Finding the car of your dreams is seldom a simple task. However, the rewards cannot be measured when you finally reach the finish line. Joe Cade, from Columbus, Mississippi, had to reach out across a couple of thousand miles of flat, dusty prairie in order to find this '65 Mustang fastback in west Texas.inline_mediumwraptextright25883591/featuredvehicles/mump_0912_1965_ford_mustang_fastbackmump_0912_01_o+1965_mustang_fastback+front_view.jpgTrue

When the Arab oil embargo struck in 1973-1974, many Mustang owners traded in their Boss 429s, Shelbys, and Mach 1s for Pintos. Gas lines and higher prices created hysteria and flipped the car market upside down in a matter of days.inline_mediumwraptextright25334852/featuredvehicles/mump_0911_1971_mach_1mump_0911_03_+1971_mach_1+.jpgTrue

When Craig Chesley first laid eyes on Scott Drake's tattered and multi-colored Pay It Forward Mustang, there was still no doubt that he and his fellow East Texas Mustang Club members could restore the car within Drake's six-month timeframe and have it ready for auction at Barrett-Jackson. The club had submitted their project proposal based on photos; when the '66 convertible arrived by car hauler at the 45th Mustang Anniversary Celebration, it was club members' first chance to see and touch the car.inline_mediumwraptextright30779943/featuredvehicles/mump_0911_restored_1966_mustang_convertiblemump_0911_02_+restored_1966_mustang_convertible+1966_convertible_before.jpgTrue

Love 'em or hate 'em, there are some great looking '74-'78 Mustang IIs out there. One is the Ghia, a luxury model that Andrea Lucas believes Ford built in the style of a "little Lincoln." She points to the hood ornament on her '77 Ghia, an extra-cost accessory in the form of a running horse over the Roman numeral "II." Plus, the Ghia looks elegant, especially in the black and tan color combination.inline_mediumwraptextright30759804/featuredvehicles/mump_0911_1977_mustang_2_ghiamump_0911_06_+1977_mustang_ghia+.jpgTrue

Houston has long been a big oil town, even in the worst of times for the oil industry. In the best of times, Houston was over the top in terms of prosperity. It's home to a huge aerospace community centered around NASA, with the Johnson Space Flight Center managing space missions for at least a half century. When you combine oil gushers and thundering rocket power, you get something on the order of Jeff Fox's '67 Shelby GT 500 replica. It seems only natural that a NASA flight test engineer would build a car like this.inline_mediumwraptextright25333865/featuredvehicles/mump_0911_1967_shelby_gt_500_replicamump_0911_03_+1967_shelby_gt500_replica+.jpgTrue

Ever had a car in your neighborhood you wanted so badly that you kept a close watch on it in hopes that it would come up for sale? In most cases, the car vanishes, never to be seen again. Joel Sokolow has a story like this, only his '70 Mustang Grabber is the dream car that didn't get away.inline_mediumwraptextright24870616/featuredvehicles/mump_0910_1970_mustang_and_maverick_grabbermump_0910_02_+1971_mustang_and_maverick_grabber+frontview.jpgTrue

Like most cars of its era, the Boss 351 had far more flexibility and individuality in its ordering process than do the Mustangs of today with their packaged and bundled content. Inevitably, that pick-and-choose freedom on the option sheet occasionally led to some curious combinations rumbling out the factory door. Case in point is our featured Boss 351- the one and only one, according to Kevin Marti's research, that originally combined a Grabber Yellow exterior with that era-extroverted Décor Group vinyl-and-green-striped-cloth interior. Yet, despite his car's singular status, current owner Sylvain Poirier was so put off by the combination of hues that he decided, in the process of the car's detailed restoration, to opt instead for Grabber Green base/clearcoat, a better match for the cabin. And besides, he already has another yellow Boss 351 . .inline_mediumwraptextright29716584/featuredvehicles/mump_0910_1971_mustang_boss_351mump_0910_01_+1971_boss_351+boss_351_front_angle.jpgTrue

