Almost Perfect

            Jeff Rutherford of Bethel, OH grew up loving cars. His father owned a few and, one in particular, was always a favorite of Jeff’s. “It was Dad’s car,” Jeff said recently at a car show. “He bought it new in Atlanta, GA.”

            After his father passed away, the car became Jeff’s. “I always wanted it. For 48 years I loved it,” he said. “But that isn’t the way I really wanted to get it.”

            What he inherited is a beautiful 1967 Mustang Shelby Cobra 350 GT, is in almost perfect shape. “The motor and rear end are all original,” he said, adding that the interior is original, too.

            The paint isn’t. “Originally it was moss green with gold stripes,” Jeff said. But he admitted that he wasn’t all that fond of the color combination so when it came time to repaint the car he chose a color he thought was fitting of the machine: black.

            “It catches your eye,” he said, “attracts attention.” It sure does.

            He said that the car isn’t perfect. “A tree branch fell on it and nicked it,” he said but that blemish is difficult to find.

            According to Jeff he owns a couple of other cars that are in much better show shape, a 1966 Mustang coupe and a 1968 Mustang coupe. He also has an old 1964 ½ AMC Hornet that he has had stuck away in a garage for seven years that he eventually wants to get around to re-building.

            While the Hornet isn’t seeing road time, his other cars do. “You gotta buy cars to drive them,” he said. “If I can’t drive it, I don’t want it.”

            He admits to driving the ’67 Shelby to work on a regular basis in addition to driving it, and the other cars, to shows all around the region. “I’ve had this one as far away as Tennessee,” he added.

            So even if it does have a little blemish from a falling branch, being able to drive such a magnificent machine makes it all the more perfect.