A Blast From the Past: the 1985 Mustang GT
By Teddy Field
Back in 1985, shoulder pads and penny loafers were in vogue. Michael J. Fox took us Back to the Future in his DeLorean, and we all prayed that Ronald Regan would be able to keep us safe from Mikhail Gorbachev and his fearsome nuclear arsenal. Compared to today, 1985 seemed downright simple. There was no eBay or Facebook, 12 year-olds didn’t have cell phones and cars still had carburetors.
In 1985, the idea of a computer-driven car was just science fiction. Granted, some Chryslers had talking digital speedometers. But those seemed like a novelty, designed for people who actually liked the “new” Coca Cola. “Real” drivers didn’t need any of that computer nonsense.
Thankfully, Ford’s iconic pony car had managed to shed its embarrassing Pinto image from the late 70’s, and by 1985, it was considered a true pony car. The show horse in the Mustang stable was the 1985 Ford Mustang SVO. However, the 1985 Ford Mustang GT was the preferred bad-boy model.
Completely devoid of anything that resembled a microchip, the 1985 Mustang GT was pure mechanical muscle. Powered by Ford’s trusty 302 cubic-inch (5.0 liter) V8, the 1985 edition received factory headers, a real dual exhaust system, a new camshaft, & hydraulic lifters. This resulted in 210-hp…and lots of speeding tickets.
One such ticket-getter was a young man from Indiana. “Mr. B.” had been a good boy all year, and as a reward, Santa brought him a shiny black 1985 Mustang GT Convertible, complete with a 5-speed transmission and a fancy Driver Information Center.
Mr. B loved his new toy, and he spent many happy miles with the top (and hammer) down. However, the birth of his first child forced him to sell his 52k mile Mustang GT to a close friend, and he assumed the role of mature family man.
Eight years later, his father-in-law called to say that his old Ford Mustang was up for sale. But it wasn’t the pristine show pony that he remembered. His friend had ridden the old pony pretty hard, and it was now in need of a total restoration.
Partnering with his father-in-law, Mr. B bought the car back, then spent over $10,000 restoring the Mustang GT back to its original state. The engine, transmission, interior and body were returned to factory specs…right down to the factory inspectors paint marks on the trunk lid.
The restoration was so well done, that Mr. B took 1st place at 8 Mustang Club of America shows across the mid-west, and 2nd place honors at two other events. Bravo Mr. B!
His 1985 Ford Mustang GT Convertible was recently sold on eBay. It seems that Mr. B wanted to upgrade to a newer Mustang, so he decided to put his faithful steed up for sale. And since he did such a good job on it, we thought it was important to see his fine work.
