1966 | Ford Mustang 289

• A rare and desirable K-Code model with matching numbers

• An original manual transmission car and finished in its original colours

• Acquired in and imported from USA by current owner in 2020

• In excellent fully restored condition

Vehicle description

The 1960s Ford Mustang is an American icon and highly desirable in almost any of its many specifications, but this example is particularly special.

Chassis number 6T07K224201 was built in the Metuchen plant in Edison, New Jersey, in 1966, and it’s the all-important fifth digit in its VIN that identifies it as one of the rare and extremely sought-after ‘K-Code’ Mustangs.

These cars featured a high-performance, 271hp version of Ford’s 289 cubic-inch V8 engine, which had been available as an option on the Fairlane model since late in the 1963 model year. The first ‘HiPo’ Mustangs were built at Dearborn in June 1964, and went on to also be built at the factories in San Jose and, from February 1965, Metuchen.

Specified with the coupe bodywork, rare Silver Frost paint and red bench seat, this K-Code Mustang was ordered via the District Sales Office in Cincinnati. It featured the ‘open’ 3.89 rear axle and four-speed manual transmission, and was first registered in May 1966.

More recently, the Mustang was fully restored while in the ownership of a Nebraska-based enthusiast, a process that included a rebuild of the ‘HiPo’ 289 V8 engine. Soon after it had been completed, it was acquired by a new owner and was latterly kept in the dry state of Arizona.

It was from there that the Mustang was bought by a British enthusiast, and it arrived in the UK in 2020. A survey of the all-important numbers confirmed its status as a factory-original K-Code Mustang – something that was also backed up by model expert and former concours judge Roy Holmes at The Mustang Workshop in Hampshire.

Having been used only sparingly in the years following its restoration, this Mustang is in exceptional condition. Beautifully presented in its original colours, this matching-numbers example boasts correct ‘HiPo’ components throughout, all the way down to the fan assembly, water pump and exhaust manifolds. The original sway bar is also supplied with car, and the original radio has been upgraded with modern internals.

Now being offered for sale, this Mustang is an extremely charismatic muscle car, whether you’re sitting behind the evocative deep-dish steering wheel or soaking up the instantly recognisable styling, and it represents a rare opportunity to acquire one of the coveted K-Code Mustangs.

Model history

When Car & Driver magazine drove an early Mustang, it said that Ford aimed to sell about a quarter of a million of them in the model’s first 12 months, and concluded: ‘With the versatility of this design and the plentiful options, the demand might even exceed that figure.’

It did: more than 400,000 were sold during that period, and the one-million mark was reached in only two years. The Mustang was a runaway sales success and the first-generation model has become a landmark in automotive history, a touch of stardust being added by the Shelby-tuned competition cars, Steve McQueen’s epic car chase in Bullitt, and a memorable sequence alongside Bond’s DB5 in Goldfinger.

Introduced in April 1964 as a ‘notchback’ hardtop or a convertible – with the ‘fastback’ following a few months later – the Mustang was styled by a team led by Joseph Oros and offered with a range of engines, transmissions and optional extras. The entry-level model was powered by a 170-cubic-inch straight-six, while the most powerful option was the 271bhp ‘high-performance’ 289-cubic-inch V8. The latter came with an all-synchromesh four-speed manual gearbox; other transmissions throughout the range included a three-speed manual and an auto.

Front suspension was via upper wishbones and lower control arms, plus coilover dampers, and at the rear there was a live axle and leaf springs. Drum brakes were used all round, but front discs became an option from 1965 and were standard as part of the ‘GT Equipment Package’.

A 1967 update introduced the option of a big-block 390-cubic-inch V8 producing well over 300bhp, and for the 1969 model year there was a more significant redesign that led to the Mustang gaining not only size, but also weight. Further updates followed before the second-generation Mustang II was introduced in 1973.