Will classic lovers become a lost generation?
Once upon a time in America, the automobile was a part of an individual’s or family’s character, whether it be for luxury as in a Cadillac or Lincoln, the muscle car era or a VW Bus trip to Woodstock. Many cars have not only become a part of one’s character, but they have become a historic name and culture in and of themselves. The Corvette, Mopar, Camaro and then there’s the Mustang.
The original Ford Mustang debuted on April 17th, 1964 with a price of $2368.00. Although the name Pony radiates around the Mustang with enhanced interior and marketing, the Mustang was named after the WWII P-51 Mustang fighter plane by John Najjar. Najjar co-designed the Mustang I and it made its debut on October 7th, 1962 and in 1964, when the Mustang debuted, 400,000 units sold after a pessimistic 100,000 were predicted.
It is unknown if it will ever happen again when a car design creates challenges to think out of the box 50 to 60 years into the future, but it can’t be denied that the Ford Mustang spurred Chevy to formulate the Camaro, Pontiac the Firebird and Dodge the Challenger.
Will a 60’s something person in 2061 look back and say I want to find and restore a 2016 Mustang that was my first car? “I kind of doubt it”, Rick Duncan, President of MyclassicNEWS said. “The disposability and new technological era of automotive change to meet differing and political needs won’t allow that, I believe.”
Few automotive brands have bragging rights for immense involvement with the great men who pioneered the auto world, but the Mustang can boast such names as, Donald Frey, Lee Iococca and Carroll Shelby and in movies that portrayed the vehicles of the time, as in Bullitt with Steve McQueen and James Bond’s Thunderball, Goldfinger and Diamonds are Forever.
Many of us won’t be here to see that day, but we are in the present today and witnessing an explosion of individuals who have a passed down and left-over passion to create their past, whether it be finding and restoring their first car, a car their Father had or some other family member. One of those individuals lives in the suburbs of Dallas and his passion didn’t stop at tracking down and restoring an automobile like his first. He added a golf cart, metal pedal car and a small replica P-51 to his Mustang collection.
When asked about what his passion was with Mustangs and why he has spent years chasing and restoring his dream, Steve Hipps of Van Alstyne, Texas replied:
My journey with mustangs began with my first car, a 1965 Mustang Coupe with a 6 cylinder 200ci engine. Like many classic car owners, I went back to my first car after getting my kids out of college and working on their own. I saved and searched for 10 years to find a 1965 Mustang Convertible.
I’m the third owner, with the second owner completing the paint and body work. I brought the gutted mustang home to Texas in 2011, to rebuild a V8 302ci engine and completed the assembly in 12 months. While building my Convertible, my sister painted the 30”x40” Mustang and the 8”x15” Pony.
When I began planning for my retirement in 2017, I followed up on converting a standard Club Car Golf Cart into a Mustang Golf Cart as a retirement gift to myself. I found a supplier for the Mustang Body out of Florida and had a local body shop do the painting for me.
With the full size mustang as my guide, I incorporated a number of custom features myself into the golf cart, including custom Dash/Instrument Panel, Dash Pad, Steering Wheel, Hub Caps, Glove Box, Seat Covers and special LED lighting, as well as many other subtle unique items. Grandkids love to ride with their Big Guy.
Expanding my collection of mustangs, I added the Mustang Pedal Car in 2021. The pedal car started as a rust bucket and with the exception of sandblasting and powder painting, I did the restoration myself.
I have also expanded my Mustang Collection to include a 5 foot wingspan P-51 Remote Controlled Mustang airplane. I also plan to expand my collection with a Mustang Jr, a Mustang Motorcycle and a late model daily driver.
The level of passion Mr. Hipps has put into his collection is one-of-a-kind and it is individuals like him who have kept this historic automotive dream alive in America. From the use of humans pulling 2-wheeled carriages to horses then to the late 1800’s creation of the automobile and from the steam engines to the electric and gas cars of the early 1900’s to present day, humans have always searched for more efficient means of transportation, whether it was to improve comfort, speed or efficiency. One must ponder as to whether in 2121 our descendents will have the same love for the history of human transportation or will our transportation process be generic with all our past only in museums, photos or our memories.
Myclassic News would like to thank Mr. Hipps for his hospitality and courtesy for the production of this story and his fascinating collection.
Photo Credit: All photos herein are the property of Ford Motor Company, Steve Hipps and MyclassicNews and were published by MyclassicNEWS with their permission and consent. All content herein, other than property published by permission, is the property of myclassicnews.com and any reproduction, other than normal social media sharing, is strictly prohibited. Copyright ©, myclassicnews.com. For reprint permission contact us at rick@groupduncan.com
You must be logged in to post a comment.