There’s an old saying, “Truth is stranger than Fiction” — an adage that essentially means the real world writes better stories than anyone who collects a paycheck for wordsmithing. And indeed, a cursory glance at human history reveals the truth of this saying, especially within the automotive world. The bond and attachment mankind can make with an automobile is second only to the bond between man and dog.

This next story comes to us from photographer Jim Baird writing for Sports Car Illustrated. While at a local car show, Jim came across not one, but two classic drag-racing Mustangs tracked down by the sons of former owners. And somehow these two old racers wound up parked next to each other!

The first car is a 427-powered ‘67 drag racer nicknamed “The Boss Hoss”, a creation of two Pauls; Paul Hatton and Paul Stefansky. The two were friends since the 50’s, and together painted and built The Boss before parting ways. The car was eventually sold to a buyer in Connecticut, where it sat in a barn until Hatton’s son Brian recovered and restored it. Amazingly, the car still has the striping done by Brian’s father almost 50 years ago.

Parked next to The Boss was a chopped-and-channeled ‘65 Mustang “Wild Thing” owned by Steve Alvey. This Mustang was owned and built by Steve’s father and was powered by a 427 side-oiler with Hilborn injection. Steve’s father raced the Mustang through ‘73, when it was sold and subsequently disappeared. Steve eventually recovered the car and restored it, winding up parked next to Brian at the National Hot Rod Reunion in Kentucky on Father’s day weekend.

If that doesn’t prove the truth of that old saying, we don’t know what will.