Gallery • 5 Photos

Parker Wilson

Spicer's 2005 Mustang in Windviel Blue Metallic with black racing stripes.

Tyrone sophomore Cooper Spicer loves his 2005 Ford Mustang. In fact, he calls it his dream car.

Even though he still has a year to go before he gets his driver’s license, Spicer received the car as a gift from his grandfather, Dan Read, for his birthday this July 21.

“My pap really likes old cars. He wanted to fix it up and take it to car shows, but he decided that it wouldn’t be feasible for him, so he gave it to me as a birthday gift,” Spicer said. “It was a big surprise. I really didn’t expect it.”

After Spicer gets his license next summer, he plans to drive it to school every day.

Until then, he and his dad, Ron Spicer, will sometimes take the Mustang for a spin, or Cooper will practice his driving skills on private property.

The car has an interesting history that makes it special for Spicer.

“It sat in a mud pile for three years before my grandfather bought it and fixed it up,” Spicer said.

Read had to do some minor repairs and touch up the paint, but now it’s looking good and ready to drive.

The Mustang is a classic that doesn’t really need an introduction for anyone who knows cars. It is one of the most famous models in the Ford lineup.

Ford first introduced the Mustang on April 17, 1964, during the early days of Detroit’s muscle car era.

The Mustang was an instant hit and over 400,000 were sold in the first year, with the one-millionth being sold just two years later. Since then has become the company’s most successful vehicle since the Model A in 1927.

Spicer’s 2005 is a fifth-generation Mustang, the first edition of the “retro” look that resembles the classic Mustangs of the 1960s.

In 2005, base models came in a 210hp, 240 lb-ft 4.0l SOHC (Single Overhead Camshaft) V6, while the GTs offered a 300hp, 320 lb-ft 4.6l SOHC V8. 2005 was also the first year of the S197 model, which introduced its own dedicated rear-wheel drive platform and offered the same engine options.

Spicer’s Mustang is a base model with the 4.0 V6. Of the roughly 160,000 base model mustangs made in 2005, only 14,393 were made in the same Windveil Blue Metallic as Spicer’s.

“It’s just a really cool car, it has lots of power, and it looks stylish on the road,” Spicer said.

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