Bill Blackburn purchased this car as second owner in 1983 and it was used for daily commuting to Jennings County High School, University of Indianapolis, and to his first job after graduation. The car was purchased from a nurse in Columbus, Indiana.

The car has gone through an extensive three-year ground-up restoration and was completed in January 2003. The most difficult part of the restoration was locating parts and was itself almost a ten-year effort. The Internet proved to be the best tool for the task. Vail's Classic Cars in Greenfield, Indiana did the bodywork, paint, and suspension work. Zimmerman Speed Shop in Greensburg, Indiana built the engine, boosting the original horsepower from 139 Stock to 316 Modified while maintaining a stock appearance. Hold on, because this little jewel will run the quarter mile in 12.65 seconds at over 110 miles per hour!

The Mustang II has become a rare car even though more than 1.1 million were produced between 1974 through 1978. 45,216 Mustang II's were equipped with the optional Cobra package and only 20 percent were equipped with the optional V-8 302 engine. Most of the Mustang II's were crushed and recycled due to only being equipped with four or six cylinder engines. Others were used as donor cars for street rods and hot rods because the front ends provided better performance with the use of coil springs and rack and pinion steering.

The Mustang II is often referred to as the Forgotten Mustang making this Mustang II a Survivor of the Ghost Generation. The car now gets the treatment it deserves through invitation to large shows and celebrations. A few highlights worth mentioning include being invited to the Ford Motor Company's 100-year celebration, having the honor of Carol Shelby autographing the sun visor, and techtv featuring the car on their cable television station. Click HERE to view a clip from the show. Jerry Heasley also featured the car in the June 2005 Mustang Monthly magazine. This great car was the 2004-2005 ISCA International Altered Restored Class Champion and placed fourth in the ISCA International Restored Championship Finals. It was also the 2003-2004 ISCA Eastern Division Altered Restored Champion and placed fourth in ISCA International Restored Championship Finals.

Thanks to keeping very detailed records of the restoration, Hagerty Collector Auto Insurance has set the agreed upon value at $50,000 coverage. Some incredible offers have been made on the car as high as $50,000! Bill Collins Ford displayed the car in their show room during a show and suggested that the car might even pull as much as $65,000 due to the car documentation, records, and being a prized car in SAAC, MCI, MCA, and ISCA shows. Bill admits that if someone really offered that kind of money, it would be tempting. However, after owning the car for 20+ years it would be like selling a family member.