Photos: warning - will make grown men cry
 

I'm not a very religious person, so I always wondered what people meant when they said, "God works in mysterious ways," well today I think I found out, and I think it really just means, "God took a huge crap on me Today."

Chris at Best of Show and I were working out the last round of gremlins on my '69. He fixed the laggy throttle pedal, a crimped vacuum line, and we had just finished bleeding the new rear calipers I ordered to help address my knock back problems. He takes it around the block with me and everything is great. There is no delay on the throttle, the brakes work as they should and don't have any air in the system. we get back, Chris hops out, and I get in the driver's seat. I'm psyched. I'm headed out to the track with the SoCal guys this evening. I pull out of the shop, wait at the light on the corner of the street for a minute, finally it turns green. I nudge the gear lever into first letting it make its familiar little clank, and ease the clutch out while feathering the right pedal. The car feels solid, everything about it finally exudes a natural quality about it. The steering is precise, the brakes firm, and the throttle crisp. I head out into the intersection, roll over the train tracks, and get almost through, then BAMMM!!! Some lady in a Saturn just blew through a red light. This light had been red for so long even Stevie Wonder would have seen it, but no, she just drove through that intersection like I never even existed. First thing I thought was "what the F*** are the odds of this. I couldn't have been in my Mustang. then I realized what Steve Rupp must have felt like...Ugh.

If you have sensitive stomachs, avert your eyes.
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It's ugly but I walked away from it unscathed, without even so much as a single scratch, which makes me extremely fortunate. I think I really have to attribute it to some of the high end, well designed parts on the car. The Forgeline wheel that got the direct impact of the other car has minor scratches in the powder coat. That's it. It might be bent, but it sure as hell didn't crack or break, which is what I would have expected. The subframe might be tweaked, but it held together for the most part. On impact the control arms got pushed all the way into the headers and bounced back. It was the bolts that got pushed through the mounts though. Unbelievable. I would have figured everything would have crumpled like an aluminum can in an old car like this.

As for the preliminary damage report, I need:
a quarter, and we've got to remake the gill openings, front fender, headlight door, an entire RS nose, Marquez valance, Forgeline wheel, Anvil inner fenders and hood, headers, Ring Brothers hood hinges, and a new subframe. The list just goes on, and doesn't include tweaked fixable parts. Hell the entire car needs to be repainted. Hopefully the engine is fine, but it apparently made a horrible noise when Dick turned it over. Might just be the crushed header primary. Hopefully it is nothing more.

So for all of you out there reading this, make sure you have a good insurance policy. As upset as I am, at the end of the day the car is just a big metal money pit, and can be fixed. I think we all dread an event like this ever happening, and I can't express how glad I am to have an agreed value policy with Hagerty right now. That and my well being...

Matt

so sorry to read this Matt, this really sucks. Very happy you're okay. What did the lady have to say?

Jody

Welcome to my little club.. the membership is exclusive, thank God.. I heard you called Dick at BOS and said you'd been "Rupped"..

Glad you are ok, the guys at BOS will have her back better than new in no time.

Just remember to keep a good attitude and let me know if I can help in any way at all.

I heard the front spoiler survived.. in other words look at the positive.

If the engine has any issues (which I doubt) I will help ya get that sorted out. More than likely part of the drive system is hitting part of the frame/rack.

Again, glad you are ok, metal can be fixed.

Sorry to hear she had Mercury Insurance.. but Hagerty will make sure you are ok.

Might be time for another insurance story and sorry about the accident.. huge buzz-kill bummer.

women drivers :willy: Somebody had to say it :)

Seriously at least you're OK and the car's in good hands.

OMG!!!!!!!!! :faint:
Matt, I can't tell you how sorry I am to hear/see this! After all you guys went through trying to get to SEMA last year, and then taking your time sorting the car out this year, and now this! I just can't believe it!

Bottom line is that you are ok....and that's most important!

From the pics it looks like the one-off front spoiler is ok? <---- I'm trying to find more positives here! :(

Holy crap! I feel for you,and glad your ok. Looks like a lot of expensive carange

holy shi* matt! you werent kidding with the grown men cry comment, i was scared to scroll down.

but like mention above glad your OK

Yea, I feel safer on any track or autocross track compared to driving on the highways with "joe public" (or josephine in this case)

Car will bounce back better than ever..

Sorry about your car. It is by the grace of god that you walked away unhurt.

Damn, Matt....So sorry to hear, but most importantly, glad to hear you are OK.