Inside The Secret Garage With Two Of The Rarest Mustangs On Earth
In a quiet corner of Mineral Wells, Texas, something extraordinary is hiding in plain sight. It’s not a museum, not a dealership, and definitely not a garage in the traditional sense. It’s the Blue Oval Car Barn, a sprawling collection of rare and highly original Ford muscle cars, owned and curated by longtime Mustang aficionado Finley Ledbetter. Lou Costabile of My Car Story was recently invited for a personal tour—and what he found was more than just a few rare cars tucked under covers.
Finley doesn’t just collect Mustangs—he lives and breathes them. With a focus on 1971 cars, his garage is filled with Boss 351s, Super Cobra Jets, drag pack monsters, and even full-blown NHRA race cars. Some are award-winning restorations, others are untouched survivors, and nearly all of them have stories that stretch across states, decades, and owners.
This Garage Is Home To Some Of The Rarest Mustangs Ever Built
What makes the Blue Oval Car Barn special isn’t just the number of cars—it’s the quality and significance of them. The crown jewel? A 1971 Mustang convertible equipped with a 429 Cobra Jet, four-speed transmission, and Ram Air. Ford only ever built four of them. Finley owns two.
The collection is filled with other rarities too, including an unrestored McMaster Super Cobra Jet, a one-of-one Competition Orange Mercury Cougar XR7, and a Grabber Blue Boss 302 that dominated MCA events in the 1990s. There’s also a real NHRA Pro Stock race car with a Boss 429 and tunnel ram setup still capable of mid-9-second quarter-mile runs.
Highlights Of The Blue Oval Car Barn
- A pastel blue 429 Cobra Jet Mustang with a full family backstory
- The McMaster car, an unrestored 429 SCJ drag pack Mustang with original dents and paperwork
- A 1-of-4 429 CJ 4-speed convertible, possibly the rarest production Mustang ever made
- A 1966 GT350 Shelby with a personal connection and a long journey home
- A 1971 Pro Stock Mustang with a 429 Boss engine still ready to race
- Dozens of Boss 351s, Mach 1s, Cougars, and parts cars waiting in the wings
More Than Just A Showroom—It’s A Living, Breathing Mustang Museum
Ledbetter’s collection isn’t frozen in time. Cars are rotated through the showroom floor every six months, and many still get driven. Some are full restorations, while others are unrestored survivors kept in original condition. And when parts are missing, Finley either tracks them down or fabricates the closest possible replacement to keep things period-correct.
He’s also clear that this isn’t just about hoarding rare metal—it’s about preserving stories. Whether it’s a barn find rescued from the jaws of a crusher or a car he’s chased for decades, each Mustang here means something. You won’t find velvet ropes or museum placards. What you will find is a man with a deep respect for Ford’s golden muscle car era—and the keys still in the ignition.
This article was originally published by Hotcars
