Dave Littlewood admits that he's always wanted a Ford Mustang, but not just any Mustang would do - it had to be the Mach 1 of 1969.
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My other fond memory is of the Steel brothers. They each owned a Mach 1 Mustang and I recall being in awe.
- Dave
“Dad was a Ford fan and Allan Moffat was my childhood hero,” Dave said.
“So it had to be a '69 like the one Moffat piloted to success in the early 70s.”
Moffat's Mustang was famous for its tough stance and bright red Coca-Cola sponsorship and saw some memorable racing between 1969 and 1972 on the Australian circuit. When Dave went searching for a Mustang a few years ago he was pretty particular.
“It had to be a '69 Mach 1 and it had to be a right hand drive,” Dave said.
“So it took me five months but I eventually found what I was after. I bought it from a chap in Sydney who was the third Australian owner of the car and it had been converted to RHD some 30 years ago.”
That was two years ago when Dave bought the Mustang and it was in need of a makeover so it got the complete treatment with a bare metal respray in its original maroon with blackouts and original striping plus all new chrome and bright work.
As the owner of Littlewoods Smash Repairs, all the work was done in-house.
The 351 Windsor was freshened up and new brakes and suspension were sorted by Richard Jefferay and he added a set of 15 inch mags. In keeping with the style of the 1970's, Dave has kept the raked look on the Mustang which he really likes.
“My other fond memory is of the Steel brothers in Parkes in the early 70s,” Dave said.
“They each owned a Mach 1 Mustang from what I remember, and as a kid I recall being in awe of not just one but two of these such cars in downtown Parkes.”
After a 12 month rebuild, Dave and his wife Cathy are loving having the Mustang on the road.
“It's got some power,” Dave said, to which I asked whether Cathy drove it too.
They both laughed! She was the first one to spin the tyres,” chuckled Dave , and with a car like this it's no wonder.
Dave and Cathy have just joined the Central West Car Club and hope to have their Mustang on display at the annual Charity Show and Shine on Saturday, October 13 at Pioneer Oval in Parkes.
