Registration: FNA 822C
Chassis: 5R07C247021
Mileage: 30,400
Transmission: Automatic
MOT: Exempt
- Over £8,000 spent during current ownership
- Engine strip-down and rebuild work completed
- Repainted in 2021
- Maintained by recognised American car specialists
An increasingly desirable early Ford Mustang Coupe, this 1965 example is powered by the sought-after C-Code 289ci V8 engine paired with automatic transmission and presents as a highly usable, well-sorted American classic with extensive recent expenditure and an exceptional accompanying history file.
Finished in metallic grey with black interior trim, the car has an unmistakably authentic early Mustang presence and benefits from significant mechanical recommissioning and improvement works carried out during the current ownership. The vendor has owned the vehicle for the last six years, during which time it has been carefully maintained, progressively improved and regularly enjoyed.
Imported to the UK prior to the current ownership, the Mustang was initially acquired as a light recommissioning project during the Covid period, with the intention of creating a reliable and genuinely usable classic rather than a purely cosmetic show car. Since then, the vehicle has reportedly benefited from more than £8,000 of expenditure focused primarily on mechanical integrity, drivability and reliability.
Maintenance and improvement works have been undertaken by respected specialists including Steve Gilby Classics, American Autoparts Redhill and marque-experienced engineer Mark Wilby. Extensive invoices and supporting paperwork accompany the car, together with a substantial photographic history documenting its importation, refurbishment, repaint and ongoing maintenance programme.
Significant works carried out during current ownership are understood to include engine strip-down, inspection and rebuild work, carburettor upgrades including the fitment of an Edelbrock four-barrel carburettor, rewiring, steering and brake improvements, alternator replacement and extensive general recommissioning and tuning. The result is described by the vendor as a dependable, strong-running and enjoyable Mustang which starts readily, runs smoothly and performs exactly as an early V8 Mustang should.
The extensive history file is a particularly impressive aspect of the car and provides a reassuring level of transparency into its restoration and recommissioning journey. Included within the file are numerous invoices from recognised American vehicle specialists together with a detailed photographic archive documenting mechanical work, underside refurbishment, engine internals, workshop progress, body preparation, repaint stages and general maintenance carried out throughout ownership.
Photographs within the file show the car during various stages of engine strip-down and inspection, including detailed images of internal mechanical work, further supporting the vendor’s emphasis on reliability and usability over purely cosmetic restoration. Additional import and NOVA-related documentation, specialist parts invoices and workshop records also accompany the vehicle, creating a particularly comprehensive provenance file rarely found with early Mustangs at this level.
The car was stripped down and professionally repainted in 2021 and still presents very well today. The black interior remains especially appealing with period-style seating, clean trim presentation and an overall honest character throughout. A Bluetooth/DAB audio system has also been discreetly fitted to improve day-to-day usability while retaining the car’s classic feel.
The vendor advises the Mustang has been garaged throughout ownership and maintained on a trickle charger. It has additionally been serviced annually and MOT tested during their ownership despite now being MOT exempt by age.
Importantly, the owner is refreshingly open regarding the car’s remaining minor imperfections. These include a passenger window requiring resetting on its pins, an intermittent fuel gauge issue which can drop from approximately quarter-full to empty, and some very minor bubbling above the driver-side rear wheel arch. The vendor had also intended to upgrade the exhaust system, having obtained a quotation of approximately £600, though has elected to leave this for the next custodian.
The early first-generation Mustang remains one of the most recognisable and culturally significant American cars ever produced. Compact by US standards and surprisingly manageable on British roads, the 1965 Coupe offers classic V8 motoring with genuine usability, excellent parts support and enormous enthusiast appeal.
This example stands out as an honest, well-loved and mechanically sorted early Mustang with substantial documented expenditure, long-term enthusiast ownership and the unmistakable soundtrack and character only a classic American V8 can provide.
