For some people, the Ford Mustang is more than just a car, or even a great car. It’s a statement, a way of life, something that they can always count on and invest in. Mike Berardi is possibly the world’s most dedicated Mustang fan, having one of the most complete collections of pony cars on the planet that includes 43 Mustangs spanning from 1964 ½ all the way up to 2013.

This is his story, which began back in high school for Berardi, when his friend Ron drove up with a 1973 Mustang Mach 1 in red. Mike had his own Mustang, but it was a 1977 Mustang II that wasn’t exactly a tire scorcher with its four-cylinder engine. Mike vowed to own a muscle car, and eventually he started buying, restoring, and driving these Mustangs regularly.

But it wasn’t until a decade ago that Mike started actually collecting Mustangs. He tries to keep his collection to the unusual or uncommon Mustangs, like the 1964 ½ Indy Pacy Car edition, of which only 190 or so were produced. Of course he has some better-known Mustangs in his stable too, including a 1966 Hertz Shelby GT350-H, which is just one of 500.

Of course Mike has a Boss 302 or two kicking around his collection, and one of the more contemporary cars in his collection is a 1993 Cobra R. Then there’s also the 662 hp 2013 Shelby GT500 Mike had to have, and he drives all of his cars (except on rainy days of course), which proves he truly has the pony car spirit.