Way South of The Border -- A Venezuelan-Build '67 Mustang And A Mexican Mustang Pedal Car

Text & Photography By Jerry Heasley
Reprinted from the January 1996 Issue of Mustang & Fords

If you've read Jim Smart and Jim Haskell's Mustang Production Guide, Volume 1 (1964-1/2 to 1966) and Volume 2 (1967 to 1973) (In Search of Mustangs, Dept. MF, P.O. Box 883, Annandale, VA 22003), then you've undoubtedly learned something about Mustangs built south of the border in Mexico. This is a new frontier for classic Mustang research. However, we've discovered an even rarer find than these Mustangs uncovered immediately south of the border: a '67 Venezuelan- built Mustang that, to the beat of our knowledge, is the first of this type ever to surface in the United States.

Have you ever seen a Mustang built in South America? Smart and Haskell cited warranty/serial numbers for four different Mexican-built Mustangs. To date, this '67 coupe (AJ01GW20631) is the first Ford ponycar that we have ever seen from South America.

Likewise, Denis Bunch of Mid-Cities Mustang (Dept. MF, 3233 W. Euless - Blvd., Euless, TX 78040) has had trouble convincing Mustang show judges that his rare find is for real. Apparently, the very idea of a Mustang built in South America or Mexico is completely foreign to the Mustang hobby here in the States. The fact is, Ford built them beyond our shores, with South America being the latest to surface.

How did Denis get this car? A man working in Venezuela bought it from the original owner when he wee transferred to Texas in 1990. His company shipped it to Houston, which is a port of entry for vehicles from overseas. (Denis showed us EPA papers that made the car legal for U.S. licensing and registration. He also understands that EPA regulations have gotten tougher since 1990. Importing a Mustang into the United States from South America is not possible today.)

Denis Bunch stands with his rare find--this Venezuelan-build '67 Mustang coupe.

The Venezuelan Ford plate is similar to Mexico's and is positioned on the left-hand doorjamb using the same mounting rivets.

Denis also owns this unusual Mexican Mustang pedal car, which was manufactured and sold south of the border.

The owner of this Venezuelan Mustang came to Denis' shop to order a restoration. However, after the engine and transmission were pulled and Mid-Cities Mustang was getting ready to strip down the body, the owner was transferred to England. Not wanting to ship the disassembled Mustang to England, the owner sold this car to Denis.

There is a lot that we don't know about South American Mustangs. Quite frankly, we were stunned to find one here. There are still theories that we haven't proven at this time. Was this '67 Mustang manufactured in South America or Mexico, for example? This we don't yet know.

Denis also owns a vintage Mustang pedal car manufactured south of the border in Mexico. As with the larger Venezuelan Mustang, there's a lot we don't know about this one either. After extensive research, we will be bringing you the answers here at Mustang & Fords. These two rare finds tell us that Mustang mania existed in more places than the United States.

Write to us about your Rare Finds, c/o Mustang & Fords, 8420 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90048.