Mustang Finds Its Way Home: Abandoned 1970 Mach 1 Located on Texas Farm

By S.J. Bryan - February 26, 2020

**Seeing a 1970 Mach 1 Mustang found after literally being put out to pasture is the feel-good movie of the year.**

A lifelong love of Mustangs often starts with just one special car. We vividly remember the first Mustang that blew our mind; redefined what a car could be. One son was determined to reconnect one such remarkable car: his father’s 1970 Mach 1 Mustang.

Desperate to find the Mustang, the son reached out to Dennis Collins. Collins has an impressive resume working in the auto industry and has done extensive restorations and custom builds. He also runs a program called Wanted: Dead or Alive where people reach out to him to help to locate rare and hard-to-find cars. Collins often documents these stories on his popular YouTube channel.

Obviously, we understand wanting to rescue the Mach 1, no matter its condition. For over four decades, this Mustang was a beloved member of the family, and the father’s pride and joy. It’s easy to see why.

Offered as a high-performance variant of the first-generation Mustang; the 1970 Mach 1 featured a Fastback style, was flexing more muscle, and offered a more sporty and aggressive performance and style. The Mach 1 offered a host of upgrades; from the interior, to the V8 powertrain options, as well as a beefier suspension and tires.

Collins is on a mission to locate and retrieve the late father’s 1970 Mach 1. The son (who prefers not to be named) says his father bought the Mustang in 1970, and drove it until 1983. Then his dad kept it in storage. It remained there until his dad’s passing a few years ago. Someone took it out of storage and brought it to the family farm.

So, Collins and his team–armed with a modded Jeep and towing equipment–head out to bring this bad boy home.

When we first see it, it is rough. Having spent well over a year parked in a pasture; its only protection is a sad, torn tarp, just tattered and flapping in the breeze. But the ‘Stang is not quite as bad as first expected.

Collins inspects all the details. It is, in fact, a 1970 Mustang Mach 1 351. Its last inspection was done in 1983, so this hasn’t been on the road since 1984. Once pristine in black with a white deluxe interior, it is definitely in need of some TLC. Oh, and also, an engine.

They air up the tires and connect a winch to the Jeep. Opening the trunk they find a number of missing parts in the trunk, which might prove useful.

The Mustang has been here so long, it is hardly a surprise to see that a frog has made it his crash pad. Hey, he’s got good taste.

Once it is on the trailer and strapped down to safe transit, it looks much better. But there’s no way of knowing what he’s working with until Collins gets it to his shop. Next, he will do a full inspection and assess what needs to done so the Mach 1 can ride again.