Amid the escalating muscle car wars that have dominated Detroit headlines for the past few years, wild performance stats like sub-three-second 0-60 mph times and four-figure horsepower ratings have almost become unsurprising. But as mind-melting as today's Shelby Mustangs and Dodge Hellcats might truly be, there's still something awesome that modern muscle cars lack when compared to the original classics. The problem with the originals, though, is that they have typically been driven hard and put away wet.
The modern internet age, however, has opened up a whole new world of barn finds, where classic-car hunters discover almost pristine cars that were parked ages ago and left to collect dust. One of the greatest barn finds ever just popped up online, an original-owner 1970 Ford Mustang Boss 302 that was left sitting for 50 whole years.
Older Than Yours
As detailed in a Motortrend feature on the discovery, this car is truly special. Apparently, the owner above, Daryl Cook, bought his Mustang when it was brand-spanking-new in 1970 from Zaeski Ford of Union, Wisconsin. He parked it 50 years ago with only just over 11,500 miles on the odometer. Now, obviously any car parked for that period of time will require significant time, effort, and know-how to bring back to roadgoing condition, so after such a mind-boggling silly life choice, Cook actually made a discerning effort to find the right person to bring his Boss 302 back to its original glory.
Under The Hood
Enter Bob Perkins, the official Head Authenticity Judge for the Mustang Club of America. As if that title wasn't enough, Perkins has also previously restored immaculate barn finds including a 1970 Grabber Orange Boss 302 found in 1982 with only 1,500 miles on the clock and a 1,600-mile 1970 Boss 429 as recently as five years ago. Perkins judged Cook's car as needing a fairly extensive list of mechanical refurbishing but said, "I think the interior is going to be flawless with a good cleaning." Hopefully, he can spearhead the project if Cook ever decides to part with his parked masterpiece.
Source: Motortrend