Barn Find 1971 Ford Mustang Mach 1 Offered on eBay
This 1971 Mach 1 is a case study on why you are often better off enjoying your car rather than storing it as an investment.
We love a good Mustang Mach 1, and are excited by the arrival of the 2021 model. However, the classic Mach 1 Mustangs have a cachet that the new cars can’t touch. Now admittedly a 1971 Mach 1 is not exactly the Holy Grail of Mustangs. We are not suggesting that it could block the Suez Canal or anything, but by 1971 it became a big car. Still, this car had been stored in a climate-controlled building for over 40 years. Before being recently sold on eBay this barn find Mach 1 had not seen the light of day since the late 1970s. For that reason alone, this is worth a look.
According to the seller, this 1971 Mach 1 was purchased and enjoyed for a couple years before being tucked away in storage. The car was loaded into a new storage building as part of a larger car collection in the late 1970s. It remained there for decades. We can only assume that the owner hoped to cash in big someday.
Hopefully, the owner did better with the other cars, because the Mach 1 was not a good bet. Barn find Mustangs can be fun, but you are better of just driving the cars. More on that later.
The 1971 Mach 1 listed for sale appears to be mostly solid and rust free. However, if you imagine a perfectly preserved time capsule of a car, you will be disappointed. “There are some sheet metal dents at the passenger side door, trunk lid & rear bumper.
The paint is peeling at the passenger door and passenger quarter panel. The striping looks different than most Mach 1’s I’ve seen and the paint color looks a little inconsistent. So, it’s possible that all or part had been re-painted.” The seller explains. However, the car does appear to be complete with a good foundation.
The Marti report shows that this car is powered by a 351-4V V-8 engine. According to the seller, it appears to be the original, numbers matching engine. It has not been started, but it does turn over. It also is equipped with the C-6 Select Shift automatic transmission.
Other notable options include the Mach 1 sports interior, air conditioning and power steering. It is nicely equipped but certainly not the most sport-oriented configuration. Even for 1971. However, the car sold for just $15,200. For that money it may be worth taking it on as a fun little project. Fix it up, and you will have an enjoyable cruiser.
You will certainly make out better than whoever stored the car. A Mach 1 like this in 1971 would have cost you around $3,300. That is roughly $22,000 in 2021 dollars. In other words, the value of the car didn’t even keep up with inflation. Never mind any number of investments you could have made back in the late 1970s that would have earned you far more.
That is why the rule of thumb is to always buy a car you like and not something you hope will make you money. This person would have been far better off just driving the car and having fun for 40 years. Hopefully the new owner gets it running and enjoys it on the road, and not in a climate-controlled building.
Photos: eBay
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