The ’71 through ’73 Mustang was large and in charge. Perhaps a little too large it seems as the next version was puny pinto-derived Mustang II. Today’s Mach 1 is a throwback to that last big hurrah. Let’s see if this pony’s price is still something to cheer about.

The next Bond film, No Time to Die, has been pushed back to a November release. The move is in response to the COVID-19 outbreak as major markets attempt to slow the disease’s spread by limiting large-group activities like going to the movies.

That’s too bad because we all like us some Jimmy Bond, don’t we? And, the trailers look pretty cool. Of course, for most of us, the Bond flicks aren’t just about thrilling spy action, they’re also great opportunities to ogle some way-cool cars.

Even with that 25th installment delayed, we can still get some sweet Bond car action, as evidenced by yesterday’s . That was a make and model that Bond himself would likely give an suave nod of approval.

Unfortunately, few of us have access to the sort of resources afforded a fantasy top-tier British secret agent and that Aston’s $55,000 asking proved a little too blue for our blood. That meant a resulting 68 Percent Crack Pipe loss, an outcome almost as unfulfilling as Quantum of Solace.

Sticking with the whole Bond meme for a sec, I’d like to point out that Sean Connery’s version of the martini-shaking spy drove a car almost identical to today’s in the movie Diamonds are Forever. That was a ’71, and rocked steelies with full wheel covers rather than this car’s mags, but it’s still close enough, as they say, for government work.

Aside from some tangental movie connection, there’s a lot that’s interesting about this Mustang. It’s the fastback, of course, and you don’t get much fastbackier than this last iteration of the Mustang’s first run. The styling is angular and over the top in all ways, but still evokes the same pony car themes that debuted with the first ‘Stang all the way back in April 1964.

This would be the last year for that Falcon-based platform, its death knell signaled in the safety, emissions, and fuel economy standards of the time. In ’74 the Mustang would become the Mustang II a model that would prove much smaller, more efficient, and in many ways much more capable. We don’t give two shits about any of that, however, as people have forever told us that the II is a terrible car and so we hate ‘em! This big-ass pony is hence the way to go.

It should go pretty well too. This Mustang Mach 1 is claimed to have been fully restored and wears a coat of arrest-me red paint with complimentary black accents. Also in attendance are a couple of fabulous ‘70s must-haves: a boot-lid wing, and rear window louvers. Man, don’t you just love rear window louvers? The five-spoke mag wheels underneath all that are wrapped in Firestone meats and the whole thing looks like it’s at a generational crossroads, which at the time it was.

A couple of things should be noted here. The paint scheme the car wears is not the ’73 style, but that of the ’71 and ’72 cars. Also, when new this car would have carried a body-colored urethane front bumper rather than the chrome metal one this car wears. The Tu-tone hood with twist locks looks correct, however, the turn signals in the grille are from an older model, not a ’73. There are probably more things I am missing here too.

Power comes from a 351 Cleveland V8 and that looks to be reasonably clean and without issue. An MSD ignition and distributor have been added, as has an aftermarket dress up kit for the air cleaner and valve covers. From the factory, that mill would have posted 266 horsepower with the 4BBL.

Backing that up is a four-speed Toploader, although the ad incorrectly denotes the car as an automatic in the sidebar. The gearbox is directed through a tall shifter that sits in between some amazingly flat bucket seats. The whole interior is swathed in vinyl and in the pics looks to have recently seen a healthy squirting of Armor-all.

The seller describes the ‘Stang as “gorgeous” and claims it to be a “huge head turner.” It’s also said that it “drives like a champ” and that it carries a mere 73K on the clock. Lastly, the title is clean and clear.

This is a car from back before many of you were born. The market for such cars has been in decline as many of the biggest fans are getting to an age where buying and enjoying these old beasts is no longer in the cards. That may limit the market, but there’s still activity on these in the auction world.

We don’t play that game here since we’re all about the black and white. That means we now need to look at this Mustang’s $18,999 price and think about whether it might just be worth that to some appreciative potential buyer.

What do you think, is this ‘Stang worth that? Or, would spending so much on this pony be making big Mach-stake?

You decide!

San Diego, CA , or go if the ad disappears.

H/T to Bill W. for the hookup!

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Updated 3/4/22 with new details.