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Collector Classic: 1973 Ford Mustang

When the Insurance Corporation of British Columbia bought a classic convertible

Alyn Edwards
Sep 04, 2021  •  September 4, 2021  •  3 minute read  •  Join the conversation
Dave Mitchell with the 1973 Mustang convertible he bought in California to commemorate the Insurance Corporation of British Columbia’s 25th anniversary.
Dave Mitchell with the 1973 Mustang convertible he bought in California to commemorate the Insurance Corporation of British Columbia’s 25th anniversary. Photo by Alyn Edwards

The year was 1998 and executives at the government-owned Insurance Corporation of British Columbia wanted to commemorate ICBC’s 25th anniversary with a 1973 model car. Word reached Dave Mitchell, a journeyman auto body technician who was manager of the corporations’ Research and Training Centre in Burnaby. Mitchell was a car enthusiast and he often looked through magazines advertising collector vehicles in both Canada and the United States.

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“ICBC wanted a 1973 model car to commemorate 25 years in business and would have taken any car,” Mitchell says. “They wanted to buy locally but I looked at a Camaro that was all rusty. Then I saw a beautiful 1973 Mustang advertised for sale in California and thought that would get a lot of attention.”

After receiving the thumbs-up from ICBC corporate headquarters, Mitchell and a work colleague headed south with his car trailer attached to his pickup. “We drove non-stop to Stockton to see the car. It was just as described,” he says.

  1. Still in amazing condition, the ICBC Mustang convertible is nearly 50 years old.
    Still in amazing condition, the ICBC Mustang convertible is nearly 50 years old. Photo by Alyn Edwards
  2. ICBC displayed their 1973 Mustang convertible with the vanity license plate ICBC 25 to celebrate the corporation’s 25th anniversary.
    ICBC displayed their 1973 Mustang convertible with the vanity license plate ICBC 25 to celebrate the corporation’s 25th anniversary. Photo by Alyn Edwards
  3. The well preserved original interior in the 1973 Mustang convertible purchased by ICBC in 1998 to commemorate 25 years in business.
    The well preserved original interior in the 1973 Mustang convertible purchased by ICBC in 1998 to commemorate 25 years in business. Photo by Alyn Edwards
  4. A 302 cubic inch V8 engine powers the ICBC 1973 Mustang convertible.
    A 302 cubic inch V8 engine powers the ICBC 1973 Mustang convertible. Photo by Alyn Edwards
  5. Another view of the pristine cockpit.
    Another view of the pristine cockpit. Photo by Alyn Edwards
  6. A timeless classic in great shape to boot.
    A timeless classic in great shape to boot. Photo by Alyn Edwards
  7. ICBC put a vanity plate on the 1973 Mustang for display celebrating the corporation’s 25th anniversary – 1973 – 1998.
    ICBC put a vanity plate on the 1973 Mustang for display celebrating the corporation’s 25th anniversary – 1973 – 1998. Photo by Alyn Edwards

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Original owner Elwin Engdahl, ex-U.S. military, had purchased the Mustang from Eagal Ford in Stockton, California. He was 81 years old in 1998 and decided to sell the car he bought 25 years earlier.

“If you come and look at this car, you won’t be disappointed,” he had told Mitchell during a telephone call.

There was no disappointment. “I met with the old boy, he popped the garage door open and there was a true rust-free California automobile: Nice and straight and never been hit,” Mitchell recalls.

The Mustang convertible was well optioned with power steering and disk brakes along with an AM/FM multiplex stereo radio. It had been driven just 58,000 miles. Mitchell handed over $5,500 and the car went on the trailer for the trip home to British Columbia. He cleared the car through Canada Customs and dropped the car at the ICBC Research and Training Centre that he managed.

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When he came to work the next morning, a TV news cameraman was waiting for him. Someone at the border had tipped off the television station that the government-owned insurance company was importing a classic car for its own use.

“What are you doing buying classic cars with the taxpayers money?” was the first question from the news cameraman. Mitchell talked him into putting the camera down and turning off the sound.

81-year-old Elwin Engdahl says goodbye to the 1973 Mustang he owned for 25 years.
81-year-old Elwin Engdahl says goodbye to the 1973 Mustang he owned for 25 years. Photo by Submitted

Then he explained that ICBC wanted to display the car to celebrate its 25th anniversary and then would raffle the car. ICBC would get back the cost of the car and the proceeds would go to the United Way. “That can’t be a bad thing,” Mitchell told the cameraman who subsequently packed up and left without a story.

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Before ICBC could put the 1973 Mustang convertible on display, disaster hit. A windstorm tore up the tent the Mustang was stored in beside the Research and Training Centre. The car was badly scratched and the top was torn. Mitchell had the car repainted in the original Blue Glow colour with high-end BASF Glasurit paint and had the convertible top replaced.

The 1973 Mustang convertible was safety checked, registered to the Insurance Corporation of British Columbia and passed through the AirCare emissions test. It went on display in the Atrium of ICBC headquarters in North Vancouver. It bore B.C. vanity license plate: ICBC 25. After being displayed at various locations, the Mustang was raffled off. It is said that an ICBC Dial-A-Claim adjustor won it.

  1. The 1973 Mustang convertible as it was displayed by ICBC to commemorate its 25th anniversary.
    The 1973 Mustang convertible as it was displayed by ICBC to commemorate its 25th anniversary. Photo by Submitted
  2. The original California title shows Elwin Engdahl purchased his Mustang convertible December 29th, 1972.
    The original California title shows Elwin Engdahl purchased his Mustang convertible December 29th, 1972. Photo by Submitted
  3. Raymond Ruysseveldt was the salesman at Eagal Ford Sales in Stockton, California who sold the 1973 Mustang convertible.
    Raymond Ruysseveldt was the salesman at Eagal Ford Sales in Stockton, California who sold the 1973 Mustang convertible. Photo by Submitted

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As the story goes, she determined the collector car would be too expensive to keep. After a short time, she parked it on a street in Port Coquitlam with a for sale sign on the window. The man who bought the car kept it for 14 years – until he was in his late Eighties. He had ICBC collector insurance and license plates on the car that currently shows 79,000 miles on the odometer.

Reunited with the car he brought to Canada for ICBC, his employer, more than two decades ago, Dave Mitchell says: “Looking at the car brings back memories. It still looks really good. A car that is original is a great car. They are only original once.

On the topic of ICBC owning a collector car, Mitchell has this to say: “It was the right thing to do. ICBC got some recognition and helped a charity. You can love ICBC or hate it, but it’s been there for people for almost 50 years.”

Alyn Edwards is a classic car enthusiast and partner in Peak Communicators, a Vancouver-based public relations company. aedwards@peakco.com

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