An annual rite of summer up in Seattle is the thunder of unlimited Hydroplane racing on Lake Washington during “Seafair,” a decades old aquatic tradition that includes clowns, pirates, a Torchlight parade and some of the fastest boat racing in the world. It’s all part of the spectacle that make this week in Seattle one of the premiere hydroplane race events in the country. The story comes to us from Bringatrailor.com.

For the 1965 Seafair Gold Cup, a specially prepared 1965 Mustang GT Convertible was procured for a stint in the parade and then as a nice bonus gift to the first driver to get a boat across the finish line.

Donated by the Washington State Ford Dealers Association, the San Jose built, ’65 GT Convertible was painted a custom “Seafair Cup Gold” and was loaded up with the 289 V-8, special-order black “Pony” interior, Rallye-Pac gauges and the the coveted GT option with fog lights and dual exhaust. The car also was fitted with a plaque commemorating the event.

Motorsports Hall of Fame inductee Ron Musson won Seafair that year in the Miss Bardahl “Green Dragon” and was presented with this Mustang along with the trophy and prize money. Tragically, Ron was killed later that year in a racing accident on the Potomac River in New York. His wife kept the car until her death two years ago and now it’s offered for sale by Ron’s daughter for just under $40k. It has 45K miles on the clock, and aside from some minor cosmetic bugaboos, it remains unrestored and unmolested, and now is a rolling time capsule commemorating the glory days of the Seattle Seafair Unlimited Hydroplane Races.