1964 1/2 1965 Ford Mustang Pace Car Replica Coupe (REAL) Very Clean 260 V8 Auto

1965 Ford Mustang Description:

This car has been a west coast car sold in San Francisco. Then made its way up to Oregon where it has spent the last 20 years. We have owned it for the last 12 years. This Pace Car is pretty original. We have had some refreshing up done over the years but most everything is just as it was from production.. the seats are the original upholstery and it has been pretty untouched other than cosmetic. This car does not nor has ever had any rust problems. It is in running and driving condition but really is only driven on occasions and local cruises..
This was a special competition between dealerships in order to distribute the planned pace car replicas to be released for sale to the public. The competition consisted of "Checkered Flag" and "Green Flag" contests that were based on the sales performance of the dealerships prior to the April 17, 1964 introduction of the Mustang. The top five performers in each district would receive a pace car replica for free, or at a significant discount, based on their final standings in the sales contest. With 36 districts this added up to 180 replicas, however, because of dealership ties and strong performances, approximately 10 extra replicas were made, bringing the total to an estimated 190. Representatives from the 105 winning dealerships were invited to Dearborn for a special celebration, where the keys to their replicas were handed over by Mr. Lee Iacocca himself. Each of the replicas were coupes painted in Pace Car White (paint code "C" for 64 1/2) and had white interiors with blue appointments (code "42"). The cars were equipped with the 260 V8 engine, power steering, rear back-up lights and automatic transmissions. Other identifying features of the pace car replicas include pace car blue racing stripes up the center of the hood and "Official Pace Car" decals along the sides of the car. The words "PACE CAR" were written on the radiator support with a grease pencil of some kind, and then later painted over. The center stripes did not get placed on the taillight panel around the gas cap on coupes, but they did on the dignitary convertibles. Apparently some cars did not have the decals installed at the dealership, and due to a press photo showing a prototype with the stripes installed to one side rather than down the middle a few cars ended up with the stripes in this incorrect location. Another interesting fact with regards to the replica cars was the lack of outside mirrors. Standard procedure at the time was for cars to be delivered to the dealerships with the outside mirrors placed loose inside the car. When the car was prepped by the dealership the mirrors were then installed. However, the pace car replicas were not delivered the same way as regular Mustangs... the Checkered Flag cars were retrieved by the winning dealers from Dearborn, and the Green Flag cars were retrieved from the District Sales Office by the dealer. This meant that these cars did not end up with an outside mirror. The VINs of the cars are sequentially numbered, but the DSOs reflect the dealerships that they were sent too. All of the replicas were built in April, except for the extras mentioned earlier that were built in May, and given a DSO of 84 ("Home Office" designation).
Pace Car Hardtop
• 180 Hardtops produced in Pace Car White (code C) with white interiors and blue appointments (Trim Code 42) in mid-April 1964. Five for each sales district for Checkered Flag and Green Flag contest winners.

• It appears most sales district units were numbered consecutively. For example, Denver district (DSO 51) units were numbered 5F07F113920 through 5F07F113923, with the exception being 5F07F113799.

• Approximately 20 additional pace car units were produced with date code "01E" (May 1, 1964) with DSO 84 to cover ties in some sales districts.

• Vehicle identification numbers appear to range from 5F07F112566 to 5F07F123807

541-944-5872

According to one of the magazine articles it's estimated that well under fifty of these pace cars are still roadworthy. While a few more may be sitting in varying states of decay, many have simply been lost to time. If you're a Mustang fan, racing fan or just appreciate amazing pieces of automotive history, this 1965 Mustang Pace Car would make a great addition to your collection. Don't miss the chance to bring this one home!