|
|
Jay Mikes
bought the 1965 Mustang, shown above, in
June, 2013 and restored it to be a
driver and parade car. After four months
of nostalgia (Jay drove a 65 Mustang
while in high school), he sold the car
to the Waukeegan Rotary Club. On the 50th
Anniversary of Ford's introduction of
the Mustang, the Rotary Club of
Waukegan, Illinois, raffled off the
National Show award winning 1965 Mustang. The
proceeds from the raffle went to several
charities and organizations in the
Waukegan area. Scroll down to learn more
about the 2014 Grand Prize.
|
Marcella's Mustang |
Ford's first
production Mustang rolled off the
assembly line in Dearborn, Michigan on
March 9, 1964. The Grand Prize Mustang
(above as well as to the right) was produced
in Dearborn shortly after and was
purchased by Marcella Knight
along with her husband Ed
in October 1964. The Peoria, Illinois area native
drove the car daily until 1982. Her
collection of Mustangs included a
1974 Mustang II, a
1979 Mustang, and a 1994 loaded Mustang convertible. In December 1989, Floyd
Scranton, a friend and reputable Mustang restorer, began restoration of
Marcella's 1965 Mustang and completed the work in September 1990. The car
was taken by trailer to the Southeastern National Fall Meet of the AACA and
took first in the Junior Award. It later took top honors at MCA, AACA, VMCCA
and MOTAA competitions throughout the central states. |
|
The article below from
the March 1993 issue of Mustang Monthly
tells the story. Mouse over the photo
below to see the September 2004 issue featuring Marcella's
1974 Mustang II.
Mouse over the magazine cover below to see Floyd Scranton's 1968 yellow
Mustang convertible on the January 1988 cover of Mustang Monthly. Click here for a close
up of the article, "A
Mustang for Marcella."
Thanks to Donald Farr of
Mustang Monthly for the pdf
file. |
|
|
Mustang: America's Favorite Pony Car
Marcella Knight's 1965 Mustang also has appeared in other magazines and
books. Shown at left is the cover of Mustang: America's Favorite Pony
Car, 2nd Edition. On page 225 is a color photo of the car shown at
right. If you compare the picture at right with the Mustang Monthly photo
above, you will see that it is the same photo. Marcella's Mustang is one of
two examples of a 1965 Mustang Coupe featured in the book.
Click here to see a larger photo of page 225. |
|
|
|
Marcella Knight
passed away in 2005. The car was sold at auction as part of an estate sale. A drug dealer
near Peoria, Illinois, bought the car but drove it less than 500 miles
in eight years. (Okay, technically, you would call the next owner a
pharmacist). Jay Mikes bought the car in June, 2013 and restored it
to be a driver and parade car. As Marcella's show car, the tires were bias ply. They
were
replaced with radial white wall tires including the spare tire. Power brakes
were added to
make the vehicle safer. The previous owner had new shocks installed. So
with the new shocks and radials the car has a very smooth ride.Jay also
added new
battery cables and spark plug cables as well as a new distributor cap,
a new condenser and
points, a new coil, and a new fuel pump. A leaking heater core
necesitated a replacement. Jay and his wife created a custom console cup holder
which fits perfectly between the front seats and looks like it was part of
the original design (see interior photos above). Because of a small leak in
the exhaust manifold, a new manifold was installed. Performance was
significantly improved by treating all six cylinders to a piston soak. Finally, a new
three row radiator completed the second restoration. The work was done by
Jay Mikes,
Mustang Restorations and
Mike Nowak,
a retired mechanic and owner of a 1965 Shelby.
|
Original
Specs |
Engine: Six
Cylinder 200 cubic inch 3.3 liter
Transmission: C-4 Automatic |