Upscale Barn Find: 1973 Ford Mustang Grande
The Grande was launched in 1969 as an uptown version of the Ford Mustang. It was successful enough to remain part of the line-up through 1973 when the company retired the first generation of the pony car. The subcompact Mustang II would follow but without the Grande. This ’73 edition has been rescued from a barn and might clean up fairly well. It wears aftermarket wheels and has a small-block V8 engine. Currently, in Mount Prospect, Illinois, this Ford is available here on Facebook Marketplace for $4,500.
More than 25,000 Grande’s were built in 1973, nearly 20% of total output. The cars were little changed from the bigger 1971-72 versions and were only offered as a hardtop. The Grande came equipped with a vinyl top, plush interior with deluxe cloth high bucket seats, electric clock, interior trim panels with molded pull handles and armrests, deluxe two-spoke steering wheel, color-keyed racing mirrors, full wheel covers, metal rocker panel moldings, metal wheel lip trim, and dual exterior paint stripes. It was built for show, not go.
This Mustang Grande is covered with dirt and grime, so it has no doubt spent much of the 21st Century under wraps and uncovered. It’s equipped with a 302 V8 that the seller describes as “powerful” suggesting it has been peaked and tweaked. But we’re not told if it runs, so we must assume it doesn’t. The odometer reading is 89,000 miles and – from what we can tell of the body and paint – there might be a salvageable car lurking beneath.
It’s wearing bronze paint and a matching vinyl roof, which was a common color combination for the Grande. We’re told the interior is the same hue, but we have no photos to validate the condition. A disconnected air conditioning compressor is under the hood, but whether it works is anyone’s guess. For the asking price, this might not be a bad car to nurse back to health.
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Comments
At least it’s a stick. That might be rare in a Grande. Needs more than the stock 140hp to be powerful though. Would be fun to see how far you can get with bolt ons, maybe even a cheap turbo kit.
I pulled a 302 2 barrel from a 72 grande years ago. Took it to the machine shop and found out it had closed chambered heads. I wonder if this unit may have the same set up. The 72 felt a lot stronger than most other 302s I had driven at the time. Bet the manual transmission is rare for the grande.
Can we say SLEEPER. I’ve always like this body style Stang. Many of 302’s/5.0 have been turned into some kicking ponies. If it’s not a RUSTANG underneath someone might get a pretty good deal. Not sure if it’s a 3 /4 speed but that should add a little fun.
Neighbor friend’s mother had a ’69 Grande
with a 351 in it.That thing would really get up & go!
If this car is from Mt Prospect, be aware it is in the Northern suburbs of Chicago, not exactly the best place for a car to survive the winters, I grew up there. This is a car that has a decent price, but it is on the lower tier of collectibility. The manual trans is likely the floor shifted 3 speed, as it was the base transmission in the Mustang
My best friend had this same car and I drove it a lot. While I liked the looks of this car, it had serious blind spots.
While the body looks good, the motor and components look rather crusty. A sign of damp storage perhaps. For me its a red flag!
The fb ad says it’s a 3 spd.
“very powerful engine, does not run” Lol. This dead horse has spend a good amount of time underwater. Look close at the lousy engine pics, rotten air cleaner. Cowl rotten. rust everywhere. I can imagine what the underbelly looks like. Rot from the inside floorpans everywhere but wash the outside. Run Joey Run from this encrusted rustang. Good luck and happy new year!
Cheers
GPC
GPC is correct: This has been underwater at least once, and for more than a few minutes.
I’d say it looks pretty typical for a car stored in a dirt floor barn in the midwest. And typically overpriced
Not underwater, just typical for a car driven in the winter in the greater Chicago/Milwaukee area. Parts car at best!