the Mustang in the garage. If there was any
driving to do, Sue would do so in Don’s truck.
Don kept the teenagers away from the 225hp 5.0
by having a car of their own ready when they
obtained their driver’s licenses.
In fact, probably the most excitement for the
GT came in 1994. “My daughter saw reflections
of the headlights in her window at 3:30 a.m.,”
Don says. “She yelled out that someone was
stealing the car.” Don ran outside and saw the
car being pushed down the street by two thieves.
“They tried cranking the engine, but it wouldn’t
start,” he says. The would-be bandits finally
bailed, leaving the car in the street. After the
police came and did their investigation, Don
went to move the Mustang and it fired right up.
The only damage was a busted steering column,
and the ignition switch was pulled out. He took
it to the local Ford dealer at 7:00 a.m. and by that
afternoon it was fixed, with a new alarm added
to it.
By 2002 a Ford Explorer became Sue’s
primary mode of transportation, and the GT
was retired as a “daily driver” with approximately
30,000 miles on the clock. Don says, “It was
never intended or planned to keep the miles
low. It just happened.” The original mufflers had
rotted back in 1995, and the original tires were
replaced at 17,000 miles. Otherwise, just normal
maintenance items were the only other pieces
that were changed.
Don didn’t realize the significance of
owning a low-mileage Fox-body until he
and his wife joined the Bay Area Mustang
Association in 2006. There they met ThirdGeneration Mustang Club of America
National Assistant Head Judge Chuck Wiltens.
Don had never shown the 5.0 in any shows.
He didn’t even think it would be accepted at
a show. Chuck encouraged them to display it
at the upcoming MCA National in Concord,
California, in June 2007. Don attended the
various judging seminars to learn the ins
and outs of competing in an MCA event. The
studying and hours of detailing paid off with a
Gold Award in the Unrestored Class.
But the best was yet to come. They prepared
their pony for the 1,800-mile round trip to the
MCA Grand National in Park City, Utah, in
September 2008. Don had the tires replaced
again with current versions of the Goodyear
Eagle GTs and drove the Mustang to Salt Lake
country. By the time the weekend concluded,
not only did they grab another Gold honor,
but they had a Platinum Award, too.
The Platinum Award is to recognize Mustang
owners who have conserved their original cars
to the highest degree possible and is bestowed
only at MCA Grand National shows. Don and
Sue were shocked and honored to receive this
distinction. It’s definitely the highlight of their
car-showing experience.
Since then they’ve accumulated three more
Gold Awards with the most recent at last
April’s MCA National in St. George, Utah.
Again it was driven, not trailered, to the event.
Today the GT has registered just over 39,000
miles. Don and Sue’s obsession with black
Mustangs has resurfaced with the purchase
of a black ’04 GT convertible in 2007 and a
black ’65 hardtop project in 2008. They have
no intention of putting the black 5.0 out to
pasture. It’s their original back in black, with a
touch of platinum.
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Issue 7 FOX Mustang Magazine 83