Danbury Mint 1964 Ford

As a young kid I lusted for a Mustang; I thought they were the hottest cars on the market and I wasn't wrong; they were. At the time I was dating a girl whose father owned a used car lot, and evidently eavesdropped on our conversations. One of our favorite conversations was about me owning a Mustang.

It wasn't long afterwards that coincidently sitting in front of her house was a used Mustang. Hmm, her dad was good, and he knew I was weak. The Stang was a 1966 coupe in Silver Blue with a Red interior. It was an automatic, but I didn't care; I was in love, it was the most beautiful car I had ever seen, so I bought it. If that car could talk I would have been in big trouble, especially with dad. If it was capable of blackmail I would still be in the poor-house, but that's a whole other story not for these pages either.

When I received word that the Danbury Mint was sending us a model for photos and review I was very excited. However, never in my wildest dreams was I prepared for what I would find inside that white box when it arrived and neither will you.

Ford registered 22,000 Mustang sales the first day. By the close of business, December 31, 1964 , the division had sold 263,434 of the cars, and when the sun rose in Dearborn on April 17, 1965 , the sporty four seater had accumulated 418,812 sales during its first calendar year. The numbers posted above are very impressive; I know I was in sales for the competitor and wish I had a piece of the pie at the time.

The Danbury Mint nailed this replica as far as accuracy or as I like to call it 'bling' was concerned. Its fit and finish are outstanding, working features were mind boggling, at least to me. Some those features are:

• working lights
• removable wheels
• rotating driveshaft
• rotating fan (when the model is moved)
• working convertible top (hidden under the boot)
• removable air cleaner
• removable hub caps
• removable floor mats
• adjustable mirrors
• working wing vents
• functioning door glass (crank the windows up and down, front and rear)
• adjustable seats (move them forward or back)

I am sure I missed a few, but you get the idea? This is one high-class replica, the likes never seen before especially in a $495.00 replica.All the lights function just as they did on the 1:1, and I do mean all. The turn-signals even blink at the same rate as the original car. Yes, Danbury Mint timed the interval between blinks and replicated that interval on this model.

I spent hours exploring this model, and I have to tell you the amazement hasn't faded yet.

Let me address how the Danbury Mint makes the magic of functioning lights work for you. First you need to open the trunk and remove the floor mat and gas filler tube (they are all one). Found hidden under that mat is the battery tray that holds three triple A batteries. Once you place the batteries in the tray and close it up we are good to go. The cool part is how you get everything working. If this was a 1:1 automobile you would start it up to get every thing working and you do the same thing with the replica. Simply press the ignition key in, presto, you just started the car and all the lights will now function. To test if the power switch has been activated open one of the doors and if the car "is running" the floor lights will function once the door is opened. On my 1:1 Mustang I had painted these floor bulbs red, I was cool and young back then, it really looked cool at night when you opened the door and the floor was masked with a red haze.

Let's take a ride on an nice country road with our girlfriend, ah the memories. To turn the headlights on simply pull out the headlight switch located on the left-hand side of the steering column. We better watch out for deer, these lights aren't that bright, press the dimmer switch in and watch the lights change to high beams. For you young guys/gals the dimmer switch was located on the floor, on the left-hand side and was operated with the drivers' foot. Wait, that is a deer on the road, hit the brakes, and watch the brake lights light up. At the end of this lane is a nice apple grove where we will stop and admire the stars, don't forget to signal the right-hand turn. Lift the turn signal lever up and watch the right turn signal flash.

To call this model simply amazing would be an understatement. The lights just scratch the surface of the many working features found throughout this replica, but it was one that had me mesmerized for hours.

The interior is absolutely gorgeous, if you could shrink yourself down to 1:12 scale you would think you can drive this car away, or at least it seems that way. The amount of detail and realism has been kicked up a few notches by the designers at Danbury Mint.

The clarity of the instrument cluster are breathtaking, the radio face was just as readable. The glove box opened and the floor-mats were removable. Actually, to place the rear mats in the model it is easier to slide the seats forward for easier installation. Now turn the crank on both the front and rear windows and watch them move up and down. I own models with functioning windows, however, none that operate as smoothly as this.

If you remove the convertible boot, and that is done by simply unsnapping it from its clips, the convertible top is hidden underneath. Simply grab the convertible top, pull it up and forward, and latch it to the top of the windshield frame. My only complaint regarding this replica is when you remove the boot from the car it isn't actually removable. The boot stays attached to the rear seat, you have to fold it over, and tape it down so it cannot be viewed through the rear window.

Whether you choose to display this model top up or down you won't be disappointed. I found the top very easy to pull up and it was just as easy to go top down and snap the boot back into place. The top is very realistic; you will be hard-pressed when deciding on how to display this replica.

The engine compartment is just one more area where this model excels in "bling". Just about everything that was in the 1:1 engine compartment will be found under the hood of this replica. I am not going to sit here and tell you that the coil is positioned correctly, or the plug wires are routed just like they were on the original; I don't remember. I was a kid, with a hot car and girlfriend, and both of us had raging hormones. Do you really think that a 16 year old kid was concerned about plug wires at this time? There was only spark I was concerned about, and that was the spark I had for my Stang. My mother didn't raise no fool; I am married, and my girlfriend isn't my wife.

As you can see I didn't sit here and point out that the mustang emblem was beautiful or the filler cap is removable. Nor did I pull off the wheels to show you they are removable. Instead I decided to dwell on the finer points of the car that are still as fresh as the day I stole my first kiss with my girlfriend in my Mustang. To me that is what collecting represents not the theory that he who dies with the most toys wins. This replica is cutting edge technology and worthy of a place in your collection. Sure, it is big and heavy, but once you own it, and have the time to explore all its cutting edge features, you won't regret your decision.

It has always been my goal to give you my fellow collectors the best possible description of any model that we have for review regardless of what the mint might think of my opinion. Therefore, it is my opinion that this replica is worth every penny of the $495 retail price. Yes, it "popped my cork" and the "bling" meter was jumping all over the place. I suggest you visit our web site and view the flash movie we put together for this replica that will show you many more detailed photos too.

As for our ranking on this replica I am calling this a "5 Cork" model and that is as high as we go. If you have any questions or would like to see a more detailed shot of any area of this replica don't hesitate to contact us requesting just that; we would be happy to oblige. I strongly suggest if you are interested in this model don't hesitate on making the purchase; when it's gone it's gone for good and you will have missed a classic.

---

Our Ranking: