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.

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.

Many of us have owned classic cars and have eventually been forced to sell them, only to regret that decision years or decades later. For Omar Palacios, of Orange, California, that long-lost car was a 1985 Mustang 5.0 with T-tops. Many years after selling his first Mustang, he found himself browsing used car listings on Craigslist, and stumbled upon the 1973 Mustang convertible seen here. Omar and his wife Moriah immediately drove out to see the car in person, and soon decided they had to buy and restore it.

Whether it's a movie, TV show, or book, every great story has a few twists and turns that make the ending all the more satisfying. The hero narrowly overcomes disaster time and time again, but everything works out at the conclusion. Such is the case with the tale of Mike Arthur's 1967 Mustang. It was purchased in the '60s, stolen and recovered in the '70s, and damaged in a shop fire in the '90s. But thankfully, it survived and was restored it to its original beauty.

Summer is quickly approaching, and there are few better ways to soak up its warm, sunny weather than behind the wheel of a classic car. Better yet, a convertible. Anyone who has owned such a vehicle can attest that it's almost impossible not to smile when you're cruising a smooth road with some good tunes on the radio and the wind in your hair. Spencer Brooks, of Long Beach, California, is nearing completion on his 1967 Mustang convertible restoration project, which serves as a beautiful example of this category.

Having been held 71 times, the Grand National Roadster Show is the world's longest-running indoor car show. Classic Industries has been a part of this venerable event on several occasions, most recently for the show that was held Friday, January 24 through Sunday, January 26. Over the three days, 50,000 fans witnessed first hand the more than 490 world-class muscle cars, roadsters, hot rods and customs inside the several buildings at the Pomona, California Fairplex. Especially on show-Saturday, there were also well over 700 cool cars and trucks that drove in carrying more muscle car mavens and hot rod heroes that graced the outdoor landscape of the L.A. County Fairgrounds. 

For car enthusiasts, it's always enthralling to watch classic vehicles appear on the silver screen, whether they're piloted by the dashing hero or the nefarious villain. Engines roar, tires squeal, and inevitably some unfortunate street vendor's fruit stand gets knocked over during the chaos. But in the end, these cameos can provide new appreciation for our favorite vehicles, and also inspire younger generations to learn to love these cars as we do. The 2000 action film "Gone in 60 Seconds" has an incredible lineup of classics, with the most recognizable being a '67 Mustang known as "Eleanor."

Every classic car restoration project has to start somewhere. A very small handful are immaculately-preserved survivors that need minimal work, but the majority of unrestored cars from the '60s are a at least a little rough around the edges. Some, like this 1964.5 Mustang, developed substantial amounts of rust that might scare off less-ambitious buyers. But Ken Vela and Leisha Gremillion put in the time and effort to rescue this classic Ford and restore it to its original beauty.

As the old saying goes, Rome wasn't built in a day. In other words, it's rarely an overnight process to create something truly monumental. Restoring a classic car can take months, years, or even decades, but the end result is well worth the time and effort involved. The 1965 Mustang convertible pictured here was completely disassembled and restored over the course of three years, with the help of its dedicated owner and the Classic Industries Mustang catalog.

When Greg Raf pulled into our Retail Showroom parking lot in this clean 1965 Mustang, we knew we had to get a closer look. Greg, who was passing through Huntington Beach during a road trip from his hometown of San Jose, California, told us that this car has been part of his family since 1983. Unsurprisingly, he's not planning to let go of it. He has put a substantial amount of work into restoring and modifying this classic Ford.