Man’s Mustang Sacrifice Rewarded with Restoration by Ford & Hennessey

By S.J. Bryan - August 12, 2019

He sold his beloved Mustang to pay for his wife’s cancer, 17 years later his family reunited him with the car. Then, Ford stepped in.

Last year, we told you the story of Wesley Ryan. Ryan, a devoted family man and pony car enthusiast, sold his 1993 Mustang GT in 2001. His wife Laura had been diagnosed with ovarian cancer, and he needed the money to get her the best care. Thankfully, she kicked cancer’s ass. But his family knew how much Ryan missed his Mustang. It was his pride and joy, which he had lovingly named “Christine,” and it was an indelible part of their family’s memories.

His family wanted to return the ‘Stang to its rightful home with the Ryans. After a lot of research and work, his children Jake and Jeni remarkably tracked down the car. Last year, 17 years after he parted with his ride, the family got together and surprised Wesley by reuniting him his original Mustang.

The reunion was an emotional affair, and spoke to how important our cars become in our lives.

But the story doesn’t end there. The story of Wesley’s sacrifice and his children’s quest to find and return his Mustang went viral. One person who was especially interested by the story was none other than Ford Executive Chairman Bill Ford. A Ford spokesman told Fox News that Ford was so moved that he resolved to restore and fix up the 1993 GT, which was worse for wear.

Ford reached out to John Hennessey of Hennessey Performance. Hennessey is known for their inspired and formidable performance-driven modifications and tuning. The Mustang headed off to Hennessey’s shop in Texas to begin its transformation.

The team at Hennessey did a full restoration, with a refreshed interior and full body repair with a nice new paint job. They also swapping in a 5.0-liter Coyote V8 crate engine and paired that to a brand new 6-speed manual transmission from the latest Mustang GT. This gave the Mustang a boost of about 500 hp.

Using Ford Performance parts, the team at Hennessey updated the flywheel, clutch, limited-slip differential, and other driveline parts. They added a coilover suspension, updated brakes, and 2003 Mustang SVT Cobra wheels.

The finished product was presented to the very thrilled Ryans in Dearborn, Michigan, last week by Henry Ford III.

Congratulations to the very deserving Ryan family. We have no doubt that Wesley and his family will get a lot of mileage out of this beautiful car; a Mustang that is more than a ride, it is a treasured part of the family.

Photos: The Ryan Family; Ford