There鈥檚 an urban legend that the Mustang that helped inject the vehicle into America鈥檚 cultural fabric sits collecting dust somewhere in
New Jersey.
鈥淭he car chase scene in Bullitt is famous,鈥� Mustang enthusiast Craig Dowall said.
Two Mustangs were used in the filming of the 1968 film 鈥� one was destroyed during the shoots and the other lives on. Rumour has it that Steve McQueen, the main actor in the film, approached the Mustang鈥檚 owner and offered half a million dollars to buy it. The car owner said 鈥渘o.鈥� And so the car remains, unused in an old barn in the eastern state.聽
Dowall owns a 1969 Mustang convertible with a 351 cubic inch Windsor V8. The West Coast Railway Park director bought the car in 1975 for his wife Nora, who drove it up until 1986. After that it became a bit of a rust bucket, Dowall affectionately said.聽
The car sat idle in storage for 10 years. Then in 1997, Dowall thought it was time to breathe some new life into the sleeping beast. It took 11 years to get the Mustang on the road again.聽
Originally a deep blue, Dowall painted it a powder blue for his wife. And the women love it, he joked.
鈥淚t always wins ladies鈥� choice,鈥�
Dowall said.聽
On Sunday (Aug. 31), Dowall and approximately 100 Mustang owners will cruise up the Sea to Sky Highway to the West Coast Railway Heritage Park in Squamish. The drive is a celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Mustang. The event marks the 35th International Mustang Meet, which showcases cars from Manitoba to Washington. The show is hosted by different cities every year. The Greater Vancouver Mustang Association organized this year鈥檚 meet, said Jeanene Nelson, the railway park鈥檚 volunteer resource manager.聽
鈥淚t is going to be neat,鈥� she said, adding for a small admission price the public is invited to come view the vehicles from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
The railway park鈥檚 exhibits will also be open to the public and its staff will be in period costume.聽
Dowall is looking forward to driving his Mustang up the Sea to Sky Highway. There鈥檚 something about the muscle car that screams America, he said.聽
鈥淓ven today the Mustang hasn鈥檛 changed a lot since the late 鈥�60s,鈥� Dowall said. 鈥淲hen you think American car, you think Mustang.鈥�
