Rare 1967 Mustang GT 390 Abandoned in a Field for 16 Years Is Heading for a Restoration

The rest of the production was split unevenly between the convertible (almost 45,000) and the fastback (just a notch over 71,000). One notable feature of the ’67 Mustang was the introduction of Ford’s famous big block, the 390 Cubic-inch V8. The 6.4-liter motor suddenly brought the pony to 320 hp and 427 lb-ft (324 PS, 579 Nm), but it also put some 400 lbs (some 180 kilos) over the front end more than the 289-cubic-inch V8 (Ford’s fabled 4.7-liter motor).

With an appalling weight distribution ratio of 60/40 front-back, the 390-equipped Mustang was the perfect candidate for that year's ‘Most likely to handle like a dog’ automobile. Detractors proclaimed the rig would never fly. Except they were wrong. 28,000 Ford fans ordered the big engine in the compact car.

The 390 big-inch motor might have been an impressive mill for Ford, but Ford offered a little extra for those looking for even more sportiness from the muscle-bound pony. The GT Equipment Group added wider tires (F70-14 Wide-Oval Sports type), power disc brakes on the front, sturdier suspension with higher-rate springs and shocks, a bigger stabilizer bar up front, and low-restriction dual exhaust.

Most of the 390 eight-cylinder motors installed in Mustangs in 1967 were paired with fastbacks (17,350 of them), and over half of those came with the shift-it-yourself four-speed manual transmission. 9,800 Mustangs were ordered with a clutch pedal and four forward gears in the box. This is where segregation starts narrowing down certain options.

Acapulco Blue livery was ordered on just 632 of those four-speed 390s fastbacks, and only 57 within this restricted group had luxury bucket seats – 50 of them GTs. Half the buyers of these as-spec’ed Mustangs checked the ‘3.25 Limited Slip’ box in the rear axle option list to make them more fun. The low gearing (numerically speaking) was a good highway cruiser and a nice top-speed attainer.

The options customization goes even further, with seven cars meeting all the above requirements having Styled Steel Wheels and just three with Deluxe steering wheels. Finally, two of those had center consoles – and both were sold in Virginia at the same dealership. Funny enough, one stayed in the same family until 2024, going through restorations, repairs, adventures, and good memories before getting ditched in a field sixteen years ago.

It's not the best ending for a rowdy Mustang, but this is the fate that too many classics have had to endure over the decades. This particular example was inherited from the original buyer by his adoptive son (the family welcomed the little boy the same year they bought the Mustang—1967). In 2008, the inheriting son dragged the heirloom Mustang onto his new property and left it out in the field.

Why he abandoned it there instead of getting it under a roof is really not relevant to our case now since nothing can be done about that decision. However, there is something that can be done about the car—a rescue followed by a complete restoration to factory specifications. That’s a job for Dennis Collins, the experienced car wrangler who keeps finding abandoned gems like this one and bringing them back to life.

Quite intriguingly, the man selling the Mustang for which he has had little appreciation in the last 16 years has kept the original documents in a neat binder—including photos of the restoration, the original title, and invoice, among other important papers. The engine, however, was kept away from the poor Ford, waiting for a restoration that was never initiated.

For better or for worse, the owner planned to refresh his lifelong motoring companion but kept postponing the project until he scrapped the idea altogether. The V8 was dismantled—the block is not the original after the factory-installed bottom end of the 390 went bust following an unfortunate valve drop episode. The cylinder heads and intake manifold, however, together with one of the exhaust manifolds, are original to the car.

As for the carburetor - that was stolen a long time ago, so the car had to make do with a spare. Ironically, there's a short backstory about that episode. Remember that this Mustang had a near-identical twin in the dealership when new (the other GT came with black interior)?

Well, at one moment in time, that second 1967 Ford Mustang GT 390 got stolen. Not long after, the carb on this Mustang featured in this story was also nicked - the owner suspects that it ended up on the stolen car. At one point, this car was destined to receive a stroked-out 445-cube V8 (7.3-liter), but plans changed for the worse, and that rebuild never happened.

The four-speed gearbox has survived these agonizing last sixteen years – it’s still in the car – and has endured through 86,572 miles (139,324 kilometers). However, some over-spirited driving caused the 9-inch rear axle to call it quits – twice. The first time it died out, Ford replaced it under warranty, but the replacement didn’t fare any better, either.

Luckily, the owner put a piece of identical equipment in the car to keep it in line with its build sheet. That was some four decades ago, and the Mustang underwent other changes around the same time. As we can plainly see in the video below, the car is not Acapulco Blue anymore – and the interior (or what’s left of it) isn’t white. It’s all going to come back together as it was when it left the assembly line at Metuchen on April 4, 1967.