MECUM MUSTANGS

Our five favorite pony cars from the 2021 Kissimmee kick-off auction

By Steve Turner | Photography by the author

As the calendar page flipped to the new year, the crew at Mecum wasted no time firing up its auction block.

Right out of the gate, the company headed to Osceola Heritage Park in Kissimmee, Florida, for its first event of 2022, which ran from January 6-16. We headed to the event to scope out all the Mustangs on the property and pick a fistful of favorites.

#5. 1965 MUSTANG CONVERTIBLE

A flashback to a time when the 4.6-literModular engine was the cutting-edge swap, this 1965 Mustang Convertible benefits from a full rotisserie resuscitation. That comeback included the aforementioned engine swap, a Vintage Air setup, four-wheel disc brakes, Dakota Digital gauges, and more. In all, the mild-mannered droptop looks like it would be a great weekend cruiser with excellent street manners courtesy of the smooth-running (if underpowered) Two-Valve underhood. It hammered for $84,700in Kissimmee.

#4. 1989 MUSTANG GT CONVERTIBLE

This scribe admittedly has a soft spot for Fox Mustangs, but convertibles usually aren’t near the top of the list. This one has something extra nostalgic inside, however. A single-owner stallion with just 53,000 miles on the clock, it’s been sequestered in climate-controlled storage for 27 years. Not only does it have original paint and the original interior, but one special accessory really takes you on a trip to back in the day. Resting under the center console is an OG car phone. That’s right before everyone had a mobile phone, these bulky portables were mounted in cars and commanded big money from those who wanted to show off. Seeing it inside this convertible had this writer wanting to call back to 1989 to meet up with a few Foxes for a cruise to a burger joint.

#2. 1965 SHELBY GT350R PROTOTYPE

Known as the Flying Mustang thanks to a famous photo of it airborne, this 1965 Shelby GT350R Prototype was the first Shelby Mustang to collect a racing win. Later Jerry Titus drove it to the 1965 SCCA B-Production championship. As an engineering mule, it was to develop the modifications that would eventually be deployed on production R-models. These days it looks like a pristine time capsule belying its competition history. Estimates placed its value at $3 to $4 million as it crossed the auction block.

If you have never been to one of these auctions and you love cars, you need to add it to your bucket list. Think of them as part car show and part carnival, with the option to outbid someone and take one of the show cars home.

#1. 2017 MUSTANG

Talk about the ultimate sleeper. Approaching this 2017 Mustang from the back end, you might never guess what lurks under the hood of this retromod. Your author once wrote a feature story on this car because of its unique engine swap. It is powered by a Cammer, but not the modern, multi-cam Mod Motor. Nope. This S550 is powered by the legendary 427 SOHC big-block that pounds out 740 horsepower and 640 lb-ft of torque. With a TREMEC six-speed manual in the tunnel, this S550 looks like the sort of ride that makes you grin from ear to ear as you bang through the gears.

As you can see, there were a plethora of pony cars on the property at Mecum Kissimmee. Hopefully, you enjoyed our picks, but if not, be sure to check out the gallery below and choose a few favorites of your own.

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