First Ford Mustang owner kept the car despite it not working for 27 years and it’s now worth a huge amount
- Gail Wise purchased a skylight blue convertible Ford Mustang at the age of 22 in 1964
- She drove her family around in the muscle car for 15 years before, one day, it broke down
- It sat in the family’s garage for 27 years before it was restored after finding out its true value
Published on Oct 25, 2024 at 7:05 PM (UTC+4)
by Adam Gray
Last updated on Oct 28, 2024 at 3:47 PM (UTC+4)
Edited by
Alessandro Renesis
After their Ford Mustang broke down, Tom Wise insisted to his wife Gail that one day he’d fix it.
Stored in the family garage for 27 years, it never looked like that day would come.
However, he did get round to fixing the car – and he’ll be glad he did.
This amazing story is about an almost-forgotten muscle car that turned out to be a diamond in the rough.
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Gail Wise’s 1964 Ford Mustang convertible
Gail Wise purchased a skylight blue convertible Ford Mustang at the age of 22 in 1964.
After the family drove round in it for 15 years, one day it stopped running and sat there until her husband, Tom, retired.
With time now on his hands, Tom decided to scour the internet for parts to fix it up – and that’s when he discovered a story about someone with a similar car.
Apparently, they claimed to be the very first Mustang owner, with a purchase date of April 16, 1964.
Tom must have a really good memory, though, as he remembered Gail had bought her car a day earlier.
Sure enough, he went down to the basement where he found a receipt and the owner’s manual, which confirmed the car had in fact been purchased on April 15, 1964.
How much was it worth?
The next step was to call collector car experts, Hagerty Classic Insurance, who told the couple that a paper trail was essential.
Fast forward and the Ford Mustang has now been fully restored, but not altered or modified.
The classic pony car cost $3,447.50 back in the day, however, it was worth in the region of $350,000 to $450,000, according to Hagerty in 2018.
The Mustang isn’t the only Ford in the couple’s garage; it houses a 2013 Ford Escape and a 2015 Ford Edge, too.
But they can’t believe that, for so many years, the family stacked lawn chairs on top of their Mustang, which is now worth so much.
Speaking of ‘Stangs – a man found four incredibly rare Mustangs in North Carolina, including one with a powerhouse engine.
Elsewhere, a man attempted to revive a 1978 King Cobra Mustang after decades of neglect.
Adam Gray is an experienced freelance motoring journalist and content creator based in the United Kingdom. Using his media accreditation with manufacturers’ press offices, Adam test drives the latest cars and attends new vehicle press launches, producing written reviews and news pieces for a variety of lifestyle and business publications. Here at Supercar Blondie, Adam applies his journalistic skills penning social-first content around current news and trends. When he’s not behind the wheel of the latest car or writing up another viral story, Adam can be found at his local rink playing ice hockey or at the Riverside Stadium supporting his beloved Middlesbrough FC.
