Friday, April 18, 2014

Aussies love Mustangs too

The appeal of the Ford Mustang isn't limited to the United States. Just ask Aussie Andrew Matthews.

"Everybody loves Mustangs,'' he says.

Matthews, of Queensland, brought his wife, Amanda, and twins, Ella and Claire, 5, for a month-long U.S. holiday with the 50th anniversary of the Mustang as their vacation focal point. They attended the celebration at Las Vegas.

He owns an early-production Mustang, marketed as a 1964 and a half, and while he couldn't bring it with him, he had a tablet computer filled with pictures to show as he and his family chatted with other owners of early Mustangs and searched for those with similarly featured cars.

His car was first purchased in California and later shipped to Australia. He found it in Adelaide and bought it six years ago. It's one of the most memorable color schemes of the day, Wimbledon White over a red interior, with a 289-cubic-inch V-8 engine, four-barrel carburetor and a stated 225 hp.

"This was the high-performance model in '64,'' he says.

It has a tachometer and clock mounted on either side of the steering column, an upgrade Ford called the "rally pack.'' It also has a generator, rather than alternator, which was unique to the very first cars, he says. And it is nearly original, though it had a repaint before he bought it.

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Since arriving in the United States earlier this month, Matthews and his family have driven a rental Ford up the Pacific Coast Highway to San Francisco from Los Angeles, a route any car enthusiast loves, before heading to Las Vegas.

"We've just come over for a month and made an adventure out of it,'' he says. "We wouldn't want to miss this.''

Mustangs from Utah and Idaho line up for the 50th anniversary of the Ford Mustang celebrated at the Las Vegas Speedway.(Photo: Robert Hanashiro, USA TODAY)

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