About five years ago, Steve Morris of east Texas spotted a neighbor’s Mustang sitting outside that he knew he just HAD to have – and finally bought it. Just recently he started a labor of love to get it running, and says that while much work is yet to be done, there’s no better way to celebrate his 60^th birthday on Mustang’s birthday than running his 289 four-speed through the gears. See below to hear how long it took him to talk the previous owner out of the car:

“Several years ago I noticed a 1966 Mustang parked in a neighbor’s yard that looked like it hadn’t moved in years. When I first saw the car I knew that someday it was going to be mine. I drove and walked by this house for at least two years hoping to spot the owner so that I could see if I could buy the Mustang. 

“Through Summer, Fall, Winter and Spring this Pony sat outside day after day. The car never moved. I would go up to the house and knock on the door – but there was no answer. Each day I would go by the house to see the Mustang and hope I was not too late. Each day the car would still be there . . . for over 730 days that I counted since I first saw it. Each week I came back to knock on the door for one more chance ask about buying it. But it seemed no one was ever home.

“Then, one Spring day I saw a man standing there outside of the house. I started running toward him hoping that he would not go back inside by the time I reached his yard. When I got up to him, I said hello and told him I really liked his Mustang> I asked him straight out if he would be interested in selling it to me.  

“He put his hand to his ear and shook his head, showing me that he could not hear. He took a piece of paper and a pencil out of his pocket and handed it to me, so I wrote down my question. He said he would need to speak to his wife about selling the Mustang. He claimed he had always had the intention to make it run again.

“When we went inside, his wife said she would agree to sell it -- but only for a specific price and not a penny less. He said he was getting too old to make his dream of getting that Mustang back on the road come true, but maybe his dream of driving it could come true if I were to buy it and realize my own dream to get it back on the road, and then come back once it was done.

“When we went out to look at the couple’s 1966 Mustang Coupe, I saw a sticker that showed the car was last inspected back in 1988. The couple was in their 80's, and said they had parked it a long time ago. The Mustang would not start nor even roll. All the brakes were seized up. I wasn’t even sure if the motor turned over, as the car had been sitting for 25-plus years.

“But I paid their price for the car anyway and hired a car-carrier to pick it up and bring it to my garage in the DFW (Dallas-Fort Worth) area, where it sat for another four years. We then moved to East Texas, and after another year of getting settled there I finally got the chance to start working on the Mustang. I was able to get it running early this year!

“Believe me there is still a ton of work to be done, but just getting it running makes me feel like a kid again. I will turn 60 on April 17 (the day Mustang was launched back in 1964), and it’s a dream come true to be driving my classic pony! Yes, practically everything needs to be redone on this old car, but working on it is a labor of love. To look at it, it seems unbelievable that this Mustang was raised from the dead!

“One thing I can tell you for sure: You cannot replace the feeling you get shifting the gears in a four-on-the floor 66' Mustang with that 289 in full song. I am having so much fun!”

Editor’s Note: One of the most popular features on FordPerformance.com and in our Fast News e-newsletter continues to be "Ford Fan Spotlight," where readers can send in their own reasons why they're fans of Ford Motor Company. You know who they are: Ford "superfans;" grassroots Ford racers; unique Ford vehicle owners; loyal Ford enthusiasts; notable Ford club people; special Ford families; and/or any avid supporter of Ford, Ford vehicles, Ford motorsports or Ford Performance who deserves a little bit of special recognition.

All you need to do to get you, your car or candidate considered is to send in a brief description (200-300 words or less) and a few photos (in .jpeg format, preferably 300 dpi) of a person (full name and hometown, please) and vehicle that you think Ford Performance should feature (and why) in the "Ford Fan Spotlight" for an upcoming installment of Fast News and posting on FordPerformance.com. Then email it to: AskTFR@Ford.com. Should you wish to send a video, you simply need to post it on www.YouTube.com (preferably 1-2 minutes long) and send in the link, along with a brief description, to that same AskTFR@Ford.com email address. We'll choose one submission each week.