SEPTEMBER 2019 39
restomodded—become
a reflection of us. It’s easy
to see how we become so
attached to them.
And yet, everything
has its time and place. At
first a Mustang is used as
a daily driver, but as life
gets in the way, it is often
relegated to the garage or
sold in order to buy a more
appropriate “family car.”
As the years pass, with
more disposable income
and garage space, these old
owners try to recapture
the magic by buying other
examples of their old Ponys.
Or, if they’re extremely
fortunate, they may even
get back the exact same cars
they once had.
Take the story of
Delaware, Ohio, resident
Steve Vagnier. His first
Mustang was a 1970
Boss 302. As Steve was
preparing to leave high
school in the spring of
1970 with plans to attend
Ohio State University on
a track scholarship, hismother wanted him to
attend a school closer to
home, and she enticed him
with a brand-new car—the
Boss 302. That amazing
little carrot made Steve
decide to attend Ohio
University. Unfortunately,
Steve and the Boss 302
were only together for a
short time. He got the Boss
sideways on a slick road
and was broadsided by an
Oldsmobile Delta 88, which
totaled out his Medium
Lime Metallic SportsRoof.On the bright side, the
insurance company cut
Steve a check for the
same price he had paid
for the Boss.
In July of 1971, Steve
went back to Jack Helm
Ford in Lancaster, Ohio,
to see if there were any
leftover Boss 302s around.
Unfortunately, there were
none, and if he waited much
longer, he wouldn’t be able
to get the new Boss 351
either. The salesman said
he did not have one on his