Having stolen a march on the competition with the original Mustang in 1964-5, by the late sixties Ford found itself with plenty of competition: Chevrolet's Camaro, Pontiac's Firebird and Plymouth's Barracuda. All three could claim the sobriquet of "pony car," as the Mustang had been dubbed, because they offered sportiness in many stages of tune.

For 1969, Ford pulled out the stops. The Mustang got a new, larger body, and a new personality. Big block engines became available in 1967, up to 428 cubic inches by the following year. However, 1969 put the engines into new packages, the king of production street machines being the Mach 1 fastback coupe. Available only with the V8 engine, the original Mach 1 could be had with the 351 cubic inch engine, a 390, or with the 428 Cobra Jet, the latter in two stages of tune: 335 or 360 bhp. Other Mach 1 tweaks included an upgraded suspension and a distinctive interior.

Built on April 9, 1969, at the San Jose plant, and delivered to Warren Anderson Ford of Riverside, California, this Cobra Jet Mach 1 was sold on April 14th. Currently showing just 14,000 miles – verified – it remains virtually as new.

Ordered in Pastel Gray with blackout hood treatment, it was built with Black Clarion knit vinyl Mach 1 Hi-Back bucket seats. The engine is Ford's R-Code 428 cubic inch 4V Cobra Jet 335 bhp unit with Ram Air. Built with the Sports Roof, as Ford called its new fastback style, it has the 3.0 to 1 standard axle ratio and C-6 Select-Shift Cruise-O-Matic transmission. Additional equipment includes air conditioning, power steering with tilt-away wheel, and power front disc brakes. It has tinted glass and deluxe seat belts, an AM-FM radio and clock. A California black plate car, it has its original factory window sticker, Protecto-Plate and a history report from Marti Auto Works. There is also an original warranty fact book and numerous California registration cards through 1990.

Never restored, this car has all matching numbers and retains its original muffler, spark plug wires and hoses. Acquired by the current owner in 2008, it had previously been in Tennessee. It has a Riverside Raceway sticker on the windshield, the significance of which is unknown. Surely one of the most original Cobra Jets extant today, this car is a true time warp, and represents an opportunity not soon to be repeated.