A 1966 Ford Mustang coupe purchased in 2019 in Berryville, Virginia, underwent a complete six-year restoration that turned it into a carefully detailed restomod. The body required the replacement of floor pans, frame rails and corroded sheet metal, and the car was later stored in a climate-controlled environment to protect it from humidity and rust.
Mechanically, the original engine was replaced with a 302-cubic-inch V8, equivalent to about 5.0 liters, producing around 250 hp. A Holley Sniper 2 electronic fuel injection system now modernizes both fuel delivery and ignition. The transmission is a performance-built C4 automatic, paired with an aluminum radiator, a new fuel tank and a replaced fuel pump. To make the car more usable in daily traffic, the owner also installed halogen headlights, GPS instrumentation with vintage-style graphics and a modern audio system with AUX input.
Man spends six years restoring a 1966 Ford Mustang, but his wife hates it
The entire project started as a gift for the restorer’s wife. His goal was to give her a car with 1960s charm but enough reliability and drivability for regular road use. The result, however, did not win her over.
The owner summed up the story with a line that quickly went viral among American enthusiasts, saying he built it for his wife and she told him she hated it. She apparently preferred the features and comfort of a newer vehicle, qualities that remain difficult to fully recreate in a classic car without compromising its original identity.
The Mustang then went up for sale on eBay with an undisclosed reserve price. At the time the listing appeared, the highest bid had reached about $10,900, with 41 users adding the car to their watchlist, suggesting real interest from potential buyers.
The story also highlights an aspect that many newcomers to the classic-car world often underestimate. According to estimates shared in vintage Mustang enthusiast communities, a restoration good enough for daily use can cost between $21,000 and $86,000, while a complete restomod starts at around $33,000 and can easily exceed $210,000 in the most ambitious builds. In most cases, owners cannot recover those costs when they resell the car.
The seller closed the sale a few hours ago, probably because the auction did not reach a high enough price. That may be good news for the man who restored the car, though perhaps slightly less so for his wife.
