The Year… My Life  

Submitted by Richard Birnbach    

1974 was a time of great change.  The world experienced the first Arab oil embargo resulting in long gas lines and giant jumps in the price of gas.  Like many Americans, I downsized my choice of driving vehicles to what was supposed to be a gas sipping well made, inexpensive car, a 1974 AMC Gremlin.    

Gees what a joke!  I kept that car for 4 months during which time I almost lived in the dealership’s service department getting the car to almost stay running.  Finally in frustration, I visited the local Ford dealership not really knowing what I wanted or what I could afford.  The Ford used car manager thought the Gremlin was a great car for the times and actually offered me more in trade then I still owed.  As I walked around his lot looking for my next car, I saw her, big brown and sparkling in the sun light, it was love at first sight!  A 1971 Mustang Grande, Medium Metallic Brown with black vinyl roof, a big and beefy 351 Cleveland M code with C6 transmission, not exactly a car for the times but I had to have her!  A deal was made and off I drove.  

I kept that car for just under 4 years, I ran up over 100,000 miles and every time I got into her, that smile came over my face!  I loved that car, but time and excessive use was taking its toll, then it happened, a momentary lapse and bam, I rear ended some guy while driving in Philadelphia PA.  Fixing my baby was not really a good alternative for me financially at the time so I sold her.  I got almost what I paid for her so even in her passing she took great care of me.  As soon as the deal was made, regret swept over me, it was a sad day I will never forget.   

Many years passed and many cars have come and gone but none ever had that same effect on me.  With the advance of the internet, the world is now at our finger tips, it’s like having the largest shopping mall in creation at our beck and call.  Every once in a while, I would look around and see what was out there in the world of Mustangs from the past.  Occasionally there would be one that was close to my Mustang but none ever made me jump out of my seat the way my former car did.  Then one day it happened, there on eBay, sitting in Shawnee Mission Kansas, a 1971 Medium Metallic Brown Mustang with a dark brown vinyl roof, a big beefy 351 Cleveland M code with C6 transmission!  I looked and looked again; it was almost an exact copy of my baby!  I had to have her!  The bidding was done and she was mine.  The payment was transferred and the transport company arranged, my heart was pounding like a teenager on his first date!   She couldn’t get here fast enough.  

Finally after a 2 week wait, the driver called and said he was almost here, my residential street is too small for the transport truck so a commercial strip mall was pick as the drop off point and there I meet them.  She didn’t look quite as good in real life as she did in her eBay pictures but I could see the beauty lying just under the surface waiting to come out!  After the transport driver left, I got in my new baby and she fired right up!  The roar of the engine accentuated by the rusted out almost no longer in existence exhaust system was music to my ears.  Off we went on our first drive together, a short hop to her new home.  As I approached the entrance of my subdivision, I had to punch it just once before getting home to see what would happen, she roared with fury and so much torque we entered the subdivision sideways and fast!  This car stole my heart right then and there!  

Several years have past now, the repair bills are high, the maintenance is continuous but the joy of ownership is amazing!  The garage is full of parts and I am on first name basis with half the mechanics in town.  But something else has happened along the way, something much unexpected.  I found out about the San Antonio Mustang Club and decided to join.  I remember my first meeting, taking my wife I didn’t know what to expect.  What I found was a group of men and women sharing their common joy of Mustangs!  People of various backgrounds with only 1 thing in common to bring them together.  I have met some great people there and continue to meet new people as the membership expands.  Together we share in cruises, exploring, and charitable events.   

My wife didn’t and still doesn’t understand the excitement I feel every time I get into my Mustang.  She attributes it to something like a mid life crisis or male menopause!  And maybe it is but whatever it is I love it!  She has seen how people will walk across the street just to rub her fenders and check her out close up.  Wherever we go, someone always asks, “What year is she” or is she for sale.  We both love the Club cruises and the special events such as “MustangFest”.  Neither one of us ever expected what Mustang ownership and club membership has brought into our lives!  To me, it is another one of God’s gifts and blessing, it’s not just the car, it’s the people that come with it!