CAR OWNER

BRENDA BENITEZ SPIRIT –1978 MUSTANG II

CAR NAME–YEAR & MODEL INFO

I LOVE ALL CLASSIC CARS...

In the late 90s I owned a 1995 red Mustang. When I first bought it, I didn’t know what I was getting myself into. I knew nothing about Mustangs but I ended up falling in love with it. Fast forward a few years and two kids later, it became a hassle dealing with the car seats so I traded it for an SUV. 20 years later in late 2020, I came across a listing on FB marketplace for a first-generation Mustang, showed it to my oldest son, and we browsed through other Mustangs for sale and we pretty much just left it at that. My son then found this ‘78 Mustang, bought it, and gave it to me as a surprise Christmas gift. I was speechless! I never thought I would own a Mustang again.

MEMBERS OF THE STANG MAG FAMILY ARE MORE PASSIONATE ABOUT FUN AND INCLUSION THAN THEY ARE THEIR CARS AND THAT SAYS A LOT!

If you asked me if I thought I’d be writing an article for STANG Magazine for my car this time last year I would’ve said no. If you asked me if I would be writing it about a different car than the 2005 Roush Mustang I had I would’ve said hell no. I loved that car but acquiring this one reinvigorated my passion for car shows and events!

I learned from the prior owner that the car was originally purchased in PA, apparently by an older woman who rarely drove it. After her death the car went to the funeral director as partial payment on her burial services. The funeral director was a large man and he became unable to go up and down the stairs and used the Mustang II to help pay for the installation of an elevator. The owner of the elevator company sold the car to a collector who kept it 4-5 years before selling it in May of 2019. The prior owner also told us he drove it for about 150 miles and the car ran perfectly. He added that the car has an unusual feature: a faux key hole in the driver’s side fender. Apparently, it was attached with double sided tape and put on the fender to fake out would be thieves into believing you had a car alarm. It’s believed to be a 70s thing and it was left on it and remains on the car to this day. The car had roughly 4,800 original miles when I got it and now has close to 7,000. It has the original paint and interior, auto transmission, V6, power steering and brakes, and no modifications. As good as it gets for a 42 year old car. I often hear people refer to this Mustang as the “ugly” Mustang, or “this isn’t a Mustang”, and I am ok with that. I still love it no matter what. I love taking it to car shows just to hear the stories as there’s always someone who had one or knows someone who had one with a great story to tell. I love all classic cars but Mustangs will always have a special place in my heart.

I met Daniel Ramey at a Beltway Mustang show and won my spot with STANG Magazine in their Carlisle Ford Nationals display. Needless to say I wasn’t sure what to expect being that I didn’t know the people attending and was going by myself.

The STANG Mag family welcomed me in from the very start and made me feel like one of their own!

Members of the STANG Mag family are more passionate about fun and inclusion than they are their cars and that says a lot! I can’t wait to see what’s to come in 2022!