By Carol Mowdy Bond
Contributing Writer
Maybe you’ve spotted a black jade 1969 Mustang Mach 1 cruising through Canadian County over the past two years.
You may be one of those who jumped out at a stop light and snapped a photo, or you followed the Mustang to video the historic moment. If so, you got a glimpse of Steve Adamson’s dream world.
Steve started building model airplane and car kits at age six. But he quickly advanced to where he could build anything without a kit. At 16, he bought a 1962 Rambler for $50.
A Yukon High School alum, his wife Pam tells about dating Steve, who is a Piedmont High School alum: “He was working on a Vega, which had a small engine, and took that engine out, modified the body, and put a V8 engine in it. He got three tickets driving that car!”
Now a home remodeler who owns S&P Adamson Inc. and lives in Yukon, Steve has brought back to life many classics through the years.
Then in 2002, Steve and Pam drove to Shady Shores, Texas, where he paid $10,000 for a “car in a box.” The car’s third owner sold him the stripped-down, rolling chassis on a trailer, and the parts, which were in a massive number of cardboard boxes. Lots of life kept happening. So, he stored it all in his barn, where everything gathered dust.
About 2016, Steve got serious about the project. But not all the car parts were in the boxes. And some of the tools, needed to work on the 1969 classic, no longer existed. So Steve invented parts and tools.
He recalls, “Some parts that I ordered did not fit correctly. If this was the case, it was modified. Some parts would not work right. So, I made my own.”
Two years later, Steve proudly unveiled his 1969 Mustang Mach 1, R-code 428 cj, 4 speed trans, 3.50 Detroit locker rear end, 500 HP, 525 torque lean, mean driving machine. Family members broke a bottle of champagne in celebration.
Steve explains, “It’s been drive-able and finished since about January 2018. It’s a completely new car. Every nut, bolt, part is new or fully restored. Pam and I love to drive the car. It reminds me of a time past. Life is short. Life is full of joy and heartache. If anyone gets a chance to live a dream, do it. That was a big part of this car. It wasn’t just to have the car. It was to have the experience.”
