Karen Evarts

Wow, my bright red Stang has gotten a write-up in Barn Finds as well as Bring-a-Trailer (where it all ends with the final bid early this next Monday am.) Car-auctions are a hoot, even as I'm finding it hard to give up my car after nearly 62 years!

Sidenote: As a teacher at LA High on Olympic Bl., 1964-67—I taught English, Social Studies, Typing (when needed!), and ESL, English as a Second Language.

I took possession of my new car on January 11, 1965, and will never forget the high fives in the parking lot. This was the era of White Flight, the Watts Riots (August ’65), soon to be followed by school busing. Since the 1950s the school had been changing into what we then called a *minority school* due to changes in real estate covenants, while its proximity to the foreign consulates meant that I was teaching English to kids from a wide variety of foreign nations as well. My bright red Mustang was appreciated by all!

This original, one-owner, accident-free, California black-plate ‘65 Mustang that has been well maintained and garaged by its original California owner virtually all its life.  My aunt ordered it new in Sept. 1964, though it wasn’t built until January 1965 following a Ford workers’ strike at the San Jose, Calif., factory. As a lifelong car nut and professional automotive writer, I am representing it for sale here on her behalf. She and my uncle are now in their mid-80s, and maintaining and continuing to drive it has become burdensome. No other family members are interested. The car is in Newport Beach, Calif., (where it has lived most of its life); I am in Connecticut, but have recently spent most of a week in California inspecting, photographing and driving it. I will answer any questions as best as I can with the help of my aunt’s original maintenance logs and calls to California as needed. Please try to ask any questions early during the auction. The car is being sold without reserve. 

This American icon looks beautiful and draws eyes wherever it goes, despite 6 decades of normal wear and tear. It comes with 61 years of maintenance logs that verify its mileage, along with all services performed on the car and parts that have been replaced over the years. 

This car was her daily driver for the first decade of its life, and was then retired to occasional pleasure usage as children arrived and she needed more space and practicality, though it has never suffered any extended period off the road. She has faithfully driven it locally at least every two weeks since, and it is no stranger to local Los Angeles freeway speeds or to local car shows. 

This 289 equipped ‘“Plain Jane” model was sold new through a business fleet-purchase program through her former husband’s employer, and has spent almost its entire life garaged in the Los Angeles area, with one or two early years street parked in San Francisco and the San Diego area. 

It has never been in an accident.  

The car has been regularly maintained throughout its years, including some updates and major services, including a replacement short block under the hood with a later, correct unit in 1975 (p. 25) at 124,600 miles. A new battery tray was installed in 1981 (p. 72). In 1992 (pp. 12, 23) the car was repainted in the original Rangoon Red following a windshield leak, along with replacement of the front carpet.  The binding on the edge of the new front carpet is visible on the center tunnel between the seats. The front seats were reupholstered and the original trunk mat replaced in 1996. (pp. 53, 63). The trunk includes its original matching spare tire cover and tool bag, as well as a matching duffel bag. The headliner fits tight, with a few light stains around the edges. 

The car was delivered with an AM radio, which was replaced by a more modern stereo in 1992(p.12/23), including two 6x9-in. speakers in the rear parcel shelf. (One now has a loose Sony ring badge.) The dashboard was cut to accommodate the new stereo, which was then removed in more recent years, and the dashboard restored to its original condition. The dashboard now holds an AM/cassette player, though it does not work. All lights and the wipers work as expected, even the courtesy lamps in the foot wells and glove-box. 

Shortly after the repaint, and after the owner had run for and lost a two elections for the local school board, someone keyed the right side of the car: It shows a large swoop across the passenger door, and the faint remains of the word “Looser” (misspelled) on the right-hand roof pillar. Only the “o’s” are still identifiable, with some faint scratches from surrounding letters. This area has likely been touched up and buffed to try to minimize the damage, as it has quite thick, though ferrous, paint readings. (See note below.) I tried to show these in the pictures, but with the shiny paint they were continually either outshone by ambient reflections outdoors or were too dim to see indoors. On both the pillar and the door, they only show on relatively close inspection. Similarly, many paint chips mar the edges of virtually every panel on the car save the roof. They are not noticeable from 10 feet away and barely noticeable only when you know where to look from 5. 

The car’s headliner, rear seats, and dash look excellent. There are two rust bubbles beginning to show on the inside of the lower driver’s door, as shown in the gallery. And there is now a small, 4-inch seam separation on the lower driver’s seat cushion. It has some pitting in the chrome, especially in the exterior door handles and the steering wheel center ring and turn signal stalk. 

The car starts as it should and idles smoothly and evenly within a few seconds of starting and revs freely under way. Stab the accelerator, and it delivers an immediate hard shove into the seatback. Watching from the outside, the car shows no signs of smoke. The transmission shifts very smoothly, with no trace of jarring or clunking. Off-center, the steering feels positive, though it requires correction to maintain a straight path down the road, as is typical of most original American cars of the era. The power steering is original and very smooth and effortless on the move, though it still requires a little effort at parking lot speeds. It has been rebuilt once, but currently has a broken rubber bellows and is leaking. Power assistance seems present but is weak. The brakes are not power assisted. The starter motor, carburetor accelerator pump gasket, and engine accessory belts have just been replaced. The coolant and engine oil are both clear and clean.