The Lost 1983 Mustang & Mopar Restomod Nightmares

Click here to share your favorite car, car story or any automotive trivia! Welcome back to *To All The Cars I've Loved Before*! This week, Doug is sitting down with his friend and ultimate gearhead, Tony Funk. Over the years, Tony has owned over 35 different vehicles, and he brings some of the most unbelievable automotive stories we've ever heard into the garage. In this episode, Tony shares the miraculous story of his rare 1983 Ford Mustang GT Turbo. After a hurricane brought a massive tree down on it, a frustrated Tony simply gave the crushed car away. In a wild twist of fate, the owner offered it back to him six years later. The craziest part? The title was still in Tony's name with his signature on it! We also dive deep into Tony's latest headache: a 1970 Dodge Dart Swinger tribute car. Originally a base-model slant-six , this 360-swapped project turned into an 8-week legal nightmare with the North Carolina DMV over mismatched hidden body stamps and some generic Home Depot rivets. Don't miss **Tony's favorite episode** with Ethan's amazing WRX - https://buzzsprout.com/2316026/episodes/19011189 Whether you are hunting for your dream 1968 Charger RT or wondering how to navigate classic Mopar restorations, this episode is packed with hard-earned wrenches and wisdom. **In this episode, we cover:** - **First Car Heartbreak:** The short-lived glory of a brown 1980 Dodge Mirada that was rear-ended and totaled at a red light. - **The Escort Era:** Surviving the Pennsylvania summer heat in an un-air-conditioned 1983 Ford Escort painted in infamous "porno red". - **The Foxbody Miracle:** Giving away a crushed '83 Mustang GT Turbo and getting it back six years later. - **Mopar Title Nightmares:** The extreme stress of titling a 1970 Dodge Dart tribute car and why you must always check for pentastar rivets. - **ZZ Top Trivia:** The history and the rival engine hiding under the hood of Billy Gibbons' famous 1933 Ford Coupe, the "Eliminator". **Sponsor Shoutout:** Want to learn more about the cars we discussed today? This episode is sponsored by **Car Curious!** Their free audio player syncs annotations directly to our transcript, explaining every car, part, and term. Test drive it right now at carslove.com/listen. **Connect with Us:** Got a great car story? Email us at stories@carsloved.com. Find all our content and social links here: linktr.ee/carsloved. **Podcast News:** - Check out the amazing article about the podcast by Elevate Society and Tal Gur, author of "The Art of Fully Living" - **Feedspot** selected To All The Cars I've Loved Before in their the Top 100 Car Podcasts and Top 40 Road Trip Podcasts - Download our brand new app on the official App Store for the latest podcast updates and instant access to your favorite episodes. https://apps.apple.com/us/app/every-car-tells-a-story/id6775357313 Every Car Tells A Story **Remember, every car tells a story. What’s yours?**  **Love the show? Please follow, rate, and review on Apple Podcasts! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐**