Mustang Monday: 1985 Mustang GT is more than just a car

The “Real Drivers” series from hittingredline.com takes a look at interesting cars and their equally interesting owners. These aren't always crazy exotics or 1,000-hp pavement-burners (though sometimes they are), but we found this particular episode about a 1985 Ford Mustang GT drag racer owned by a man named Michael Murphy a real heart-string tugger.

Murphy bought the 'Stang for $1,500 with thoughts of having a cool street car. As time progressed, he fixed and improved everything that broke, slowly dropping his quarter-mile time along the way. Once he hit the 13s, he decided that this would be his drag car.

Now the car has a built motor, TKO five-speed transmission, full exhaust, racing suspension, tires and 10-hole rims. Murphy wants to keep the car looking street while also running 11s in the quarter.

Near the end of the clip, Murphy gets poignant, talking about how you can't just take from a car, you have to give back. “If you don't wrench on it, if you don't bleed a little bit, it's just not there. When a car is done, you can appreciate the suspension, the little things and the details that go into it. You definitely are what you build.”

Check out the rest of the “Real Drivers” series here.

The Ford Mustang turns 50 in 2014. To celebrate the many lives of America's favorite pony car, we'll be posting selections from our archives all year long. Check out our Mustang minisite where you'll find news, road tests, sneak peeks and even classic Mustang ads from the pages of Autoweek. We'll also have all the latest news and photos surrounding the redesigned 2015 Ford Mustang as it rolls out, so stay tuned.

By Jake Lingeman