1967 Ford Mustang Convertible

The Pacific Northwest is known for its natural beauty—rich in greens, browns, natural earth tones, and pink. Pink? Of course, pink—and with the top down. Melony Clauson understands that basic passion for pink. It’s a lady’s color. Feminine. Made just for a classic Mustang convertible with a beautiful woman at the wheel. Anyone who knows Melony will agree she’s beautiful—beautiful from the inside out because she wears an eternal smile and sports an intense love of the hobby and its people. For Melony, beauty is an aura she carries with her everywhere.

We caught up with Melony at the Mustangs Northwest Annual Mustang Roundup held every July at Bellevue Community College in Bellevue, Washington. Melony affectionately calls her Mustang Rosie, which makes them quite the duo wherever they go. We call Melony’s ’67 Mustang convertible pink, but the car is really Dusk Rose—a regular production option for the ’67. What makes this Mustang so unusual is its rarity. Few people ordered their ’67 Mustangs in this color.

The car is actually a Sport Sprint model, which was available during the spring and summer of 1967. The ’67 Sport Sprint was a promotional sales kicker designed to draw people into the showrooms whether they bought a Mustang or not. The Sport Sprint package included a chrome air cleaner lid with a special “Sport Sprint” sticker, rocker moldings, full wheel covers, and a vinylized shifter handle. It was a high-buck appearance package at a low-buck price.

This is a nice restoration of an American classic. Stewart’s Collision Center and Backman Auto Body did the bodywork and paint, and Ewing Machine Shop rebuilt the 289 2V engine. Melony added some features to the car as well, such as the Styled Steel wheels and Michelin radials for better handling.

Melony’s ’67 convertible is a ride made for the Pacific Northwest. Although it’s a common belief that it always rains there, the summer months yield a climate most of us can only dream of. Summer days up Seattle way bring sunshine and cool Pacific breezes, while heat waves are unheard of, and humidity is typically low. Sounds like good cruising weather to us. When it’s time for show, Melony turns out and takes home the gold every time. She credits her husband, Bart, with the quality restoration. “A heartfelt thank you goes without saying,” she says.

Melony’s ’67 is a product of teamwork. Paint and body people do what they do best, the machine shop does what it knows most, and friends and family pitch in to round out the finishing touches. Driving the result takes us back to a time long ago when the ’67 Mustang was new—listening to the smooth hum of a well-tuned 289, C4 Cruise-O-Matic and the soft modern radials on the pavement. The 289 provides smooth, confident low-end torque for the hills around Seattle. Hang your wrist over the top of the steering wheel and enjoy the ride. As the sun sets over the blue Pacific, feel peace in your heart, enjoy the ride, and remember—it’s dusk.