EBAY: 1966 Retractable Hardtop Convertible
June 14th, 2006 by CobraMatt
Looking at the title of this entry I wonder how many of you did a double take and said what the @#$%. Well I did the same thing when I came across this Mustang on Ebay. According to the auction this is a very rare 1966 Ford Mustang convertible with a retractable hardtop built by designer Ben J. Smith.
To give you a little background on Ben J. Smith we need to go back to the 50’s when he got the idea for a retractable hardtop which he designed for the 57′-59′ Ford Skyliner. While at Ford in 1966 he was asked to build a prototype retractable hardtop Mustang convertible which end up costing Ford the sum of $250K which was alot of coin back in the day. The Mustang was to be a 1967 model but when Ben reported back to Ford that it was not feasible to motorize the top because of added weight like he did in the Skyliner the project was cancelled and the prototype was destroyed.
Ben never gave up on the idea of a Mustang retractable hardtop and after he retired he designed and built one for himself. He then formed the Retractables Unlimited company in 1994 to market the retractable hardtops for 1965 to 1968 Mustangs. From what I have read all over the net and in books only about 10-15 original Ben J Smith retractable hardtops exist today this possibly being one of them. After the originals were built the company soon went out of business.
Ok back to the auction, this pony only shows 30K on the odometer and contains a 2-barrell carb (which is not the original) with power front disc brakes and power steering. The car was originally built in San Jose, CA and ordered through a Los Angeles dealer. As of writing this the auction is at $20K with the reserve not met. To view the auction check it out here.
66Sahara Says
I recently saw this on Ebay as well. I had seen an advertisment for one of these about a year ago on the internet and said what the @#$% at that time. This is the second one that I have heard of. Apparently, another sold at the Barrett Jackson Auction last year.
The person auctioning this car has added information to the listing to state that this car was the third of three cars that Ben Smith constructed with his kit. He claims to have documentation to prove this. If that is true, I would have to say that it truly is a rare mustang.
Jun 16th, 2006 at 1:13 am
John Duley Says
I woutld like to add a little to the story on the retractable mustang history. Ben Smith and Bob Baumgardner were in business as Retractables Unlimited. Bob Baumgardner passed away and left in his garage Mustang Retractable # 5, a 1966 painted in Emberglo metalic. Ben Smith was informed of this vehicle by Bob’s daughter in May of 2006. Ben telephoned his son Dave Smith in New London, CT and informed him of the car. Dave then told me of the vehicle. I now own the vehicle and it is in Dave’s shop undogoing a complete restoration as it had been sitting in the garage for nearly ten years with all the fluids still inside the radiator, engine and fuel tank.
As for he numbers: Ben Smith owned # 1. Dave Smith owned # 2 and he now owns both. Dave’s brother owned # 3 and recently sold it. The vehicle I bought from Bob’s daughter is # 5 with a 289 4v carburator and C-4 transmission. The vehicle came with Ben Smith’s original assemble manual for the retractable mustang.
As 66Sahara states, the vehicles are rare indeed.
Jan 7th, 2007 at 9:43 am
john yasenko Says
I would be interested in purchasing the fiberglass molds hinges etc for the top, are they still around?
If they are not, is there someone that may have a top in pieces that was never installed?
I’m serious in my request,
All the best,
JOHN
Apr 2nd, 2008 at 10:54 pm
horshit yasenko Says
horshit rip
May 15th, 2008 at 6:18 pm