- Story by Sean McIntyre Photographs by Don Denton

ColwoodB次元官网网址檚 Shawn Kosmuk never considered himself a Mustang fan, but instinct and circumstance had other plans. For the past seven years, Shawn has been hard at work rebuilding a vintage 1969 Ford Mustang Mach 1. With the car nearly restored to its original state, heB次元官网网址檚 prepared to concede he may have a little Mustang blood in his veins after all.

B次元官网网址淚B次元官网网址檝e been into cars my whole life, but IB次元官网网址檝e never typically been a Mustang guy. I just like that body style, and everybody says 1969 is the year to have if youB次元官网网址檙e going to have one,B次元官网网址� he says. B次元官网网址淚 see cars as art and this one looks beautiful to me.B次元官网网址�

Shawn may not have realized it at the time, but his connection to the classic car started when he was a child, watching 1968B次元官网网址檚 Oscar-winning Bullitt. The movie features actor Steve McQueen driving a 1968 Mustang in what film critic Emanuel Levy called B次元官网网址渙ne of the most exciting car chases in film history, a sequence that revolutionized HollywoodB次元官网网址檚 standards.B次元官网网址� The 11-minute ride through the streets of San Fransisco is widely thought to have cemented the filmB次元官网网址檚 status as an instant classic.

Shawn may not be burning rubber and squealing turns amidst local landmarks like FishermanB次元官网网址檚 Wharf and the Coit Tower, but heB次元官网网址檚 having a great time making do with the hills and curves of Southern Vancouver Island.

B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 an absolute joy to go up around these hills. It smells and feels like youB次元官网网址檙e getting into a race car, and itB次元官网网址檚 just so freeing B次元官网网址� you just go out for a cruise and listen to the engine,B次元官网网址� he says. B次元官网网址淚 have so much fun driving it that itB次元官网网址檚 hard to find time to do the work on it.B次元官网网址�

Shawn figures heB次元官网网址檚 completed about 98 per cent of his restoration but jokes that work on a classic car is never really finished. He began working on it about seven years ago, when he picked it up near his former home near Caroline, Alberta, about 60 kilometres southwest of Red Deer. The carB次元官网网址檚 previous owner acquired it from a Seattle resident, but no longer had the time and energy to commit to what promised to be a massive restoration project.

B次元官网网址淲hen I got it it was half yellow and half black. The original colour was lime green,B次元官网网址� he says.

Shawn filled garbage bag after garbage bag with peelings from 11 layers of paint as he got down to bare metal. He carved out corrosion and welded in new rear-quarter panels, straightened out what appeared to be some minor collision damage on the front end and completely rebuilt the carB次元官网网址檚 395-horsepower engine.

When he moved to the coast about two years ago, the Mustang was one of the few personal possessions Shawn brought with him from the prairies. The result is a near-fully-restored classic muscle car thatB次元官网网址橞次元官网网址檚 attracting attention across the West Shore.

B次元官网网址淎nytime I stop, IB次元官网网址檓 constantly getting thumbs up and whistled at,B次元官网网址� he says. B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 a typical muscle car. ItB次元官网网址檚 a little bit loud, and it likes to go fast.B次元官网网址�

Since the Mustang has its original suspension and drum brakes, driving it serves up one heck of a workout. And despite the carB次元官网网址檚 sleek exterior, Shawn says, its handling characteristics require a B次元官网网址渟pecial touchB次元官网网址� behind the wheel B次元官网网址� something thatB次元官网网址檚 given Shawn a new appreciation for how far car technology has evolved in the 50 years since this car first hit the road.

B次元官网网址淚 canB次元官网网址檛 imagine what things were like before this because they thought this was amazing for its time,B次元官网网址� he says. B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 fun to drive, but itB次元官网网址檚 also a good reminder of how far weB次元官网网址檝e come in such little time.B次元官网网址