1969 Ford Mustang well-worth the 30-year wait

Amid all the bright lights and flashy displays at the 1969 Chicago Auto Show, a young Kent Krueger was smitten with just one gleaming model.

"I walked into Ford's exhibit and saw the Mustang Mach 1," the Barrington resident said. "It's fastback styling looked like it was going 100 miles an hour even when sitting still."

Those boyhood memories culminated in a craving to one day own this Mustang. That aspiration became reality in the spring of 1999 when Kent purchased a 1970 example.

Sadly, his enjoyment was cut short. An unfortunate traffic accident totaled the muscle machine just five months later.

"I was crushed to have lost my dream car," he said. Thankfully, he wasn't Mustang-less for long.

This 1969 Mach 1 came on his radar 10 days prior to the accident. Before the claim was even settled, Kent made arrangements to go to Dubuque, Iowa, and see it in person.

"The seller opened the garage door and my tongue hit the floor," recalls Kent. "It was gorgeous."

The Mach 1 had been found tucked away in a Wisconsin barn in 1992. It was stored for more than 20 years because of a blown engine. The street bruiser was fully restored in '95 before Kent's purchase in 2000.

Krueger continued the work by refreshing the interior - adding new upholstery, carpeting, seats and door panels.

"It's a tough, rough-riding car but the power is unbelievable. Seeing that shaker hood twist while revving is intoxicating."