Hi from New Zealand

Hi Guys

Just a quick hello, I'm hoping to fill a 71-73 Mustang shaped hole in my life very shortly, it's a long story how I got involved with them but here goes.

I was a kid in Tredegar, South Wales

American cars were far and few between. One day as a little kid a Brown 71 Grande drove past me, and I thought, thats me, and I became car obsessed overnight. It was a 6 cyl in Brown then jacked up with some cool dude wearing a leather jacket at the wheel.

Some years later, my best mate (also car obsessed) told me about a few American cars parked in a shed at the other end of town, so we decided to ride down on our BMX the next weekend, true to his word there was Smooth Torquer The 71 Grande, now Green and in Full 70's show trim, jacked up on Craigers with a draylon Interior, sidepipes and now running a 390, a 76 Camaro and a 71 Charger being worked on in a garage by three guys. We said hello and asked if we could help, as long as we were careful we could.

So I got to know Dave Morris and spent all my teenage years down his garage on the weekends helping out, and learning just about everything about cars and car movies, and of course music, Dave collected records, and lent me them to tape, I can't even look at a 71 Notch without Communication breakdown playing in my head

Dave got the raw end of the deal, having to answer all my stupid questions like "if its got more than one exhaust, does it make it faster" "do cars go as fast as the speedo?" "Who's Jimi Hendrix, and why did he sing about an Electric Landlady" etc and he mostly had to feed me as well as his own kids. In exchange he got a poor gofer a reasonable tea maker, and a pretty good duster.

When he sold Smooth Torquer in 1989, I tried to raise the funds to buy it, but sadly everybody in my family thought (and still do) I was insane for loving old thirsty American cars. Oh and my weekend car washing job didnt swing it with the bank.

So time went by and I bought oh about 300ish cars (seriously!) including a 59 pop, (first car) a 1976 Caddilac Sedan Deville, a 69 Merury Marquis (429 Police interceptor) a 76 Cordoba, Three Mustangs (67-76) Two Camaro's (76-78) Two Cougars (68-71) Two Fairlaines (61-63) Four Falcons (63-76) And a 76 Gran Torino, which I've got now, I went to the States to get that and I drove it from Colorado to Nebraska to Memphis to New Orleans and then on to LA to ship it back to NZ 5750 miles!!!

So I guess what I'm saying is I'm a pretty enthusiastic motorhead I run a wrecking yard in Auckland and I'm a freelance writer for a couple of Hot Rod Magazines, I fully blame a 71 Mustang Grande for starting it all.

I found the original Smooth Torquer this year, its been restored (again!)and the new owner doesnt want to sell.

Despite loving 71-73 Mustangs I've never owned my own one, because the time has somehow never been right, and they kind of mean a lot to me, I really want to do one justice and make a sort of tribute car to my mate Dave, he's nearly 60 now.

I'm 40 next March and I've decided that now is the time to buy the car I've always wanted, so I thought a really good start is to join your forum.

Thanks for letting me join, and feel free to ask me any thing you might want to know about UK or Ozzie Fords and I'll be glad to help, I'm pretty good with most car films too if you need anything answering, and I'll try not to bore the hell out of ya

All the Best

Ben "Charlie Safari" Wilson

Welcome from Ohio

Don

Great story! Welcome from Fabulous Las Vegas! I'll be looking for updates on your quest, and don't hesitate to ask questions along the way!

-Travis

Welcome from northern Nevada. What a great story! You are definitely in the right place. Glad to have you here!

Welcome from Washington state Ben!!... Awesome story and i hope you find the car you want.

Speaking of Tredegar, I will be heading to Tredegar maybe by the end of this year...My family is originally from there, i will be visiting my families old castle and home, Pencoed and Tredegar house...Checking out the old stomping grounds. "plus i enjoy traveling" lol

Welcome from Central California, if you are looking for a project car i have a nice 73 Sportsroof for sale that runs and drives that needs some love. But its located here in Cali.

::welcome:: from Maine . Cool story , you absolutely found the best 71-73 mustang site .Good luck finding that car.

Welcome from Oklahoma.

Cool story - lot of Aussies and NZ'ers on here. You should feel right at home.

Ray

Welcome from TriCities WA.

Welcome from west Michigan!

Welcome from western Tennessee! ::welcome:: That's a fantastic story. I hope you find the car you want soon.

Welcome from Arkansas

::welcome::

Welcome from Latrobe, PA, USA; home of Arnold Palmer, PGA and Mr Rogers, TV show, 'Its a wonderful neighborhood', ground zero of this site, considered the tail end of the burbs of Pittsburg, and.... At 18 years old, the new 71 Mustang Grande was my 1st love and since, being the 1st mustang, the 74 Mustang II 2+2 I ever sat in, made me to become a mustang man 1st. However, never got around to acquiring any mustang until 2003 of which changed my demeanor toward all cars being the same. From a 52 4 door Chevy (bomb), 68 Pontiac Le Mans, 67 Bel Air Station Wagon, 74 Vega, 75 Nova, 74 Thunderbird, 76 Corvette, 79 Renault R-17 Gordini Sports Coupe/Convertible 2 + 2, 96 Ford Explorer, a couple Toyota phoney sports cars and trucks, Honda CRV, Ford Fusion, were all the same to me, just to get from one place to the next. I did not own 300 of them but in a sense, if I could not have it or could afford it, I'd have a photo of it anyways. Though, on my photo album you'll find over 300 a vehicles which you will enjoy peering through. One car I always wanted to possess the sales brochure and article of is the early 70's Alfa Romeo Milano 'Montreal'. It showed on a movie with Micheal Kane back in those days of which he raced and beat a souped up 911 Porsche. If you ever find any info on this car, pls direct me to where I can acquire it for my collection. I have some cars I vye for, like Jay Leno whom used to have the Tonight Show on TV, a Maserati Merak, the later model or last model of the Pantera De Tomaso GT5 S4 w/the targa top in 1994, the Muir, the Lotus Espirt of James Bonds days, the Espada, and of course, the Montreal but would not give up anything if it involved giving up my 72 Mustang Q-Code (modified to R code w/the Holley Avenger EFI) convertible.

Hey, welcome from Melbourne....

Am willing to give you Tasmania for a 429? OK, OK, I'll throw in some cash as well... What say?

Hi everybody

Thanks for the warm welcome, great to find such a friendly site, obviously we all love the 71-73's, which is awesome for me because I think its the best looking of all the Mustangs. 1st day on here and already I'm interested in a project car in Bakersfield, thanks Lee Good to find a couple of Ozzies on here too, and most incredibly a dude who's family is from my little town in Wales!!!!!

Small world

I'll be picking your brains for some of your specialist knowledge in search of the right car, Fastback or Grande I'm not fussy as long as its a 71-73.

Hi Ben and ::welcome:: from Luxembourg, Europe.

Nice intro and a good read. I hope you´re gonna find your car. Somewhere there is one with your name on it.

Hi Ben and ::welcome:: from Luxembourg, Europe.

Nice intro and a good read. I hope you´re gonna find your car. Somewhere there is one with your name on it.

Welcome to the site from Virginia. Great informative introduction. I'm sure if you post up any pictures of a 71/73 your thinking about purchasing you will get a lot of constructive observations on how original it is and what is right, wrong, or missing on it. Also, post up a picture of your Torino and some of your past cars.

welcome from Indiana