1971 Ford Mustang 351 Fastback M Code

We are delighted to be able to offer you this wonderful Ford Mustang Mach 1 Fastback. First registered in September 1971, the seller bought it from Chillingham Classics four years ago before embarking on a £12,000 programme of refurbishment to bring it up to the condition he’d always envisaged.

The result is the car you see here. It’s only been used to trundle around his local area and kept in professional storage. Fitted with the legendary M-code 351 cu in Clevelandr V8 engine (5.7-litres for us Limeys…) it’s still to the original specification throughout.

Reluctantly being sold because he doesn’t use it as much as he thought he would - he’s covered fewer than a thousand miles since he bought it and it’s been in storage for the past year - this is a fully sorted American legend you can buy with your head as well as your heart.

Everyone loves a pony car and none is more iconic than this. Finished in silver, it’s loaded with everything that makes the Mach 1 Mustang one of the planet’s most desirable cars: Mach 1 decals; twin exhaust pipes; matt black bonnet details; grille-mounted auxiliary lamps; frameless doors; a central rear fuel filler; front and rear aerodynamic aids; chrome bonnet clips; and a pair of bonnet scoops to funnel air into the greedy V8 engine.

And yet, for all that, there’s a subtlety about the Mustang that’s missing with many of its rivals; there’s no doubt the Ford Motor Company was at the top of its game when it released this.

The coachwork is excellent. With straight flanks, mm-perfect panel gaps, and an unholy shine to the paintwork someone has spent a fortune and many hours to get this Mach 1 Mustang Fastback looking like it does.

It helps that the recent refurbishment was comprehensive and included the small stuff most people ignore like new chrome bonnet clips on the freshly painted bonnet, a new stripe, and fresh window rubber seals.

He also splashed out on a brand-new set of Magnum 500-style alloy wheels. As you can see, they look terrific and are fitted with good Cooper Cobra Radial G/T tyres.

We will never get tired of telling you that experience shows that matching high-quality tyres are an infallible sign of a caring and mechanically sympathetic owner who is prepared to spend the appropriate amount in maintaining their car properly. Their presence does not, of course, preclude the need for a thorough inspection - something the vendor would welcome, by the way – but it does perhaps give you a shortcut into their attitude towards maintenance.

The owner tells us that while the change in colour was completed to a very high standard many years ago, there is a small amount of pitting on the roof as a result of the passing years (i.e. #240).

Other flaws are trifling: There's some lifting of the front lower nose spoiler, the offside front corner of the bonnet could do with being aligned a little more neatly (#117), and there is the odd spot of surface corrosion (i.e. #95, #159, #216, #). This is all minor and is the sort of stuff you’d expect on an honestly presented car of this age.

The refurbishment included new Mustang window winders and a new interior light plus tracing and rectifying a few electrical gremlins. That this is the extent of the issues he felt needed sorting out speaks well of the overall condition of this 51-year-old car.

As simple inside as it is outside, the Mustang’s cockpit has everything you’d want to find in there and nothing you don’t. The grey and black vinyl seats might not sound like your cup of tea but this is a working man’s muscle car and so they’re completely in keeping with its mission statement.

They’re in great shape, too. The rear seats, which are in a good condition, fold down flat to form a very useful extension to the boot. Given the limited legroom, this is a genius idea and yet more proof that FMC was a formidable force, back in the day.

It’s still got the Mustang-embossed mats in the front, as well as the ubiquitous fake wood on the door cards – and I’m not damning with faint praise here because it’s all very of-the-period and all the better for being so.

Problems for the new owner to sort out seem to be limited to a few scuffs in the rear (#135), a leak in the boot (#172), some warped trim (#233), a loose seam in the headlining (#238) and a radio that doesn’t work.

The latter could even be said to be a good thing because there are folk out there that will modify it to receive Bluetooth – or you could splash out on a retro radio from someone like Blaupunkt and enjoy the best of both worlds.

As you can see, the engine fires up readily (it had a new starter motor as part of the refurbishment) and sounds wonderful when revved, with the Holley carburettor and Edelbrock manifold adding a tenor note to the bass of the exhausts. The seller thinks it could probably do with a tune-up to fully maximise its potential but that’s a job for another day as it seems to run very well as it is.

The engine bay isn’t up to the same high standards as the rest of the car and would benefit from being valeted and detailed.

The underside too is strong and solid but would benefit from a session with a wire brush and some underseal.

The only fault we’ve been told about are the headlamps, which flicker occasionally. The owner thinks this is down to a loose connection somewhere or poor contacts.

Like so many imported cars, little is known of its time prior to the seller buying it four years ago. That said, the recent Vehicle History Check shows nothing other than a change of colour from white.

The Mustang doesn’t have a current MOT certificate, and while it is exempt by virtue of its age, we would strongly encourage the new owner to have it MOT’d at the earliest opportunity. The cost of an MOT is a small investment when offset against the purchase and upkeep of any classic vehicle, and it gives an independent, third-party assessment of the car’s condition, which not only provides reassurance to the owner (and any subsequent purchasers) but might also be invaluable in the event of a bump when negotiating with the police and any interested insurance companies…

Name-checked by everyone from David Bowie to Bruce Springsteen, and Elton John to Mr. Big, few cars are as iconic as a classic Ford Mustang.

And this one has it all; it’s weathered its half-century on this planet incredibly well. Still stunning and running beautifully, its metallic silver coachwork and matt black bonnet are enhanced by the simplicity of the black vinyl interior.

Stuffed full of the sort of cues that scream American muscle car, it’s your passport to the sort of rock ‘n’ roll lifestyle you’ve been dreaming of your whole life – and which recent events might have prompted you to realise sooner rather than later.

And while a modern Mustang might cost about the same as the £29,000 and £34,000 we think this one will fetch, it would be a depreciating asset. Classics like this one, on the other hand, are always in demand and so might prove to be a canny buy when the time comes to tally up what it owes you overall.

Viewing is always encouraged. This particular car is located with us at The Market HQ near Abingdon; we are open weekdays between 9am-5pm, to arrange an appointment please use the Contact Seller button at the top of the listing. Feel free to ask any questions or make observations in the comments section below, or try our ‘Frequently Asked Questions’.