Owned by Patrick from Tillsonburg, ON
In early February 1995 I happened to be driving by Ridgehill Ford in Cambridge, when out of the corner of my eye, I spotted a bright yellow Mustang, so I circled back to have another look.
It did look quite different than other 94s that I had viewed since Ford switched from the Fox body to the SN95 4th Generation body style, with its unique body ground effects.
Then a salesman approached me and asked me if I was familiar with Python Automobiles and of course I said, “No”. He said that they had been modifying Mustangs since 1989.
He explained a little about this car it to me and then he offered me a test drive. When we hit the ramp to go eastbound on the 401 he told me to “Hit It” and I did.
It hugged the corner and I worked it up through the gears with exhilaration. We returned to the dealership and I probably still had the smile on my face.
He then called Deryck Hickox from Python and set it up for me to stop at their shop on Hwy 6 on the way home to talk more about the car. He also left me with the thought, that they really wanted to move the car as they were having to babysit it daily, putting inside each night for fear of it being stolen off the lot.
I drove to see Deryck and I also saw a half completed blue 1995 V6 Python, they were converting at the time. He explained what modifications that they offered to customers and he showed me what options were on the 94’ car at Ridgehill.
But then my interest really peaked, when he showed me a copy of the Dec 94’ issue of Mustang Monthly where the 94’ car was featured. Then he brought out the September 94’ issue of Mustangs & Fords magazine that showed this same car on the front cover again. It had a story of 4500 Mustangs that showed up at Charlotte Motor Speedway for the 30th Anniversary of the Mustang celebrated that previous summer. He then showed me a photo of the car parked outside the Nascar garage. He went on to say that the car was professionally driven at the track and reached speeds of 140 MPH.
He went on to tell me that the Georgia State Police had the car to try it out as a fleet car and also that it spent some time at the Ford test track at their Dearborn facility to test the body strengthening and suspension changes that Deryck had installed on the car. Apparently this even influenced changes in the 96’ model year.
I pondered it all the way home and even showed Liz a Polaroid picture of it saying that I was trading the 80’ Corvette in on it. She asked me if it was an automatic and I said no. The next day I went to my office to do some more thinking on it and finally made the call.
Because it already had 45,000 KMs on it, I offered them $4,500 less than the $29,500 asking price. The salesman quickly asked when would I like to pick it up?
In 91’ I had moved my business out to Bayham Dr. and I had a spare ship container there that I stored my Mach 1 so now it would have some company.
Liz and I drove the car to Atlanta in August of 96’ for the 20th Anniversary of MCA (Mustang Club of America) and showed it along with two other Pythons that Deryck had taken there and I came away with an award in the Specialty Car class, despite there also being McLaren and Saleen Mustangs in attendance.
In 2000 when I bought the shop near my house, I finally had a decent spot to store and work on the cars.
Another notable moment for this car was when it filled in as the pace car at Cayuga Speedway one night in June 2002.
I have driven the car on a road course both at Centralia Airport and Grand Bend Motorplex. With just 240 HP it couldn’t keep up to a friend’s 460 HP Corvette on the straightaways, but it really handled well in the turns as I could accelerate out of them quicker than he could. But as we both found out later, the cornering was really hard on the tires!
The car now 26 years old, still shows as new, despite having close to 75,000 KMs on it. Other than changing the oil periodically, a couple of batteries and a recharge of the AC system, the car has been very reliable over the years and it has even appreciated to over $40,000.
My husband just showed me this article. My first car was a ‘95 Mustang GT Python, it’s purple (blue metallic sapphire). My dad bought it from someone (previous owner totaled the front end) when I was 14 (1998), and rebuilt it in time for me to drive when I was 15. The previous owner told us the car drove a pace lap at Atlanta Motor Speedway and was featured in a magazine, but we’ve never been able to find the article anywhere! I gave up after several years of searching. I still have my car, it needs a new paint job and some cosmetic work, but it still runs. I last drove it about 5 years ago. I’ve got to get my hands on a copy of that magazine!
I stand corrected by my dad: mine is a ‘94 model and it was at Road Atlanta, not Atlanta Motor Speedway.
I believe your purple Python is indeed a 1995 model. I am researching the Python / T&R Autosport “family” of conversion vehicles.
I think it would be interesting for me to know more about your car and for you to know more about its background, however I am not greatly enamored with posting on public forums. If you would like to communicate further please contact me at [email protected].
Amanda
I believe Jed is correct that your car is a 95′ if it the purple/blue V6 that Deryck modified . He traded in the yellow 94′ that I have to get the 95′ to modify. I have the Mustang Times magazine that the car was featured in and I would be happy to send it to you.
Cheers,
Pat Carroll