The year was 1964 and it was a year of change, The Beatles were the most popular band on the pop charts, Ravi Shankar had# 1 single and a whole group of followers. Cassius Clay became the World Heavy Weight Champ and depending on whom you ask the biggest movie at the box office was My Fair Lady, Dr. Strangelove, Mary Poppins, Goldfinger or A Hard Days Night. However, the very best thing that happened in 1964 was my dad had just read an article about the NEW FORD MUSTANG in the may issue Popular Science Magazine. He packed all of us in the 1955 Mercury and we drove to the Ford Dealership in Metuchen, N.J.  I will always remember pulling into the lot and seeing this absolutely beautiful bright orange mustang sitting on the showroom floor. It was truly LOVE at first sight. After what seemed like forever the salesman handed dad the keys and I got to drive the car home. When we got home everyone else Mom, Dad and my sister all drove the car well into the night.

Well since that very first time “Betsey “my mother named the car, the car has never been out of my family’s care. While I was in college my mom took care of her “Betsey” and kept records no everything she ever did to and for the car.  The car has had 3 speeding tickets in her life two at my hands and one from a friend of mine. Needless to say she was a fast car in her day.  We moved back to California in 1970 and since that time Betsey has not been out of California.

Betsey has been licensed in three states New Jersey 1964 to 1965, Florida 1965 to 1969 and California from 1969 to the present. The actual restoration on the Mustang began in 1993 with work on the 289 engine and drive train. At that time I made the decision to keep the car in its original condition so we pulled all the after market items off the car.
The body repair and work didn’t start until 2002. It took me a long time to decide on who would be the very best person to take care of this special car.  So in August I met Rick from R&D Body works. He invited me down to his shop to see some of the work he and Dania had been doing. When I saw what kind of work they did I knew that R& D was the right place to have the body work done. A little over a year later I drove what looked like a brand new car home. The only thing that has been changed from the factory is just the muffler system and that was so it would run and sound better that the off the line Mustang. There are still some minor things which should be done to the car to complete the restoration so it still continues to be a work in progress.