Our favorite curb-side used car lot had some new product this weekend- a deep ebony 1966 Mustang coupe, with just about every righteous factory option you could want, but at a price you might not want to pony up for.Introduced in April of 1964, the Falcon-based Mustang became an immediately iconic hero for FoMoCo. Sassy styling, the ability to be optioned for show or go – or both – and at a price that didn’t send ’60s buyers galloping away from the dealers, the Mustang became as emblematic of America as apple pie, or a complete disinterest in professional soccer.

This 1966 coupe is from that first generation, which some consider the best. It is claimed to be an “A-Code” car, but lacks the proper badging for such. More obvious is the GT package which is comprised of snazzy side stripes, through the valence exhaust, alloy wheel centers, and riving lights set into the corners of the blacked-out grill.

Inside, the car has the pony package, but is lacking A/C, which may make this a 3-season car. The seller has also bolted a modern stereo under the dash (I did a similar thing with my ’66 years ago) leaving the original AM radio extant. The paint and panels are perfect, although the rear bumper has an odd curve to it, indicating it may be one of the aftermarket repros, rather than the OEM.

And what does this all cost? Well, the seller claims to have $38,000 invested in the car, and as we all know, an investment in restoration rarely pays out in marketability- and in this case that’s true, he is asking $23,000 for this ‘Stang. That’s down from an original asking price of $26K, a reduction that, in this market, is not surprising. Mustangs have been trending up very slowly over the years, however coupes remain the red-headed stepchild  while soft tops and  fastbacks command the greatest interest.

Still, a coupe gives you all the driving enjoyment of the fastback, and as all the windows roll down, a bit of the pleasure of the convertible, but at $23K, this one may be stretching a little too far.

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