There has always been a certain fascination about early production Mustangs. We've all heard the story of 100001, a white convertible that was mistakenly sold to airline pilot Stanley Tucker and eventually returned to Ford, where it is now preserved by The Henry Ford museum. The hardtop with the earliest VIN, 100002, was found in Canada by Art Fria, who restored the car and now displays it at museums.inline_mediumwraptextright29749545/featuredvehicles/mump_0910_1964_worlds_fair_production_mustangsmump_0910_13_+1964_worlds_fair_production_mustangs+1964_mustang_backview.jpgTrue

I met Brian Wolfe in September of 1989 during a trip to Dearborn while working at Super Ford magazine. Hank Dertian, an engineer at what was then known as Ford Motorsport, now Ford Racing, invited me out to a Wednesday afternoon test session at Milan Dragway for a sneak peek at his new GT-40 hardware for 5.0-liter Mustangs. He convinced me to drive out to Milan by promising that he'd bring prototypes of the GT-40 heads and intake for photography, along with offering the opportunity to drive a car with the GT-40 equipment installed. They would be using Hank's 5.0 coupe and an '86 GT owned by a young Ford engineer named Brian Wolfe.inline_mediumwraptextrightAs director of Ford Racing, Brian oversees all of Ford's racing activities and performance parts programs.29724849/featuredvehicles/mump_0910_up_close_and_personal_with_brian_wolfemump_0910_05_+brian_wolfe_interview+ford_racing_director_brian_wolfe.jpgTrue

DURING ONE OF our visits to Mustangs Plus in Stockton, California, Dave Bramlett pointed out a Highland Green Mustang fastback in the shop. Spotting the Torq-Thrust wheels, mouthy grille, blacked out gas cap, and other Bullitt nuances, I thought to myself, "Okay, here's another Bullitt replica." I liked the idea, but we've seen quite a few of them since the movie's 30th anniversary's madness in 1998 when it seemed everyone, including Ford, was building Bullitt tributes.inline_mediumwraptextright26566951/featuredvehicles/mump_0911_1968_mustang_fastback_bullitt_replicamump_0911_03_+1968_mustang_fastback_bullitt_replica+.jpgTrue

Adventure. That's what it's all about. Whether it's the great pilgrimage to Bonneville or spending a weekend driving back roads looking for a possible barn find, adventure is where you find it. Getting to the fairgrounds early and scoring a parking spot under the tree? No, it's about how you had to strap the come-along to a tree to get the car out of the berries when you found it.inline_mediumwraptextrightThe Mustang was a purpose-built race car, but it had a full interior supplied by YearOne, including carpet and headliner. The 8-point rollcage, 5-point harnesses, fire extinguisher, window nets, Shelby gauge pod, and Terra-Trip rally computer are pure function. Like the original Shelbys, the rear seat was removed and replaced with a spare tire.24992321/featuredvehicles/mump_0909_1965_mustang_fastbackmump_0909_02_+1965_mustang_fastback+steering_wheel_interior.jpgTrue

Mention Ford performance around Dayton, Ohio, and most likely you will hear the name of NHRA legend "Ohio" George Montgomery. Memories of his famous '67 Mr. Gasket Mustang Funny Car and Ford-powered '32 Willys Gasser come to mind.inline_mediumwraptextright24967904/featuredvehicles/mump_0909_1973_mustang_convertiblemump_0909_01_+1973_mustang_convertible+front_view.jpgTrue

Mustang restorer John Murphy likes to say that none of us ever really own a vintage Mustang. Instead, we're each a steward to the cause of preserving these cars as they were when Ford was building them at three assembly plants across North America. We're the ones entrusted with keeping the legend and the cars alive.inline_mediumwraptextright29720406/featuredvehicles/mump_0910_1968_mustang_sprint_bmump_0910_04_+1968_mustang_sprint+backview.jpgTrue

Baby Boomers do a lot of stewing about getting older because we weren't going to grow old like our parents. But if you think we're not concerned about advancing age, consider the television commercials about Viagra, pain relievers, muscle relaxers, joint pain medication, hair loss, and irregularity. And what about that graying guy with the bifocals harping about his cholesterol? But who cares? Baby Boomers have been game changers for more than half a century.inline_mediumwraptextright24900037/featuredvehicles/mump_0909_1967_ford_mustang_convertiblemump_0909_01+1967_ford_mustang_convertible+front_angle.jpgTrue

