Power Profile: Nick Magilton Has A Serious Mustang Habit

Maryland’s Nick Magilton shows there’s more smoking at his annual BBQ than just the ribs!

I only had that car a short time but it left an impression on me all the others never did. — Nick Magilton

You could say that Nick Magilton was born with Ford blue in his veins. The Maryland resident and staple of the popular Vintage Mustang Forum, had a Mustang in the family stable since before he was born.

“Mustangs have been a part of my family for a long time,” Nick said. “My mother still tells the story of how she bought her ’64 1/2 claiming my father married her for her Mustang.”

Further reinforcing the family’s allegiance, Nick’s dad picked up a ’65 coupe followed by his brothers ’67 fastback, and eventually a ’66 coupe for his sisters to commute to and from school with. Nick, who would naturally continue the tradition, eventually added his name to the title of a ’67 fastback upon turning 19.

“It was Dark Moss Green with a 351w, c-4, 9-inch, 4.11 gears and still rocked the four-wheel drum brakes,” he enthused. “I only had that car a short time but it left an impression on me all the others never did… it was fast!”

Showing a classic father-and-son moment, Louis gives his approval to another successful smoky burnout by dad.

Perhaps in an effort to sway Maria, his girlfriend at the time, Nick let her drive the car with only a learner’s permit. As it turns out, while Maria’s first cruise in the Mustang ended after hitting a house, the end result was much happier…

“I asked her to marry me so I could torture her for the rest of her life,” Nick joked.

An ’84 GT convertible would fill a spot out front while life, degrees and work took center stage before settling into his Maryland home.

“I immediately started looking for a Mustang,” Nick explained. “I wanted another Dark Moss Green 1967 Mustang fastback, but unfortunately, Gone In 60 Seconds had hit theaters, so ’67 fastbacks became nearly impossible to find at a reasonable price.”

I built the car to be something that I could take to the drag strip and run 11s. — Nick Magilton

“Three months later I bought a 1965 Fastback and rebuilt it from the ground up. I run a 410 Cleveland, 9-inch rear, 4.11 gears, a Lentech AOD trans, an open-tracker racing front end, three-link rear,” Nick said.“I built the car to be something that I could take to the drag strip and run 11s, take to the road course, have fun at open-track events, or simply drive anywhere.”

Having never lost the desire to find a ’67 fastback, Nick continued to search but as he explains with a smile.

“Every time I would start looking, something else would follow me home,” he confessed.“First it was a white ’67 C-code with an anemic, little 289, followed by a red ’68 S-code done up to look like a ’67 Shelby, then in an unexpected turn, a ’96 Viper.”

Possibly following some wise advice from his wife Maria, Nick spent the last three years taking the white ’67 and turning it into the green Mustang of his youth.

“I put all new suspension from open-tracker racing, swapped in a 347 stroker, five-speed trans, 9-inch rear and updated the interior to the stainless GT setup,” he said.

Every time Nick starts looking for a new project, something follows him home.

When not bending wrenches and doing burnouts for son Louis and daughter Nina, Nick has been active in both the local and internet Mustang communities. His annual BBQ, hosted at his “Garage Mahal” for 14 years, involves inviting all the members of the local all-years Mustang club, plus members from the Vintage Mustang Forum to assemble.

“We also do ‘club days’ all year long where I open up my space to others in the Mustang community and help out with projects,” he added.