Wrecked Restomod: 1965 Ford Mustang Fastback
The new Ford Mustang was the hottest thing since sliced bread in 1965 with nearly 560,000 sold. And 14% of those were the fastback edition like the seller’s car. Until not long ago, this was a beautiful, customized car with a newer 5.0-liter V8 and a 5 (or 6) speed manual transmission. But it was involved in a nasty wreck, leaving it with a lot of messed up sheet metal and a salvage title. Located in Rancho Cordova, California, this tearful project is available here on eBay for $39,900 OBO.
Since a salvage title has been issued on this Mustang, we assume the insurance company paid off the owner. That owner may have had a lot of money and pride invested in this car, from the custom interior to the modern V8 and manual transmission. So, there’s no doubt this car ran and drove better and more comfortably than it did when it was new in 1965. Only 14,000 miles were added to the odometer since this “pony car” had its transformation completed.
Though it took a heckuva hit, the seller says the Mustang starts and runs, but we suspect that’s only around the lot where it’s been stored. The damage does not stop with a ruined front clip, but also all of the sheet metal on the driver’s side. The trunk lid doesn’t seat properly, and the accident must have busted out the rear window as there is zero glass present there. I’d be concerned about the hidden damage that this vehicle surely has.
The seller’s desired price is probably a fraction of the total cost of owning, transporting, and being able to drive this car to shows (again). Buyers should be aware of the requirements in their own state for turning a salvage title into a rebuilt one. Can this Mustang be a super cool cruiser once again, with its powerful drivetrain, vintage air conditioning, alloy wheels, navigation system, and much more?
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Comments
Sad end to a really nice project car. It must’ve taken an incredible hit to have caved in the front before spinning sideways where it busted the LR rim-I’m thinking this is twisted like an experienced yoga instructor doing the Scorpion..
Salvage what you can and write it off.
Hard to see nearly $40,000 worth of parts.
I’ve seen cars with nearly identical damage. These have happened at the drag strip, with street cars that overpowered their street tires (like on this car), the tires started to spin almost immediately, instead of letting off the driver tried to drive through the spinning. The cars would start fishtailing, the driver got behind with the steering and the fishtailing kept getting worse. About 300-400 feet out they snap spin into the opposite lanes concrete wall. A car starting in the left lane will hit with the drivers front, a car in the right lane would hit with its passenger front. Once they hit the wall the rear of the car snaps around hitting the wall too, producing damage just like this Mustang.
This is what happened to the very first Z06 Corvette I ever saw. It was a cold night so me and a couple friends went up to the tower, we saw a brand new black Z06 pulling up to the water so we stopped talking to watch. The guy left the line with the tires spinning, it soon started fishtailing and kept getting worse, right when the track manager started swearing the car snapped around hit the left wall with the right front immediately causing the right rear to snap around into the wall. We went to look at the car after it got towed to the area behind the tower, it literally looked like a banana. Later in the evening we dropped by the tower and the track manager said we missed the Corvette owner when he came up to ask for the track’s insurance carrier so he could make a claim.
Steve R
Steve.
Well said , and put together.
Interesting story, however I have worked for several race tracks in the past, and have never heard of a track carrying insurance coverage for the competitor’s race cars.
Interesting story, however I have worked for several race tracks in the past, and have never heard of a track carrying insurance coverage for the competitor’s race cars.
Ken, the didn’t. She told us because it was funny. The guy running the computer suggested he pay the tow truck driver $1,000 to make it disappear on its way home.
What wasn’t common knowledge was the track paid the ambulance and emergency room for anyone hurt. There were a couple of occasions where they flew someone out, the bill for the helicopter ride alone was close to $20,000 back in the mid-2000’s.
Steve R
Lmao 🤣 please get serious man you have to be kidding me.
Mustang, Mustang, Mustang!
Hey Rex,why is her picture on your phone?? LOL And is she chanting at you? I don’t remember that on the show
Watch her Burger CHEF commercial.
Why did you tell Johnny he could drive the Mustang to the store for another six pack?
40k 40k 40k
$40,000? Is that what used Coyote engines are going for now? Cuz the body is toast.
you wrecked it and think it’s the equivalent of a gold mine? Sorry dude but we gotta own our mistakes.
Seller says a low Buy It Now Price?? Seller has two more wrecks listed.
Junk….
Seller must have tapped an extra button because there’s definitely an extra 0 in that price. I’ve got an all original 69′ Buick skylark convertible in my garage that came from my parents. Bet that’s worth 70k in his market. 🤣🤣
Well it was running when it came to a screeching halt pull the engine make sure it still runs as it should, Go through the transmission and salvage what you can. Obviously not worth the asking price.
Meh… Could probably buff it out….
the right body man can fix that car NOT worth the asking price i would say more like 18 to 20k at tops LOL
I suspect the owner had a “cherished salvage” endorsement on his insurance policy which allowed him to get fully paid out, and keep the wreck for free. Those that regularly monitor prices on Copart and other insurance auction sites, know this car would go for a fraction of the current asking price. This car would cost more to rebuild than starting from scratch. Even if reasonably well rebuilt, the Salvage title would significantly lower the value. There are also significant challenges when attempting to insure Salvage title rides….. Over the years, I have rebuilt multiple vehicles that had severe damage (all had good titles). My latest was a ’64 Corvette in 2023. This Mustang is a parts car.
Im not a huge fan of restomods. But this certainly must have looked nice before this “accident ” happened. I would be leary of the condition of the rear end taking such a hard hit like that along with the rest of the driveline really. Its not like you can test drive the thing to see how it runs and shifts. Maybe theres enough here to make another one? The interior seems nice. But its a lot of money for an unusable Mustang.
I agree 100%with Driveinstile’s comments especially about the rear diff.
How much to buy the air out of the tires 🛞?
500?
Sorry but someone was paid for the accident and this is not the alternate payment. 😜
If this damage happened at a dragstrip as suggested above, does any insurer offer collision coverage for damage incurred while using the strip?
Not to the best of my knowledge. Competition inherently carries a high risk of damage occuring and since insurance is something of a betting proposition, I seriously doubt that any insurance company would care to bet that someone would not damage a car during competition.
This mustangs accident probably happened on the street. Go to YouTube and search “car show crash”. It won’t take long to videos of idiots crash in the manner I described, minus the cement wall. They start fishtailing and eventually get behind in the steering, if the crash in the direction they just damage the passenger front, if the cross lanes and the car swings around and hit something hard both front and rear corners will be damaged.
As for insurance, the track won’t cover your car, that’s why they have you sign a waiver. However, you can purchase insurance for your race car that will cover it, even for on track accidents, if you choose that level of coverage. Crashes at the drag strip involving serious racers are rare, it’s usually the adrenaline junky that might go a couple of times a year that wads their car into a ball.
Steve R
“My Dad is a TV repairman, he’s got an awesome set of tools…”
Would have been lucky to get $40k for it before it was totaled.
Can we all say “Bent Frame!”
No frame.
I guess you’re correct and I stand corrected. My Bad! never been much of a Mustang fan. But wouldn’t a unibody be harder to fix?
“Yes, a 1965 Ford Mustang is a unibody car, meaning the body and frame are welded into a single unit. The main difference between a unibody car and a body on frame car is that a unibody car has a single unit for the frame and chassis, while a body on frame car has a separate chassis that’s attached to the body.
When buying a 1965–66 Mustang, rust is a major concern, especially in structural areas. Some say that the factory Mustang unibody and suspension design have issues when trying to update the car to modern standards of ride quality and comfort.”
I think the seller hit their head harder than they realized
Definitely one too many zeros in that price. You are buying an engine, trans, interior, and 3 wheels. The rest is twisted on every panel. Even the left door is bent and the steering column shifted to the right. Parts Only!
$40,000?????? I’ve been to three county fairs and a goat ropein’, and I ain’t never seen nothin’ like this!
Way too high on the price. If and when the seller comes out of the vapors with a real price one could use this to swap all the salvageable restomod parts into a clean body.
Richard Rawlings is on his way with an offer…
Even Richard wouldn’t want it.
He wants $39,900?
As an old neighbor who hailed from from W. Virginia used to say about
‘wants’… “Yes and people in Hell want ice water, too.”
To that I say, good luck, lol.
It will never be right.
Too much money, too much damage.
BaaaaaaAahaaaHaaaaaaaa, assuming mill did not take the hit also, thats the only thing worth salvage, being its not a Denny Raspuzzi built race engine for nascar, not a thing on this worth 4grand forget 40
Kinda looks like what’s left after a street take-over. I can see a hoodlum riding the passenger door being thrown into the crowd as the car careens from left to right bangin other vehicles before it smashes into a light pole.
Good times!
It’s trash ! Walk away !
Was Kevin James driven it. Remember what he did to that Cuda
Kevin Hart. (short little obnoxious black guy)
Melvin the mechanic from the movie Doc Hollywood – “I’ve been meaning to buy me a set of metric tools”😂
I like the seats for a restomod. Classic look with more comfort. But I would pay 39k for a set of seats. Yes the car can be repaired. But this car isn’t worth anywhere close to that. Honestly I would be surprised to see it break 10k in value
Ouch! That had to hurt.
40K ??? Hahahaha
40k not gonna happen I would say 10 to 15 max without any surprises retail repair 25 to 30 does anyone want to be in a resto for 70k at least not on my watch if you get that for it send me the buyers info i have some nice ocean front property in las vegas for sale good luck with the sale seller you will need it barry
ouch!
No Peter, it occurred when he sent the neighbor kid to the corner store for another six pack.
Well, another one bites the dust. Hope the owner gets over his concussion. Only then will he realize $40k is a joke. Ironically, I saw two of these just yesterday at a car show here in Georgia side by side. Both white. One a 2+2, one a Shelby 350. Both true classics, not restomods.
i have a ’66 stang,complete mechanicals and interior rework
and i can’t get $15k and you ask $59k for this wreck. i guess
i am a naive classic car owner.
Hey Alex….Ya got the wrong car buddy. That one is on another day. This is a broken-in Red 65 restomod. I believe the 59k one is yellow. Don’t mean to call ya out cuz we all are mistaken from time to time.
Hey Rickirick, how correct you are. Sorry Alex.
In all actuality if the prices were flip flopped. I think that they would represent a better price for each of them. One, we would know that the pole/curb/concrete wrapped stangs price is definitely out there. Two, the price of the yellow stangs price in Albuquerque is beginning to climb down out of the tree tops.
The thought of this happening makes me feel better already. 😎
Have fun ya’all!
I know a mexican body shop that can fix it for $5k. For real though parting it out is the only way your going to get half what he wants!! LOL
I wonder where the back window landed.
Poppy,
It got sweept up by the tow truck driver.
Billy
In a million pieces all over the back seat and the road.
the red fast back on my page showed 59.900.
Yeah, we know. Something got in his gas mask while at the hospital.