A Rags to Riches Pony

Last month our pastor, Jim Letizia, wrote an article for the Ft. Lauderdale Mustang Club. A member for many years, he was asked to tell the story of his last, and greatest project.
Read it below.


A Rags to Riches Pony

It is truly amazing how a car can bring so much attention. 22 years ago a friend of mine called me to tell me of an abandoned Mustang on a horse farm off of Lyons Road in Coconut Creek. Upon inquiring I found out that this was a 1964½ Mustang convertible that looked more like a planter than it did an automobile. I proceeded to inquire about the vehicle, and the gentleman wanted $300 for the car. After considering this endeavor, the fact that it was an original red and red V8 car sparked my interest to bring this car back to life.

I flat bed the car home, and upon my wife observing the car, made the comment, “You paid money for that? I think he should have paid you to haul it away.” With that confidence I knew I had my work cut out for me. The first picture taken of this car in the field tells the story. I stored the car for eight years in a warehouse and did some minor repairs to the car. Replacing the floors, torque boxes, and complete suspension put the car back on the road, but the engine was tired and worn out. I knew that a complete restoration would have to be done.

Because of other Mustang projects that I was involved with, I saved this car to be the last one finished. Another eight years of storage occurred, but this time the storage was at my home garage. This way I could work on the car a little at a time, and over the past 8 years I slowly brought the car back. In the last two years I have concentrated all my efforts on finishing this car, and finally, after 22 years the car was presented in its first outing at the Festival Market show Sunday, December 2, 2007. The attention to the car was overwhelming, and I think everyone has a love for the original Mustang. Some great stories and memories were rekindled for those that walked by.

Truly the fun in the hobby is not the awards won or the attention to perfection, but the great memories that everyone seems to have about these cars. Mine is still being completed as there are many small details and minor improvements that continue to be made. I hope to show the car for many years and keep it as a reminder of truly a time and era that has gone by.

My first ride in a Mustang was in 1969 in the back seat of a ’69 GT 4-speed car. I remember asking my friend what kind of a car is this and where do I get one. My love for Mustangs began in 1969 after riding in that ’69 GT and I proceeded then to buy the last Shelby GT350 on Luke Bolton (now Plantation Ford) lot. The car was titled a 1970, but it was a leftover ’69. They told me it was the last one in the state of Florida, black jade, black interior, 4-speed 350. I loved the car and have always wanted to track it down today.

I joined the Ft. Lauderdale Mustang Club in 1970 which was at that time meeting at Luke Bolton Ford in Plantation. I remember winning a trophy for a rally that we entered the Shelby in and took a 3rd-place trophy. I still have that trophy today, and it’s hard to believe that that has represented 37 years of Mustang involvement. I bought my first Mustang in 1969 and was happy to be able to find a 1969 Mustang GT390 a few years ago. This is like the first Mustang that I ever rode in and to own one after nearly 40 years is a real thrill. I also own a 1969 Grande, a 1965 fastback, and a 1969 Corvette.

All of these are vehicles that I have acquired over the past 26 years as I re-entered the hobby in 1981. Our first Ft. Lauderdale Mustang Club meetings were at Koons Ford in Hollywood where I met some of our old time members: Larry Hurst, Joe Costantino, Sam Papanella, and a host of other names that most of you would remember.

I love to work on Mustangs and do most all of the work myself except the final paint. When I was a boy growing up my father restored cars in our garage at home until he opened a shop for a few years before his early death at the age of 56. I remember our first car that we built together back in the late 50s was a 1948 Kaiser and then a Henry J. A 1953 Studebaker Commander followed until my first car that I purchased from my Uncle Harry for $75, a 1955 Chevy 210 wagon. I was 15 years old, brought the car home and tore it all apart with my dad, and we called it the “bondo buggy”. We must have smacked two gallons of bondo on that car. I painted it royal blue with a gold interior, and since I played organ in a rock ‘n roll band, we used it to haul equipment.

My love for cars and working on them has always brought excitement and challenge, but most of all brings back great memories, my boys growing up, and a wife who has always supported me in this hobby. I suppose I have rescued seven or eight Mustangs from the graveyards and consider it a privilege to continually be able to physically do the work. It is getting harder, though, for without a car lift, getting up and down from under the car is getting more difficult as time goes on. I have great car memories of my childhood in the late 50s and early 60s, cruising down Rt. 6 and 2 at the edge of Lake Erie just west of Cleveland in the city that I grew up in called Lorain, Ohio, to memories of cruising Sunny Isles past the Castaways, to Haulover Beach in the late 60s and 70s, to our cruise nights now around the Ft. Lauderdale area, continue to bring great joy and excitement for these cars.

It has always amazed me, as an ordained minister and pastor of a church for the past 25 years, that a car is still one of the greatest talking points when getting to know people. Just having the car there gives you the access to ask people about their lives, especially their families, their loves, their hurts, and their concerns for life. I find no greater tool to get to know people and understand who they are and what they are all about than a classic or late model car. All car guys have one thing in common, and that is their love for a particular year and model. No matter what it is, it brings us to a common denominator of life which I have always believed to be community and relation-ships. Whether it is a church, a club or organization, or a business, our motivation to continue is not centered on a particular body style, or make and model, but is truly centered around the great people, friendships, and help that this hobby provides. I have met some of the most genuine and real people in this hobby, and we love to talk about the cars.

I hope to see you at the coming shows and look forward to showing this 64½ convertible that has a “rags to riches” story from planter box to a car that looks like Mom’s tomato sauce (Rangoon Red with a bright red interior). I also hope this will encourage you to keep working on your car and hopefully it won’t take 22 years for you to complete your project!


Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all.

Jim Letizia
Senior Minister
New Covenant Church on the Lake
Pompano Beach