Mario Andretti is famous for having won races in pretty much every series you’ve ever heard of—and a few you probably haven’t. He also signed off—literally—on today’s Nice Price or No Dice Mustang GT as part of a sweepstakes. Let’s see what such cachet might be worth.
When a special edition auto is updated or upgraded in a manner that changes that which originally made it special, does it, by nature, become less special? That’s the question we faced when considering yesterday’s 2006 Audi S4 Quattro 25th Anniversary Edition. Some of the unique aspects of its 25Quattro package have been changed, likely never to be seen again, potentially devaluing the car. That fact wasn’t lost on all of you, and the vast majority found the car’s $25,900 asking to be over the top in light of such consideration. The result was a hefty 88 percent No Dice loss for the car.
Considering his long, illustrious, and varied career, it’s hard to assign racer and entrepreneur Mario Andretti to one particular racing series or even a particular make or model as you could with contemporaries like Richard Petty or Niki Lauda.
Still, it’s not hard to make the connection when looking at today’s 1995 Ford Mustang GT special Mario Andretti edition. After all, back in 1967 Andretti drove a specially-built DOHC Indy V8-powered Mustang to a record 171.472 miles per hour on the standing mile at the Bonneville Salt Flats. And that was with only mechanically operated rear drum brakes! At the time, Andretti was well-connected with Ford, driving cars powered by the company’s engines—and winning races in them—throughout the ’60s.
This Mario Andretti Mustang is one of 60 built for a Texaco sweepstakes that saw winners either slew-off in a cloud of tire smoke or, backing that up, getting free gas for a year. From what I can tell, only 44 of the cars were given to winners, and I can’t find any information about what happened to the rest.
We can tell what makes these Mario Andretti Mustangs stand out. They are extensively decked out with changes that address both style and performance. For the former, the cars all received arrest-me red paint and special Mario Andretti graphics, along with GT350 side scoops, a speedster tonneau cover over the rear seats and light bar, along with unique (and admittedly garish) upholstery in the cabin. For the performance side, the cars all came with Racecraft shocks and springs, upgraded Brembo brakes, and a Vortech supercharger for its 5.0 V8. Backing that up is a five-speed stick and Trac-Loc rear axle.
Each car was personally signed by Andretti on the dash and came with a pair of Andretti race car models.
According to the seller, this one comes with the models as well as just 11,961 miles on the ticker, and has always been “garaged and babied.” It’s a California car, and hence shows little wear and no rust, and appears to be mostly all original, save for the new Nitto tires. The ad shows the car to have a clean title and claims it to “drive like new.” And why wouldn’t it, with so few miles? The seller further brags that “This is your chance to own one of the rarest Mustangs on the road and surely one of the nicest Andretti editions remaining on the planet.”
That chance costs a cool $29,700.
What’s your take on this sweepstakes ’Stang and that $29,700 price tag? Does that seem like a good value to make the Andretti connection? Or is that way over the top for even a tarted-up pony?
You decide!
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, Craigslist, or go here if the ad disappears.
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