The 200-cubic-inch six-cylinder...
The 200-cubic-inch six-cylinder fired up and ran. Apparently, nothing was missing.
Kenneth Pasquarell was interested in old guns, not old Mustangs. His friend Reid Davies liked single-action Colt pistols and thus their common ground.
In 1989, Pasquarell was visiting Reid in El Paso, Texas, when he noticed an abandoned ’65 Mustang fastback in the backyard. The sight intrigued Pasquarell enough to ask if the car was for sale.
“It was sitting under a pine tree,” Pasquarell said. “The sun had bleached the paint, but the body didn’t have a ding on it.”
The odometer was pretty low too—about 40,600. Why was the car just sitting in the backyard? Davies explained that the Mustang belonged to his mother, who had purchased it new at Kemp Ford. Evidently, the fastback was loaded with sentimental value but not options.
Davies recalled two Mustangs, one red and one blue, on Kemp Ford’s new car lot. The young man lobbied for the red Mustang with a 289 and a four-speed. His father felt the 200-cubic-inch six would work best for his wife, so Mary Ellen bought the Caspian Blue six-cylinder with three options—6.50x13 white sidewall tires ($33.90), AM radio ($58.50), and tinted windshield ($21.55). According to the window sticker, which Mary Ellen saved, the price was $2,821.95.
Pasquarell obtained the ’65...
Pasquarell obtained the ’65 Mustang fastback in a trade for a pair of vintage Colt pistols, including this single-action Army revolver, often touted as “the gun that won the West” and also known as “The Peacemaker.”
In 1996, Pasquarell moved to San Antonio, but he didn’t forget the Mustang or his friend’s words to the effect, “I’ll give you first chance if I ever sell it.”
Opportunity knocked in May 2010, ten years since Pasquarell had last seen the fastback. Davies was ready to make a deal. However, the two friends didn’t swap cash.
“He remembered I had an old Colt single-action Army revolver, so we traded,” said Pasquarell, who got the ’65 Mustang fastback while Davies got a pair of Colt pistols, the single-action along with a Bisley. Both pistols have documentation back to 1901 when they were shipped from the Colt factory.
Instead of driving to El Paso and towing the car home to San Antonio, Pasquarell hired a transporter to pick up the fastback. Amazingly, with a fresh battery the ’65 started and ran. The transport driver drove the fastback onto his trailer, securing it with the emergency brake handle because the regular drum brakes did not work.
As Pasquarell took the car apart, he discovered a mostly rust-free Mustang except for a little rot in the bottom of the doors and the right front fender. Otherwise, the ’65 fastback was complete. He is currently restoring the car.
To think Pasquarell traded two Colts for this Mustang adds to the mystique to this two-owner fastback.