Certain things just stick with me, one of which is that I want to own a right-hand drive car at some point. Doesn’t matter what kind, I just want to drive one around if only to satisfy my curiosity of what it’s like to wheel a car around on the other side of the interior. I’ve looked at RHD Jeeps and Subaru station wagons…you know, mail carrier fodder…and they just don’t have enough of a freak factor for me. They aren’t like the Chrysler VH Charger that my friend Tom occasionally tools around western Washington with, or the 1975 Ford Fairmont in primer black that a pilot I worked with drove near-daily to the hangar. Maybe when I finally figure out how to pay for a project car, I’ll import something from Australia, but in the meantime I decided to hit up eBay and just see what is out there for sale. For the most part, it was exactly what I expected: Jeeps, Land Rovers, Rollers and Bentleys, the occasional JDM piece that had been shipped over (an Acura NSX being a particularly tempting offer), and then this: a light blue 1968 Ford Mustang drop-top that would be at home at any evening cruise anywhere in the country.
Um, excuse me…I believe I asked for “right-hand drive”?
And I most certainly got it. Apparently this ’68 has been a world traveler, winding up in Australia, Hong Kong and the Philippines, where it had been restored, converted, and treated rather gently over the years. It’s not a perfect show piece, but there would be no shame in cruising this sweet little pony around anywhere. The running gear is about as basic as you can get: a warmed-up 302 hooked to an automatic propels the ragtop around town, so don’t let the Auto Meter gauges fool you…this Mustang hasn’t forgotten how to just roll along and it isn’t trying to be a Shelby clone, despite the best efforts of the valve covers. The car is now in Florida and while traveling the world has to have been a blast, maybe it’s time to let the Mustang check out it’s native land. If you can choke past the price tag, the reward of the sounds of necks snapping at a Mustang meet will surely be a just reward.
The wrong kind of right would have been an LS transplant…..
At least it didn’t land on Geordies little island and rotted to death
I’d love to drive that thing through the left hand side drive through at a Checkers… or drive it with a passenger with the top down and have the passenger wave his hands in the air for several minutes to see how drivers react.
Driving a RHD car in the US is like eating soup with a fork, it makes no sense!
How about a RHD Ford F150 from Australia. Do they still make them?
funny thing is here in Australia you do a doubletake seeing a LHD car…tell you what, i’ll sell you a RHD 1993 Falcon for a grand! Top car, ultra reliable, has an overhead cam 6 and 4 spd auto and will do burnouts all day long! Bet you wont see many ( or indeed any) of those cruising around town….