Bridgforth explains it took so long to get back on track with his new ride because after working all day as the manager of several Amtrak stations, then spending his evenings making deliveries for his own company, JerLin Transportation, “it doesn’t leave a lot of time for working on the racecar.” Still, he credits Linda for her help and says the car still wouldn’t be ready if not for her help. “We rebuild the motor together; we rebuild the transmission together; when we take things apart to clean it, she is meticulous,” he says. “I honestly couldn’t do this without her.”

Bridgforth says he isn’t sure of who made his car’s body (“maybe Hairy Glass?”) and doesn’t know who sprayed the original basic black paint on the Mustang, or who did the impressively intricate airbrush work representing its lights, front grille and bumpers, but “I’d love to find out.”

The car also sports the same gold striping featured in 1966 on cars prepared by Carroll Shelby for the Hertz Car Rental Company and Bridgforth plans to add a Hertz Rent-a-Racer logo to the hood scoop. “Believe it or not, in 1966 you could go to the airport in about six major cities and rent this car. It was a G.T. 350H, with the H standing for Hertz and back then it was $17 a day and .17 cents a mile to rent one.”