you’d expect for a guy like Henry Ford II. The interior was fitted with a leather headliner. The instrument panel and glove box door were clad with teakwood appointments as were the radio buttons and steering wheel.
You will also notice developmental parts like GT fog lamps, exhaust trumpets, and more throughout the HFII ride. The diecast wheel-lip moldings were damaged and not serviceable, hence their absence. When Art bought this car, it had ’66 Styled Steel wheels with trim rings, which seemed odd to Art. He believes the car’s original five-spoke custom mag wheels installed at Ford Design were either stolen or replaced with the styled steels. Art has since replaced them with the correct ’65 vintage Styled Steel wheels and Redline tires from Coker Tire.
Art has documented this Mustang’s history, touching base with Ford employees who were there at the time who were familiar with this Mustang hardtop. One mechanic at the Ford executive garage at World Headquarters remembered Mr. Ford’s concern over fuel economy. Consider the irony of that concern. Fuel was cheap in those days and no one buying a Hi-Po Mustang cared about fuel economy. One Ford technician concerned with keeping Mr. Ford happy swapped the 3.50:1 cogs with 3.25:1 while swapping in a different speedometer gear to slow Mr. Ford down.
In 2002, Art became concerned about his hardtop’s condition considering it was beginning to age in the damp Michigan environment. This was when Art came to me when I was at Mustang Monthly Magazine, to see if we could turn his Mustang into a magazine restoration project. This concerned me considering the nature of an enormous restoration project like this.
Our first suggestion was for Art to perform a thorough inspection of the body to confirm what it was going to need. We understood the hidden surprises that come up in a restoration. Rust and decay had taken a toll on this historic car. National Parts Depot, Mustangs Plus, Speed Pro, and a host of others stepped up and provided us with everything we needed to perform a concours restoration.
Rustbusters in Redford Township, Michigan, now long-retired and out of business, stepped up with their fabrication and restoration skills. The restoration wound up running into more expense than Art had ever expected. Such are the hazards of starting a restoration project to begin with. The Mustang needed new quarter panels, which had to be genuine original Ford sheet metal when you’re doing a car like this. Rustbusters exercised extremes of caution with the car, taking extra care not to disturb items like the leather top and pieces unique to this car.
As Rustbusters disassembled the car, they found more weaknesses that involved sheet metal replacement. The cowl vent was rusted through as were the wheel houses, frame rails, and the floor pans. Rustbusters used Ford sheet metal where possible, and reproduction when options weren’t available. Understand ideal circumstances, Art would have located a rust-free desert donor car and copped metal stampings from the body. There just wasn’t the budget for it.
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When Art became befuddled on which hood to use, he remembered what the car had when it was purchased in 1974. It had what enthusiasts call the "1965" hood, with the improved rolled-under lip. Enthusiasts mistakenly believe the “'64½ Mustangs” came with the unimproved hood with sharp unimproved corner lips. Research has shown us some '64½ Mustangs received the improved hood in production. When Art asked us which hood to use, we suggested he go with the hood that was on the car when it was purchased in 1974. Not the '64½ hood, but the “'65-style” improved-lip hood found on virtually all of the pre-production Mustang units (and even the “Pace Car White” Indy Pace Car hardtops) that have surfaced to date.
As Art went to work on the details, he found the car’s original 289 Hi-Po engine was in remarkable condition. It was bored and honed .030-inch oversize, with the decks milled and the mains align honed. Ford historian Chris Richardson of Detroit learned during the rebuild that Art’s 289 Hi-Po had experimental cylinder head castings. The short-block was freshened up with cast pistons and ductile-iron rings for durability. The original Top Loader four-speed transmission was in impeccable condition. The same could be said for the 9-inch rear end with 3.50:1 gears.
Rustbusters managed to complete this restoration just in time for Ford Motor Company’s 100th Anniversary in 2003. Art’s HFII hardtop was rolled out in front of World Headquarters, appropriately renamed the “Henry Ford II World Center” in honor of Henry Ford’s grandson’s post-war ability to turn the company around. Edsel Ford II turned out to view the Mustang that his father had driven a half-century earlier. Art was also invited to the 2003 Woodward Dream Cruise, which gave this car great exposure and the opportunity to observe a real slice of Ford history.
Since that time, Art has attended many shows with the car, including this summer’s Bay Harbor Classic Car Festival (Mustangs Bay Harbor) where it was the feature vehicle as part of a Mustang tribute to the late Hal Sperlich. Art was also recently featured on the popular Mustang Owner’s Podcast
(
),
where he recounted many stories behind his ownership of this historically significant Mustang.
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