1966 Ford Mustang Hardtop

The Overview THE BEST KIND OF RESTOMOD From the day it went on sale in April 1964, the Mustang was a car meant to be made your own. Ford’s options sheet ran long enough that no two needed to be alike: a six or a V8, three speeds or four or an automatic, buckets or a bench, and a long list of trim and convenience items beyond that. Buyers took to the idea in extraordinary numbers, and Ford built nearly 1.3 million in its first two model years. Six decades on, owners are still making them their own, and the best of that work follows a simple discipline. “The best resto-mods are professionally built,” Ken Gross wrote in Sports Car Market in February 2024. “‘Improvements,’ wheels excepted, are hard to spot without a closer inspection.” Mustang Hardtop #6F07C741326 Chassis 6F07C741326 left Dearborn in 1966 as a two-door hardtop, its VIN recording the 289 cu in V8 as factory fitment. The car has since been through a complete restoration by Coffey’s Hot Rod & Custom of Kingston, Massachusetts, and the restraint of that build is compelling. A first-generation Mustang in typical period trim asks a great deal of its owner: a carburetor to coax alive, drum brakes to plan around, no overdrive for the highway, steering that is heavy at parking speeds. Coffey’s answered each of those, and then stopped, preserving the genuine character of an early Mustang. Where so many builds reach for a modern crate V8, Coffey’s chose a correct 289, and brought it up to date around the edges: Holley Sniper self-learning fuel injection in place of the carburetor, a full MSD ignition, a Cold Case aluminum radiator with electric fans, and Bob Drake ceramic headers into an SVO stainless X-pipe. Behind it sits a Tremec Super-Duty T-5 five speed, with a McLeod Stage 2 clutch and a tall overdrive fifth, driving a Quick Performance Ford 9-inch rear axle with a limited slip differential. Wilwood 12-inch discs now sit at every corner, with six-piston calipers in front and four at the rear, and power steering takes the effort out of a parking lot. Beneath the deep gray metallic paint, every outer panel is new metal, from the quarters, doors, and fenders to the hood, deck lid, valances, and tail pan, the gaps adjusted to fit and the whole car refinished in PPG and 3M materials. The paint carries a clean, unbroken reflection down each flank, the gaps run even, and on its chrome 17-inch US Mags the coupe sits low and square, the wheels filling the arches. Inside, black pleated buckets face a wood-rimmed steering wheel with drilled spokes and the running-horse horn button, set before New Vintage USA gauges in the chrome-rimmed binnacle. The chrome wheels, the Wilwood calipers behind them, and the Ford Racing script on the valve covers declare the car’s intentions; the fuel injection and the fifth gear, along with the excellent Wilwood brakes, follow through. Its builder calls it one of a kind, and it has covered just 498 miles since completion. For anyone who wants a ’66 Mustang to drive on a Sunday morning or take on a long tour, rather than one to worry over, this is exactly the right car. Technical Specifications Replacement Ford 289 Cu In (4.7-Liter) OHV V8 Holley Sniper Self-Learning Electronic Fuel Injection MSD 6AL Ignition with MSD Distributor, Blaster 2 Coil and 8.5 mm Wires Bob Drake Ceramic Headers into an SVO Stainless X-Pipe Cold Case Aluminum Radiator with Electric Fans Tremec T-5Z Five-Speed Manual (Ford Performance M-7003-Z Super-Duty T-5), 0.63 Overdrive Fifth McLeod Stage 2 Clutch with Ford Racing Billet Aluminum Flywheel Quick Performance 9-Inch Rear Axle, 3.55 Gears, Limited-Slip Differential, 31-Spline Axles Wilwood 12-Inch Disc Brakes, Six-Piston Front and Four-Piston Rear Calipers Power Steering Calvert Racing Traction Bars Chrome 17×8 US Mag Wheels with Nitto NT555 G2 225/45R17 Tires Provenance Ford Dearborn Assembly Plant, Michigan (1966 Model Year) Complete Restoration by Coffey’s Hot Rod & Custom, Kingston, Massachusetts Massachusetts Title, No Brands AVI Gallery, Newton, Massachusetts (Acquired July 2026)