Steve Martin, 61, of Elida, dreamed of owning a 1966 candy apple red Mustang ever since he started driving. Five years ago he came across this one-owner gem.
Jim Krumel | For The Lima News
ELIDA – Steve and Louise Martin’s children didn’t know what to think five years ago when their dad brought home the 1966 Ford Mustang he had just purchased.
They loved the color – candy apple red. It not only sounded sweet, it looked sweet, too.
But Chelsea and Corbin had their questions.
Where’s the sound system?
“It’s right there,” Steve said, pointing to the AM radio in the middle of the dashboard.
“And speakers,” the kids wondered, “does it have four or five?”
Just one, Steve noted.
“And the doors,” came another question, “What are these things hanging from the door?”
“Those are used to roll up and roll down the windows,” Steve demonstrated.
The kids liked the fact the Mustang was a convertible, but where was the button to put the top down?
You fold it down and button it up by hand, they were told.
And just when the kids thought they saw everything a 1960s car had to offer, Steve showed them the ash tray and cigarette lighter.
“They were amazed,” Steve said.
All and all, the two kids, ages 25 and 30 at that time, gave Dad’s dream car a passing grade. It was pretty cool.
Steve’s had a soft spot in his heart for a 1966 candy apple red convertible Mustang “ever since I started driving,” he said.
Martin, 61, comes from a Ford family. His father, Bill, and brother, Mike, both retired from the Lima Ford engine plant.
He found the Mustang in Pennsylvania using the internet.
“It was a one-owner car. I couldn’t have asked for more. I’ve been looking for a car like this for over 10 years.”
Martin said the Mustang is 95 percent all original, including its 200 straight six-cylinder engine.
“The only thing I’ve had to do with it is put on a new top,” he noted.
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