My 1969 Mustang

...and he's just acquired a 1976 Cadillac convertible in the USA.

The '76ers are the last of the land yacht `rag tops' made by General Motors. When Denis' car arrives at the docks it will be easy to identify. It'll be the white one. I mean, it's all white: white body, white top and white interior. Only in America.

While he waits for the Caddy, Denis makes do with his daily driver, a 1969 Ford Mustang Deluxe. It is not the fast back model but a much rarer `notch' back. Only 52010 deluxes were built for the 1969 model year and Denis' was one of the first down the production line in Dearborn, Detroit in December 1968.

The Mustang was sold new in Los Angeles in January 1969 and then imported into Australia in 1986. Work was started on its conversion to right hand drive but for some reason lost in time the electrics were never completed and it was put away in storage behind a truck dealer's yard in Sydney.

Denis found it there in 1997. "I went out to buy some fencing that the dealer had for sale and I came back with the fencing and the Ford. It was too hard to resist" he says.

When he got it to his workshop Denis had the electrical wiring connected, a new battery installed and the fuel tank refilled. The engine started first time and registration was a breeze.

Later a new coat of paint was applied and the old vinyl top stripped off and replaced. "We also did some work on the interior and installed an additional electric radiator fan to help with the cooling", Denis tells us.

Mustangs were never big cars and standing beside it I'm reminded how low to the ground cars in the 1960s and 1970s really were. This is a car you fold yourself down into. Then Denis says the magic words "let's go for a drive".

Out on the road we roll all the windows down and enjoy the wide open panorama that only a pillarless hardtop can deliver. Upfront the 351 cubic inch Windsor V8 (that's 5.7 litres for the young folk) delivers effortless power and the power steering-about fives turns lock to lock-makes driving easy.

And, of course, it attracts attention. Mustangs are one of the few cars which still appeal to all demographics. We should all be so lucky to have such a daily driver.

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