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Cars

Mustang with prized pedigree

The pampered convertible has had so few owners, it has never left the state.

By MARTY CLEAR
Published April 1, 2005

There was something in Jim Hance's telephone voice, that day just over a year ago, that gave Jim McClurkin the feeling that he had found the perfect buyer for his beloved Mustang convertible.

Then, the next day, when he opened the garage door and showed Hance and his wife the powder-blue 1964-and-a-half 'Stang, McClurkin knew his gut instinct had been right.

"I knew from the look on their faces that they were sold," McClurkin said. "There was just something in their eyes, a sparkle. I knew they'd take good care of it."

McClurkin knew well the emotions that Hance and his wife, Brenda, were feeling that day in February 2004. He felt the same way, 12 years before, when he first encountered the pristine Mustang in the garage of its original owner.

Let's back up a little and revisit some significant automotive history. The Mustang, a car both revolutionary and phenomenally popular, was introduced in March 1964, halfway through the model year. Most of us who aren't hard-core Mustang aficionados think of the first, classic model as a '64. But because of when it came out, the title calls it a '65. So Mustang lovers refer to it as a 1964-and-a-half.

It's among the most prized of the classic Mustangs, and among the rarest. It was produced for only four months, from March 9 through July 31, 1964. The 1965 model debuted on Aug. 17, 1964.

Hance, the current owner, recently brought his car to a Ford show, with about 1,000 Mustangs. There was only one other 1964-and-a-half.

Hance knows almost every detail of his car's life. It was so pampered, right from the start, that it has all the original paperwork.

"The car was originally purchased at Bill Currie Ford in Tampa," Hance said. "It was bought by a couple from Naples, and the reason they bought it at Bill Currie was that was the closest dealership where they could find a convertible."

That couple owned the car for decades; the wife, until 1992. Her husband died, and she remarried and moved to Tampa. McClurkin, a longtime Mustang fan, heard about it through a friend's casual reference.

"He said his aunt had an old car in her garage," McClurkin said. "I asked him what kind and he said, "I don't know, it might be a Mustang.' "

McClurkin was interested, and then was thrilled to find out it might be a first-year 'Stang. And a convertible at that.

The owner had no idea she had such a jewel. It was just her old family car, and it had just been sitting in her garage. And had very low mileage.

Even today, Hance said, the car has never once been driven outside of Florida, and has only 87,000 miles on it.

There's not too much difference, on the outside, between a 1964-and-a-half Mustang and a 1965, but there's a big difference to collectors.

McClurkin soon knew he had found the genuine article.

"When I lifted the hood and saw the generator, that did it," he said. "Plus, it had a 260. That was the only V-8 in the early models."

For the 1965 Mustang, Ford replaced the generator with an alternator, and the 260-cubic-inch engine with a 289.

There were some cosmetic differences as well. Most notably, the paint, officially called Skyline Blue, was discontinued after the 1964 model year.

The car was 28 years old when McClurkin discovered it, but it was the ultimate "little old lady special." Everything was original, and it needed very little repair or restoration. McClurkin repainted the car (maintaining the distinctive original color) and replaced the dashboard; almost nothing else was needed.

In recent years, McClurkin found that his Mustang was spending more and more time in his garage in Tampa. He wasn't taking it to shows as often as he used to, and his wife was tired of parking her car outside while the Mustang took up half the garage.

So he decided to sell it. He put an ad in the paper on a Friday. The first call came from Hance, who lives in Riverview. He was seriously interested but couldn't make it into Tampa until the next morning. McClurkin agreed to hold the car.

"There was just something in his story that made me believe him," McClurkin said. "I told him he had to be here by 9 the next morning."

Other interested buyers called all day Friday. Many were indignant that McClurkin was holding the car. "You can't hold it," they would yell. "I've got cash."

Jim and Brenda Hance showed up at 9 a.m. sharp, fell in love with car and bought it on the spot. Neither McClurkin nor the Hances have regretted their decision.

For McClurkin, the sale marked the end of a lifelong passion for collecting Mustangs. He's in his 70s now and feels that it's time to hand over the reins and let new collectors have the same joy.

Hance is a newcomer to car collecting. He has always wanted a classic car, a Mustang in particular, but never had the time or the opportunity.

Owning the car for the past year has changed his life. He and Brenda have seriously immersed themselves in the car subculture and have a shelf full of trophies already.

"I only drive it to shows, but we go to about a show a week, sometimes three shows a week," he said. "Last week we took it to a Mustang show. There were about 100 Mustangs and we won Best in Show."

[Last modified March 31, 2005, 08:54:10]