Submitted the 1973 Mach 1 for display at the MOM

[Carolina_Mountain_Mustangs]

Since I am a charter member of the MOM, Mustang Owner's Museum in Charlotte, NC I receive emails from them. Today they had sent out a form if you wanted to submit  any Mustang related memorabilia or your actual Mustang to be displayed in the MOM that has grand opening in April 2019 for 55 anniversary.

I submitted my 1973 Mach 1 that has been in the barn since 1982. The one with 32 Factory installed options and 8 dealer options. Will see if they want to display it cleaned up or as a barn find. If like normal there will be no interest in a 71 - 73.

I also offered for display the removable hard tops I have for the 1964 1/2 through 1967 Mustang convertible. Know as a Towne Top and was sold by Ford but not made by Ford. Most have never seen one of them. A Mr. Murphy is like the keeper of the original records for the tops. When I called him and told him I had three of them and two were the Crown version he flipped out. He had looked for 35 years and only found 3 ever. He had ads in MCA, MM and Hemmings. There is an article in MM in 2008 about them that Mr. Murphy wrote. He also has a blog on I think Virginia Mustang about the tops.

I have the sales brochures, instructions, and sales post cards for them. The white top is restored the two black ones are not but I did find the original material to restore them even found NOS emblems.

So will see what the interest will be.

I was surprised that only about 50 Mustangs will be on display at any one time in the 40,000 sq. ft. museum.

Here are some pics of the car as it was when put in the barn and years later and some of the top.

 

[mudbilly]

I have never heard of these. In fact, if you told me without pics, I would have asked what you were smokin ?

 

[Carolina_Mountain_Mustangs]

I have never heard of these. In fact, if you told me without pics, I would have asked what you were smokin ?

Most people have never seen one, lol. I am one of the older guys here. I have seen 7 in my life, two in good shape like Mr. Murphy's the others were basket cases missing trim and falling apart. I bought the three better ones. They were expensive at $289 about 10% of the cost of a new Mustang so they did not sell a lot. Each one does have a serial number so they can be traced and Mr. Murphy has the list of tops built and where sold.

Google Towne Top and you can see the Mustang Monthly article from 2008 and also the link to the blog usually comes up also.

There was another mfg. of removable hard tops for the Mustang also Parish Plastics. There is a little info in the Mustang Does It book. I have never found one of those but did have someone from Australia send a note and they have one.

So keep an eye out you might find one they are probably the most rare accessory option for a Mustang ever made.

Here is a pic of where the serial # is located just above where the driver would be on one of the aluminum trim pieces for the headliner. You can still get the original vinyl for the outside and the headliner material is still available. The chrome Town Top logos are also hard to find.

If you ever find one let Mr. Murphy know he keeps a list of who has them and what serial #.

Included a couple pictures of basket case I did not buy, lol. He had a 1964 1/2 convertible that came with the top and it was a true K code 64 1/2 vert. He wanted $18,000 for chassis without the engine or transmission and it was just a pile of rust. He did sell it but I do not know for how much. Mr. Murphy said the new owner called him about the Towne Top.

Never ASSUME something is not real do lots of research. Ford partnered with some other companies and had some odd balls for sure.

Talk about odd balls ever hear of the 484 C.I. FE Ford engines from 1962? Might be wrong on the C.I. will have to do a post on them. They made two of them and set lots of speed records at Bonneville with them using one of the 1962 Ford Galaxie convertibles with their removable hard top. Yes they made them for 62 Galaxie to use in NASCAR racing which NASCAR quickly outlawed because they were so much faster, lol. I have an original copy of Ford Newsletter presenting the tops for sale to public. When Ford ran the engines on their dyno it smoked the dyno had so much HP and torque.

If anyone ever tells you a crazy story about something you have never heard of follow up on it you might find gold.

D

 

[Pegleg]

I bet the SL Mercedes hardtop/softop is based on that same concept