Some of our favorite classic cars have appeared in movies, and seeing them on the silver screen makes their real-world counterparts seem even cooler. The Bullitt Mustang, Smokey and the Bandit Trans Am, and Vanishing Point Challenger are just a few noteworthy examples. You'll rarely see those star cars outside a museum, but we recently had an opportunity to photograph a Classic Industries customer's car that had a movie cameo of its own. This 1969 Mustang convertible was featured in the 2002 film Confessions of a Dangerous Mind.

Trucks are naturally utilitarian vehicles, so it's no surprise that many of them lived hard lives on farms, ranches, and job sites. As a result, it's often difficult to find well-preserved examples, especially those with low miles and all-original powertrains. Only a lucky few were stashed away in garages and barns, where they could be found and restored decades later. Such was the case for this beautiful 1970 Ford F-100 barn find, now owned by Georgia Sells, of Huntington Beach, California.

Every classic car has a story, and it's part of what makes them so interesting. Beauty and performance can certainly be appreciated at face value, but these factors in the present are intertwined with the past. Today, we'll take a look at one Classic Industries customer's 1966 Ford Mustang that exemplifies this principle. Ben Fea bought this Mustang brand new back in '66, and he still owns it to this day.

Photos Courtesy of Mecum Auctions, Inc.

The lead photo is of a 1983 Mercury Capri RS. A high-output 5.0L V8 that is backed by a five-speed manual transmission powers the low production Capri RS.

Ford Lincoln-Mercury's second pony car was the 2nd generation Mercury Capri. For the sake of clarity and brevity, its moniker was simply the Mercury Capri, as opposed to the Ford Lincoln-Mercury Capri. Like the Mercury Cougar from 1967-1974, the 2nd generation Mercury Capri (1979-1986) shared the Mustang chassis that Ford produced at the time. This go round though Ford manufactured an all new chassis for the Ford Mustang known as the Fox platform from 1979-1993, it's 3rd generation platform for the original pony car. In this article, we'll examine Mercury Capri history and how it changed from 1979 to 1986.

Photos courtesy of Mecum Auctions, Inc.

The lead photo is of a third generation, 1966 Mercury Comet convertible that sports a 289 CI V8, a C6 three-speed automatic trans, power steering, power brakes, a dual exhaust, has black bench front and rear seat interior, and is shod with Anthracite hued Boss five-spoke wheels. Delightful!

The Lincoln-Mercury division of Ford introduced a big sister car to the Ford Falcon in March of 1960 called the Mercury Comet. Though still classified as a compact car, the Comet was a foot longer than the Ford Falcon. Back in the day it was called a “senior compact”. Having the benefit of 20/20 hindsight, many automotive historians now recognize the Comet as the first midsized car. Read on as we look back at Mercury Comet history across six generations, from 1960 through 1977.

Before the professional sports acronym G.O.A.T. came to mean "Greatest Of All Time," it was the internal project name of the Ford Bronco and stood for “Goes Over Any Terrain.” With the advantage of 20/20 hindsight, that project code name was very apropos. Thanks to the involvement of some pretty sharp individuals like Lee Iacocca and Donald Frey, there was a pretty strong chance that G.O.A.T. would be successful. History tells us that these are the very same two Ford employees who developed and created the magnificent Mustang behind Henry Ford II’s back. They also assisted Carroll Shelby with the Ford GT40 program that enabled Ford to outrun every automotive manufacturer, including Ferrari, at the 1966 24 Hours of Le Mans endurance race. They repeated this astonishing feat in 1967, 1968, and 1969.

Photos courtesy of Mecum Auctions, Inc.

Photos courtesy of Mecum Auctions, Inc. 

The lead photo is of a fourth generation 1964 Ford Fairlane "Baby Bolt" hardtop that has just 9,200 original miles. The Baby Bolt has the same 289 CI small-block V8 with 271-horsepower that powers the K-code Mustangs. This Fairlane is ready for some drag racing, as it's equipped with a four-speed manual trans, Detroit Locker rear end, tow hooks, Sun Super Tach, and gauges. The car has all its original sheet metal and wears almost all its original Burgundy paint. 

What’s in a name? In the case of the Ford Fairlane, quite a bit. Ford Motor Company Founder Henry Ford and wife Clara lived in an estate on Fair Lane near Dearborn, Michigan. Ford produced the Fairlane from 1955-1970. In this article, we'll look back at Ford Fairlane history across six generations.

Ford introduced the Ranchero, a vehicle classified as a coupe utility, at the New York Auto Show on December 8, 1956. Though this was a new vehicle for the American market, some 22 years earlier Ford of Australia designer, Lew Bandt penned the first coupe utility in 1934. This was in response to Australian ranchers, who desired a vehicle that was rugged enough to haul livestock during the week and sufficiently elegant to go to church with the spouse on Sunday. This coupe utility became known as a ute in Australia. With a production run of 82 years (1934-2016), the ute was a smashing success down under. Read on as we take a look back at Ford Ranchero history from 1957 through 1979.

Photos courtesy of Mecum Auctions, Inc.

Ford’s marketing team named the full-size Ford the Galaxie. This was an effort to capture some interest in the car with an association to the Space Race that held the attention of the U.S. during the 1950s and 1960s. For the 1959 model of the full-size Fairlane 500, the top of the line Galaxie name was added. The Fairlane models moved to an intermediate platform in 1962. Galaxie now encompassed the full-sized Ford offerings. Read on as we examine Ford Galaxie history across four generations from 1959-1974.