You Can't Make This Stuff Up!

[mssl72]

Originally Posted by Lee Stewart

Tesla just rolled out its own tequila. It's already sold out

I guess that means that when it's in self-driving mode you can drink.

[Lee Stewart]

Making my post on the Year 1970 got me thinking about my Triple Black 1967 Chevelle SS396. Bucket seats, console, 350HP 396, 4 speed, power steering but manual drum brakes. Whatever the standard rear was, that's what it had. 3.31? It was a posi too. AM radio. No gauge package so I added a Sun Super Tach. Also added a set of Hedman headers. Paid $900 for the car.

When I bought it from one of the students at Babson, it had hubcaps. There was a set of 4 Pontiac Rallye II wheels with F70x14 redline tires in the basement of the dorm. I bought them for $50 and sold my wheels and tires for $20.

LOL - it was the first time I drove a car with 4 speed and shifted into 3rd and 4th gear. I learned to drive a manual trans when I worked at Grossinger's Hotel in Liberty, NY. Parking cars and retrieving them. Over the summer of 1969 I must have driven hundreds of 4 speed cars. But you never got out of 2nd gear. I also drove a mini-bus (which required me to get a Class 2 License) but it had an automatic trans. My first car was a 64 Impala SS convertible 327/300HP with a powerglide. Sold it for $400 after I bought the Chevelle. It served me well.

[Lee Stewart]

[Lee Stewart]

[Lee Stewart]

[Lee Stewart]

[Lee Stewart]

When Edsel Ford II, the great-grandson of the legendary Henry Ford and the son of Henry Ford II turned 16, the Mustang team decided to treat him with a special one-off bespoke Mustang. This one-off car, was handed over to Edsel Ford II on the 27th December 1964 and featured styling that was never seen before.

Starting with a special one-off and functional ram-air scoop on the hood to feed the massive carburettors on the 4.8-litre one-off engine that wasn’t available to the public at the time but offered on later model Ford Mustangs. The same 4.8-Litre or 289-cubic inch engine was also given to the car that was made for Henry Ford II and made close to 280PS. According to a recent interview, Edsel Ford II remembered his car saying, “The rumble of the high-performance 289-cubic-inch V8 was always intoxicating. I only drove it for a few minutes that first day because there was snow on the ground, but as soon as the roads were cleared, I drove it almost every day.”

The car also featured a special one-off Pearl White paintjob, unseen on any Mustang at the time and featured a special blue rally stripe that run across the centre of the car. Along with the functional air scoop, the car also featured add-on European spec, front fender-mounted rear view mirrors as at the time the rear view mirror was in fact not a standard fitment but an optional extra for all mustangs sold. The car also featured the chrome package and a bespoke fuel cap with the initials ‘EBF II’ engraved on it.

The Interiors too were a one-off creation by the in-house Ford Mustang team and featured matching blue leather interior and suede with an all-aluminium trim option. The car also featured the sportier alloy wheels as compared to the more popular rotary knock-off wheel trims that feature on the first ever Ford Mustang convertible.

Sadly though, the car featured here was lost forever when in 1969 a friend of Edsel For II had a crash in the car having borrowed the car from its famous owner. Considering how popular the 1965 Mustang is amongst collectors, this particular car would have no doubt been one of the most sought after cars from its era.

[Lee Stewart]

Edsel was a Junior at Babson College when I was a Freshman. He was the richest kid on campus and that says a lot as Babson was flooded with rich kids: The Chapin Bros whose father was CEO of American Motors, Jim Kellogg of Kellogg's Cornflakes, Jack Abeil who was the son of the owner of Forsgate Farms (NJ), the son of the CEO of Manhattan Life Ins. Co., the son of the owner of the Ebony Magazine Empire and many more.

When Edsel lost that custom built Mustang, it was replaced by a custom built 1970 Candy Apple Maroon Boss 351 with White stripes (all Boss 302s got Black stripes) with real Minilite wheels, F & R spoilers, RW Slats and experimental side exhaust! There was a brass plaque on the console: "This car was built for Edsel Ford II by Holman Moody."

I ran into Edsel while working at Ford Motor Credit Corp out of Framingham, MA. My boss asked me to deliver some paperwork to a Ford facility in Waltham right off rte. 128. I was told someone would meet me in the lobby when I got there. I announced I was Lee from FMCC and a few minutes later here comes Edsel. We were both in the Babson Sports Car Club so he remembered me.

The first thing I did after handing him the big envelope was ask him; "You still have the 1970 Boss 351?" He laughed and said unfortunately no. When he went back home at the end of his Junior year he had to give it up. Then he said: "want to see what I'm driving now?" Sure! We go to the back of the building near the loading dock and there are two cars: A Black 1972 Lincoln MK IV and next to it a 1965 427 Cobra. Blue with whites stripes. Chrome side pipes with knock-off wheels.

All I could think about was Edsel's inability to drive a sports car well and hope he didn't kill himself! LOL.

We both wished each other well and I went back to the office. I never saw Edsel again.

[67since67]

Thanks for the '67 Chevelle posts Lee!! My DD in the early '70s was also a black/black '67 SS.

The Royal Plum SS is an outstanding, detailed restoration by a great owner, and is an L34 350hp, plus K19 CA smog equipment.
The 2nd Marina Blue car (IL tags) is also an outstanding restoration, and still in the hands of the original owner!

Bill W

[olredalert]

----Lee,,,Didn't know you were a Mass. guy. I'm from a split family but spent much of my youth around Wellesley. Where was your hometown?......Bill S