Chris Woodyard

USA TODAY



COSTA MESA, Calif. -- If the car doesn't grab you -- and it's pretty inescapable -- the fabulous paint job is sure to draw you in.

It's a 1970 Ford Mustang Mach 1 in eye-catching Calypso Coral, what owner Peter Scofield says was a rare color for the muscle car. "It's in your face," he says. "It's from a time when American cars, in particular, were really flamboyant and they wanted to stand out."

Stand out it does. This one has had a lot of street time. Scofield is proving that a classic car doesn't have to be relegated to just weekend use or tucked away in the back of the garage. He say he has driven his Mach 1 more than 350,000 miles, having bought it from the original owners in 1985.

While most everyday cars depreciate, Scofield's Mustang has been able to rack up miles while seeing his car gain substantially in value over the years. Sure, he says, it has taken its share of maintenance, but it has been a labor of love.

To him, there was never any question about what car he wanted. "I always loved these cars when I was in high school," says Scofield, of Corona del Mar, Calif., who came to show the car off a weekly event here.