If you ever wanted to own a genuine Shelby, here's your chance to participate in the Shelby legend with your own Mustang. At the Mid-America Ford and Team Shelby Nationals in June, Shelby Automobiles announced the new Shelby SR, a post-title package that will transform any '05-'09 Mustang GT into a genuine Shelby Mustang, complete with badging, Certificate of Authenticity, and listing in the Shelby Registry. The $31,499 package includes a Kenne Bell supercharger (with Ford Racing Whipple supercharger as an option) along with some serious suspension and braking upgrades. You could call it a Super Snake package for the 4.6. We had a chance to drive an SR on the Hallett road course in Oklahoma and can report that the car felt similar to the 2010 Super Snake.inline_mediumwraptextright24968390/featuredvehicles/mump_0909_2009_ford_mustang_shelby_srmump_0909_03_+2009_ford_mustang_shelby_sr+front_view.jpgTrue

Tools are a restorer's friend. Like a good buddy who jumps in to help, tools are there to make the job faster and easier. Without them, our Mustang restoration projects would be impossible to complete. Can you imagine replacing sheetmetal without a welder or cleaning old parts without a sand-blaster? Thankfully, the tool companies continue to churn out new tools that assist with restorations. We've got some of the latest right here.

You know you've soared to the top of popular culture when your name appears in a hit song. For the Mustang, that status was reached early and often, as Dean Hillestad is quick to point out while scrolling his collection of Mustang songs. Obviously, "Mustang Sally," written and recorded by Sir Mack Rice in 1965 and forever immortalized by Wilson Pickett in 1966, is tops on almost everyone's list of most memorable Mustang songs, but there were plenty of others, as Dean's iPod collection proves.

Whatever its earliest history, David concludes he is the CJ's third registered owner, an honor he achieved by successfully outbidding the competition in the wee hours of the morning during an eBay online auction in 2003-using a dial-up connection, no less. When the Mustang arrived from Oregon to his central Florida location, it was in solid condition but was sprayed in dark blue with a heavy metalflake, the apparent result of an earlier owner's brother wanting to try out the skills he'd learned in body shop school. That earlier owner, by the way, reportedly received the muscular CJ as a graduation present in 1971 (I think I got cufflinks).

"I arrived at the Ford dealer when our Mach 1 was getting its first bath," Tony Paulek tells us. "We ordered the car exactly as we wanted. I still have the order sheet."

Ron and Ryan Peter are citrus farmers by trade, which makes them resourceful in many ways. Mustangs began as a hobby for the father and son team. In due course, Mustangs turned into Stang-Aholics, a restoration and performance modification business in central California. Here are two examples of their work.

Les Werling can easily be described as eccentric because he has a unique imagination and the talent to support it. Check out his retro-replica car hauler, built to resemble the ones used 40 years ago by Shelby American and other Ford race teams. Most were Ford C-Series cab-overs with inclined beds for hauling race cars, tools, and equipment. That's the spirit in which this Trans-Am Boss 302 replica and Ford C-Series hauler were conceived and built.

On a June afternoon in 1983 during my first trip to Ford Motor Company, we were cruising Dearborn's Oakwood Boulevard when a white Mustang hatchback pulled alongside. Unlike any Mustang we had seen, with a dual rear spoiler and single-set headlights, we assumed it was an '85 or '86 Mustang prototype. But we couldn't have been any more mistaken.inline_mediumwraptextright24905419/featuredvehicles/mump_0909_1986_ford_mustang_svo_prototypemump_0909_01_+1986_ford_mustang_svo_prototype+cover_spread.jpgTrue

If you dread going to your 9-to-5 job every day, you may want to turn the page and skip this article. While most of us toil behind a desk or labor in a factory, Craig Brody is likely on the phone making a deal to buy or sell a rare classic Mustang or an expensive vintage guitar.

When he popped the hood, the distributor was laying in the battery tray. Bruce knew why the owner was hesitant to start the car.