Tucson, AZ 

 

 

1968 Mustang Coupe
This is my Sunlit Gold 1968 Mustang coupe, which my father bought for me in 1968. The car is affectionately named Murphy, after "Murphy's Law" due to the car's habit of having things go wrong at inappropriate times. Murphy is especially good at being bad at shows, and then going on to win its class. Here is a short history of my unique car and some pictures to go along with it.
June 6, 1968 - Murphy Comes Home
One often hears of "America's love affair with the Mustang." Mine began two years before I even saw a Mustang! Back in 1962, my father, a Ford executive, described to me a new sporty car that Ford would be producing in the near future. Just from his description, I knew that when old enough I would own one.

I had to wait until June 6, 1968, to own a Mustang. The day we picked my car up, the dealership was undergoing a wildcat strike. I remember being afraid that the strikers would damage my pony; however, they let us pass and thoroughly enjoyed themselves watching the dealer put the license plates on my 1968 coupe.

When my father bought the car for me, I was only 15 years old and so did not have a driver's license. The car was babied and driven only on sunny, dry days, which are rare in the Detroit area. Thus, then I took my road test on my 16th birthday in November, five months later, the car only had 312 miles on the odometer.

The adventure was just beginning.
Murphy's Vital Statistics
My father purchased my 1968 coupe on Ford's employee plan, with the following options: 289 V8 engine, automatic transmission, 7.35 x 14 whitewall tires, air conditioning, power steering, power disc brakes, floor console, radio, and remote driver's side outside mirror. The color is Sunlit Gold, and the interior is standard black vinyl with bucket seats. Yes, I still have the original invoice, owner's manual, owner's warranty card and manual, and dealer envelope. As the car was a special order, it never had a window sticker. The employee purchase price was $2,923.54, before taxes. The license cost $2.00--those were the days.
   Image coming soon
More Pictures:

Concours Restoration

Engine

Chassis

Murphy's Ride

and Prime Mover

and Trouble...a Restomod
Check out my other pages for more of Murphy's story, and that of my in-progress 1968 Mustang fastback--Trouble.
Awarded MCA Grille Medallion and Retirement Plaque August 15, 2005