Alex’s Tanford’s 1967 Ford Mustang Convertible
Alex Tanford’s Mustang Story:
Twenty years ago, Alex Tanford got himself a nice birthday gift, something he'd been wanting since he first laid eyes on one in 1967.
He'd just gotten his driver's license and had fallen in love, head over heels, with the Ford Mustang convertible released that year. "With no concept of what cars cost, I knew I had to have one."
It would be awhile. Thirty-five years or so. "I always hoped I would reach the point where I could find, and afford, a classic 1967 Ford Mustang."
Tanford was perusing the car classifieds in The Herald-Times back in January 2003 when an ad caught his eye.
"For a couple of years, I had been looking for exactly what I wanted, a 1967 Mustang convertible." His first color choice was Ford's Frost Turquoise, but this car was red, in good condition and the price was right.
The car was appraised at $11,500. When Tanford learned the owner was seeking a lawyer to help him with an adoption and other matters, a deal was struck. Tanford offered his legal services and about $6,000 in exchange for the convertible.
The Mustang was parked in the man's garage and the top was down. Trying to put it up would have been an ordeal. So they got the car started and Tanford drove it home. Top down.
It was January 23rd, it was his birthday, and it was cold.
No matter. "I drove it from west of Bloomington, wearing my coat, gloves and a stocking hat, and it was the coldest day of the year," he recalled. "I drove it all the all the way across town to the east side. I got some looks. People thought I was crazy."
The car needed mechanical work, but he wasn't sure where to take it. Then one day he was driving past a tire store, looked into the bays and saw mechanics working on a vintage Chevrolet Corvette he recognized as John Mellencamp's car.
"I figured if Mellencamp lets them work on his car, I'll take my car there, too." He left it for a month. "They even put the top up," he said.
The Mustang's interior has been refurbished, and the engine got replaced a year ago after the original 289 V8 developed crack in the block "and it all turned to rust and metal shavings," he said.
"It now runs just absolutely amazing," he said. The car winters in his garage, but gets driven a lot in fair weather.
(photo credit: Laura Lane - The Herald Times)
