East Bay couple acquires '67 Mustang from their first date
I think it's fair to say the Ford Mustang was accidentally a colossal success. It was publicly introduced on April 17, 1964 with the convertible and hardtop models and in August of that year with the fastback model. The objective was to sell 100,000 Mustangs that year, but the firstyear sales were over 400,000 and first-two-year sales over a million.
Lee Iacocca was the Ford division general manager behind the project and assigned Donald Frey as its head engineer. That average time for producing a completely new model back then was three to five years, but Frey accomplished Mustang's development in 18 months. There were three design teams competing for the project, all given the same specifications: a consumer price under $2,500, a weight under 2,500 pounds, a length under 180 inches, four bucket seats and several luxury, power and comfort options.
In Iacocca's book, he credits automotive stylist Dave Ash for the Mustang design, but Ash modestly said, “I had a lot of help. I don't think anyone ever does a car by himself, not in these times anyway.”
Naturally, development costs are a priority, so to keep those as low as possible, the Mustang used the chassis, suspension and drivetrain from the Ford Falcon. The body, of course, was completely different, with a shorter wheelbase, wider track and lower height and seating position. The first Mustangs had five engine options ranging from a 105-horsepower, six-cylinder engine to a 271-horsepower V8 with three transmission options. The Mustang created a whole new class of vehicles which became known as the Pony Car segment.
In the first two years, the Mustang sold like hotcakes and there wasn't much need to change anything. But for the 1967 model year, Mustang did have their first noticeable design change. The Mustangs were growing larger, and Iacocca was concerned. The new '67 was a
little longer, a little wider, a little taller and weighed over 300 pounds more. The biggest mechanical change was several bigblock V8 engines that became available. The interiors were improved as well as minor exterior trim changes like the taillights, wheel covers and gas cap.
This issue features a 1967 Ford Mustang hardtop owned by Hardy and Trish Brunutte, of Danville. The car was purchased new by Hardy's mother from their hometown Ford dealer in Newman, California.
“She had that car when I turned 16,” he said. “I took my driver's license test in that car. It was a real special car for me, plus it was almost brand-new, so it was kind of cool to drive around.”
While it was a very nice car, it was not the best car for a
housewife with four kids to haul around. She sold it after a couple years and bought a four-door sedan.
“My dad was in the bus business and one of his mechanics bought the car. He was a really good mechanic. He kept the car in excellent mechanical condition.”
The Brunuttes bought the Mustang back from that mechanic in 2019 for $10,000, and it ran perfectly.
“It is completely original, including the engine and transmission with 240,000 miles on the odometer. I've put a timing chain on; that's the only thing we've done to the motor,” he said. “When I bought it, it just needed the interior redone, the paint job needed to be redone. We just made it look pretty.”
They have done more than just make the Mustang pretty. It now has front disc brakes, air conditioning and a radio that looks like the original Ford radio but has the latest technology so his cell phone can be used with it. Even the interior is better than new with a custom arm rest with two drink holders.
“A key historical fact of the car is that my wife of 39 years and I went on our first date in that car,” said Hardy.
Trish added that “It was OUR first date and MY VERY FIRST date with a boy. I was a little stressed out. I was so excited when he pulled up in the Mustang instead of a sedan with bench seats because I didn't know if I was to sit close to him or not.”
I think we can assume Trish's dad was glad to see the Mustang
too. The couple happily agreed to buy the nostalgic car, but Trish had a requirement.
“I insisted that he agree to four safety features,” Trish stated. “A mirror on the right side (not standard in those days), head rests, shoulder harness seatbelts and a steel panel over the gas tank (to minimize gas spillage in case of a rear-end collision).”
This Mustang is probably not the Brunuttes' best financial investment, but it's most likely their best sentimental investment.