You'll struggle to find a barn find video that better suits the term barn find than this one. Nestled in a Michigan barn for over 40 years, this 1970 Ford Mustang Mach 1 recently returned to the light in a rather dramatic way. No, it didn't drive out. But a portion of the barn was actually removed to set it free. And whoa, Nellie is it a keeper.
Before talking about the car, let's learn a bit about the players in this mini-drama. We have Joe, who grew up with cars and absolutely loves Mustangs. He's buying the car from Pam, who held onto it after her husband Phil passed away. Phil and Pam weren't the original owners, but they took care of the car through the 1970s and eventually parked it in the barn for reasons unknown. According to Pam, that was somewhere in the late 1970s or early 1980s.
In the decades since, the barn filled up and we do mean filled up. Simply reaching the Mach 1 – nestled carefully in a corner of the barn – is an obstacle course of several old tractors, campers, and equipment. Ford fans may also smile at an early 1980's Ford EXP, a sporty two-door, front-wheel-drive coupe based on the Escort that's hiding inside. There's also an old Ford LTD in there, but alas, this barn find is about the Mustang.
And it's indeed a special one. The 1969-1970 Mach 1s are among the most sought-after in the Mustang world, and this 1970 model clicks all the right buttons. It has a shaker hood with the 428 cubic-inch (7.0-liter) V8, connected to a four-speed manual transmission. It's red on red, though time has weathered the exterior to give it more of an orange appearance. It sits on proper old-school Goodyear tires, and the odometer shows just 49,953 miles. In fact, it appears as though this Mach 1 is almost entirely original, right down to the paint.
Rather than clearing out the entire barn, Joe shows up with some help and removes the section of wall behind the Mustang. With a spot cleared, it's winched onto a trailer and taken for its first wash in four decades. Each step of the process reveals more good news – the paint is in good condition, the underside is solid, and the interior is clean and well-kept.
Joe has no intention of flipping the Mach 1 for a profit. It's his dream car; he actually knew Pam for many years and now that it's in Joe's care, the plan is to restore it with his kids and enjoy it for the cool car it is.
Check out the Rambling About Cars podcast for more cool car stories and restoration adventures, available below.
