Some readers who saw the 1966 Ford Mustang Junkyard Treasure of last week seemed to feel that it was just a fluke, because first-generation Mustangs are just worth too much—in any condition—to suffer such a fate. Well, here's another 1964-1973 Mustang in a different Colorado car graveyard, to prove that some of these cars just aren't worth restoring.
The data plate tells us that we're looking at a base '71 hardtop, built at Dearborn Assembly (part of Henry I's vast River Rouge complex) and sold through the Denver District Sales Office. The paint was Medium Brown Metallic and the interior was done up in Medium Ginger cloth and vinyl.
The original engine was the base 250-cubic-inch straight-six, rated at 145 horsepower, but that mill is long gone. In its place is some flavor of Windsor V8, most likely a 302.
Except for the Cruise-O-Matic three-speed automatic transmission (a $217 upgrade) and maybe a few lesser options, this was the very cheapest new Mustang available in 1971. The MSRP started at $3128 for a six-cylinder hardtop with automatic, or about $21,845 in 2021 dollars (a new B0ss 351 fastback cost $4124).
Why is it in this place? It appears that it got mashed by some heavy falling object, probably a tree, either before or after a decade or three sitting outdoors with no door glass. A Mach 1 or even an ordinary '71 Mustang fastback with original V8 might have been worth fixing up in this condition, but not today's Junkyard Treasure.
Farrah Fawcett and William Christopher star in this very-much-of-its-time television commercial for the 1971 Mustang hardtop.
Squashed 1971 Ford Mustang Misses Out on Spare-No-Expense Restoration
