Charleston, S.C. Native Finds New Life on the Road in ‘65 Mustang

For every Mustang, there’s probably one or two interesting stories tied to a person that has owned the car at one point or another.

Depending on the model year, there could be even more.

For Courtney Barber, who owns a 1965 Mustang, the story begins after the housing bubble burst in 2008 in Charleston, S .C. and the former real estate broker decided she wanted to do something different.

“Things slowed down, and people I sold homes to the year before were stuck with them and calling me with all their problems,” said the 32-year-old Barber, in a story detailed by Ford as part of its countdown to next year’s 5oth anniversary of the pony car. “I felt responsible, and that’s when I decided I needed a change.”

Turning to a lifelong passion she had for vintage sports cars which she picked up from her dad, Barber first bought her 1965 Mustang on eBay and got a job fixing and refurbishing cars at a local body shop in Charleston.  She then turned her attention to refurbishing her own car, painting the engine magenta and the exterior tropical turquoise.

Today, Barber travels the country with two friends taking her Mustang to cars show as part of a movement she calls Team Mustang Girls, participating in events like Bullrun Rally—an underground cross country road trip featuring customized vehicles.

Last year, Barber logged 9,000 mile in the rally, traveling from South Carolina to Los Angeles, Portland and back to South Carolina, according to a Ford press release highlighting her Mustang story. This year’s rally began in Montreal and ended in New Orleans.

Now, Barber is looking to purchase another 1965 Mustang to refurbish and sell to someone else, wanting to be able to share her passion for the classic pony cars.

“I prefer fixing and selling a car to someone more than selling homes,” she said. “I found a way to make a living and live my life behind the wheel of my dream car.”