MUSTANGMADAM WRITERS CONTEST ENTRY BY TERRY SMITH
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“America’s Car: The 1965 (289) Convertible”
By: Terry F. Smith
Long Beach California resident, Bob Johnson, is more than just a Mustang enthusiast; he’s a part of Mustang history as his classic 1965 Mustang 289 convertible (automatic), a true classic, was picked by Ford for its “100 years of Ford” photo shoot. The Ford motor company used Bob’s ’65 for its “100 years of Ford” advertisement campaign. The 289 was restored from head-to-toe and turned into a beauty, and that was why Ford wanted to use for the poster shoot. 
In 1988, Bob bought three-Mustangs (a blue ’65, a red ’66 and a white ’65, all convertibles) and restored one for himself, and the other two for his daughter’s (Amber & Christy). A few years later a woman that leased classic cars for film and television productions, and told him that Ford wanted the 289 for the photo shoot. He agreed, and soon after Ford sent an enclosed truck to pick up the car for the ‘100 years of Ford’ photo shoot. Bob has had as many as five classically restored cars at one time; he jokingly admits that, “Ford liked my cars more than my neighbors did.”
The car was then requested by McDonalds, and has been used since 1991, for use in parades all over southern California, and was the car Ronald McDonald himself rode in. Bob tells me that he built two- special add-ons for use in the parades. He took ¾” plywood and covered the wooden planks with the very same material used for Mustang seats, and placed one on the back seat, the other was placed across the top, and used as a bench seat for Ronald, and keeping the backseat and convertible top pristine and damage free.
Much like the 1965 Mustang 289, Bob Johnson is an American classic, and his love for America’s best car will never die, and when asked what he thought of the new Mustang’s, Bob says “I really like them, ya know, I think the new models closely resemble the classic’s from the mid-sixties.”
