Since July 17, 1965, Linda has been able to claim this is “My ’65.” She ordered this 1965 Ford Mustang GT through the local dealership in Belmont, NC and took delivery before the tires hit the show room floor. Today, it is the only vehicle the Oak Island, North Carolina resident owns.
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Linda is the original owner of this 289 cubic inch powered four-speed convertible classic. Linda paid $2550 for the automobile with the optional power top plus a $50 delivery charge and cruised it back to Pineville, North Carolina were she lived at the time. Between then and now, Linda has enjoyed the journey with her ‘65.
Linda mentions the time she thought about getting rid of the car when she worked for a travel agency and she drove the car to Fort Lauderdale, Florida on vacation.
“In Titusville the starter died and we had no time to get it fixed, and probably didn’t have the money to get it fixed,” Linda said. “We finally got it going, and when we left the hotel in Fort Lauderdale, the bell hops had to push us. I thought then maybe I should get rid of this car, but it was a simple fix. That’s the only time it has crossed my mind to get rid of the car.”
Linda laughed at the idea that if the car was an automatic it might be in Fort Lauderdale today. “That’s it, at least with a straight drive I could pop the clutch,” she smiled.
Linda’s Mustang was stored for fifteen years and later was restored in Mooresville, North Carolina.
“I always wanted to get it out of storage and restore it”, Linda said adamantly. “I owned the car, but I didn’t own the money. Once I got the money, I started the restoration and it took five years; partly due to the money and partly due to the young man’s time that did the work.”
During the restoration, Linda kept as many original parts as possible including the original radiator.
Linda explains, “It had a complete cosmetic restoration due to hail damage. This is positively my same hood. It was caught in a hail storm and had probably two thousand dings on it. But I will not drive down the road looking at somebody else’s hood.
Linda hasn’t put the stripes back on the Mustang nor the GT emblems.
“I don’t want the holes. Holes make rust,” states Linda.
Linda’s classic Ford had 265,008 miles on the odometer when she left the parking lot in Southport, North Carolina after helping her club, Cape Fear Cruisers, put on their annual show. Linda loves her Mustang and loves talking about the fun she has had during those miles. Linda refers to some of what has and hasn’t changed in that time.
“I don’t abuse it. I don’t try to see what it will do in first gear anymore. I just don’t abuse it,” said Linda. “It got about 15 miles a gallon then, and it still does. The only difference is it was twenty-five cents a gallon then.”
One constant that has held true since Linda drove this Ford Mustang GT home nearly forty-four years ago. “My ’65.”
Linda’s 1965 Ford Mustang GT Convertible – Linda resides in Oak Island, North Carolina. Pictures were taken May 2, 2009 at the Cape Fear Cruisers Spring Show in Southport, North Carolina.
- Ladies’ Lane is presented by HOME HEADQUARTERS
Ladies’ Lane by Home Headquarters is devoted to women of the classic car community.
