Haute Wheels: 40 Years of Mustangs 
by Stephen Faure
Jerry Bryant and Buddy Evans share a Mustang passion. Members of the Northshore Mustang Club, (Jerry is its president) they are faithful participants in the club’s monthly cruise in Ponchatoula. (A great place for gearheads to gawk, the cruise is open to all makes and years of cars, not just Mustangs.)
When seen side-by-side, Jerry’s 1966 convertible and Buddy’s 2006 retro-styled customized coupe present an awesome image that spans 40 of the Mustang’s 40-plus years.
The ’66 isn’t Jerry’s first Mustang; he’d owned a couple back in his “younger days.” Later in life, Jerry restored a 1971 Mustang, a muscular Mach 1, but he and his wife, Donna, decided to look for a smaller convertible for her to drive. An onlooker at a car show in Thibodaux let Jerry know he had a convertible in storage, and gave Jerry his number. He finally sold it to Jerry almost a year later in November 2004. “It had been in storage for eight years and was in really bad shape,” Jerry remembers.
One year of restoration and modification followed. “With Mustangs, you know right away that the floor is going to be rotted. We ended up replacing the floors, fenders and hoods.” The work has paid off; the car is a pleasure to drive. And as a smaller car, it’s perfect for Donna to drive around in.
Besides the monthly Ponchatoula cruise, Jerry and Buddy regularly attend Mustang events around the country, such as the recent 30th anniversary of the Mustang Club of America in Birmingham. They’ve just returned from the Gulf Coast Regional Mustang Club’s 28th annual show in Pensacola, where Jerry’s ’66 took first place in its class.
Ford has periodically redesigned the Mustang, sometimes quite radically, since introducing the “pony car” to the world in 1964. Buddy Evans’ modern version of the iconic American classic represents the Mustang’s fifth generation, which was first manufactured in 2005. Adapting a retro-futuristic look, Ford took a step back in time and brought back the recognizable lines of the models from the ’60s.
Buddy’s adding his own custom touches to his cars, including custom front ends, interiors and side skirts. He owns two 2006 models—an 8-cylinder GT muscle car and a tamer V6 model. “The retro Mustang is so popular that there are many outfits like Saleen selling customized versions. It’s been a tremendously successfully introduction from Ford,” he says.
This is Buddy’s first venture with Mustangs, but muscle cars are in his blood. He sold a 1968 custom Chevelle back around 1972 and says, “I would love to have that one back!”
