Son surprises Vietnam vet dad with 1969 Mustang he traded away for family
Kentucky: For years, Daniel Allen told his six sons about the best car he ever owned: a 1969 Mustang Mach 1. He traded it away decades ago to make room for his growing family.
This Father’s Day, his youngest son Shane gave it back. After returning from several tours in Vietnam, Daniel bought a white Mach 1 with a black hood and red stripes. The four-speed manual was part of his youth. He took his future wife Diana on their first date in the car and even proposed to her on a ferry after driving the Mustang onboard.
As their family grew, Daniel sold the Mach 1 for something more practical. Shane, the youngest of the boys, shared his father’s love of classic cars. The two made it a routine to attend Father’s Day car shows together, where they would look at Mustangs and talk about the one that got away.
“I knew the car he had dreamed about was that 1969 Mach 1,” Shane told PEOPLE. “My dad and I have talked about this car since I was a kid.” Earlier this year Shane spotted a white 1969 Mach 1 matching his father’s description. He traded his own restored Mustang GT for it and got to work. The upholstery needed changing and the paint needed a refinish.
On their customary visit to a Father’s Day car show, Daniel saw a white Mach 1 in the lot. A name tag reading “Daniel” hung from the rearview mirror. He thought it was a coincidence and joked, “Where are my keys?” Shane handed him the keys and told him to start it up. The moment was caught on video.“I shut the camera off but wish I had continued filming,” Shane said. “When he got out of the car, he asked me how I had made it happen. I told him I traded my custom GT for this Mach 1 and he broke down and hugged me.”
Shane said he wanted to honor the sacrifices his father made for family. “As a man he recognizes the incredible sacrifices Daniel made to serve his family,” he said, “and was only too happy to have the opportunity to make some sort of repayment of that debt.”
