Seen around Seattle: the Mystery Mach 1

"RPM esq." (rpm3)
03/26/2014 at 19:57 • Filed to: None

From my office high up in a downtown Seattle office building, I look down on the roofs of several neighboring buildings. A few of these are the top levels of parking garages, so sometimes, during long phone calls, I play a game where I try to identify all the parked cars I can see far below. I'm not great at it, in part because most of the cars I'm looking down on are such generic sedans and small SUVs that I wouldn't much care to tell them apart up close, much less be able to from afar. There are plenty of cars I do recognize, of course, and occasionally there's something interesting or desirable. Once, at night, I saw two kids trying to drift on an empty rooftop; other times, I've watched people park their cars at just the right angle to take some flattering photos, presumably for their favorite forum, or when looking to sell. But one car has stood out since the first day I moved into this office: a red muscle car—one I couldn't recognize from this distance—on the top of the farthest-away garage I can see.

I've been in my current office for about a year and a half, and I quickly noticed that this mystery car never seemed to move. Always parked at the same angle, in the same spot; I started almost unconsciously checking for it every time I walked into my office. I've spent late nights at the office, come in at odd hours and on the weekends; it makes no difference, the car never moved, and I could never conclusively identify it. I'd even buy lunch from places near the garage it was parked in, but never bothered to hike up the stairs and see what it was. Until today.

The parking lot in question is on a corner frequented by an odd and unsavory crowd of vagrants and panhandlers—which, in downtown Seattle, tends to involve severe and and visible untreated mental illness or substance addiction. A few weeks ago I saw someone step off the curb at the same corner and get hit by a passing car (a brand-new Audi S6); for a while, it looked like a miniature riot might break out, before the police came and the corner emptied, aside from a few witnesses and one very angry man, with uncharacteristic alacrity. The garage itself looks run-down but otherwise typical from the outside, but, as I discovered today, has a surprisingly well-maintained, mirrored, carpeted, and air-freshened elevator. The elevator stops one floor below the top, so I was treated to the additional suspense of walking around the corner and up the ramp before I saw my prize.

And what a prize!

It's a 1971 Mustang Mach 1 in Bright Red, bone stock but for aftermarket wheels.

The front tires on both sides are flat, and the rears look low. The paint isn't perfect, but it's about as good as it gets for a 40-year-old car that spends a lot of time outside in the rain, and it's very clean—especially considering I've never seen anyone wash it, though I've tried to keep an eye on it from a distance.

The interior is red with black stripes and looks nearly impeccable, although the windows were too fogged up from the drizzle to get a great look at it. Interestingly, the license plates and parking permit seemed to confirm my suspicion that the car doesn't move, as if the flat tires hadn't already: its tabs expired in March 2010, and the parking permit in the window bore an expiration date of July 2012.

Although I now know what model the mystery red muscle car is, I'm more curious than ever about its story, and now when I look at it out my window I'll be daydreaming curious scenarios. Did the owner pass away and leave it there, and the heirs don't know where it is? Or did the owner leave no one to go looking for this treasure? But if so, who is cleaning it? For that matter, although this garage never seems very full, why haven't the garage owners bothered to have it towed in the 20 months since the parking permit expired? If someone cares for it—even if it doesn't run, which might explain the lack of current tabs—why have the tires, which otherwise look serviceable, been allowed to go flat? If it was stolen and abandoned, presumably it wouldn't have a parking permit, albeit expired, that appears to match the cars around it, would it? And why is it parked on the roof, out in the elements, when it could be left one level down, under cover, in a busy but by no means full garage?

Maybe one of you knows the story, or knows how to find out. I'd love to know more. But until then, I'm happy to keep looking out my window a few times a day, wondering about this car's story.

DISCUSSION (54)

jkm7680 > RPM esq.
03/26/2014 at 20:02

Not too sure about the wheels, seems a little bit too traileresque.

Nice spot though! I'm really curious about this now, contact the management of the garage?

Brian Silvestro > RPM esq.
03/26/2014 at 20:03

SO MANY UNANSWERED QUESTIONS

TheD0k_2many toys 2little time > RPM esq.
03/26/2014 at 20:04

There is a red mach one in someones driveway by me. It has been sitting there for a while too but it is much rougher being a Michigan car

RPM esq. > jkm7680
03/26/2014 at 20:13

I thought about it but couldn't see a number posted on any of the signs in the garage, and wasn't sure what I'd ask if I found one. But that might make for an interesting follow-up post if I decide to explore it further! EDIT: it's managed by a big parking company that manages hundreds of garages and lots in the Northwest and Hawaii.

desertdog5051 > RPM esq.
03/26/2014 at 20:14

What a great mystery. Thanks for the share. Now, I will go to bed wondering. :)

jkm7680 > RPM esq.
03/26/2014 at 20:15

Yeah, Do that! I'm super curious about what happened with the owner.

Sn210 > RPM esq.
03/26/2014 at 20:21

Parking spot 302... Coincidence? I think not!

STREPITUS > RPM esq.
03/26/2014 at 20:22

Awesome story! Now I'm also wondering about that car. If I were you I'd find the garage's management about it. Theres nothing to lose, and maybe they'll say they're sick of that abandoned car sitting there and begin the process of transferring it to you for the price of getting it towed out of there. Its a million in one shot, but hey, it won't happen if you don't ask.

TheStraightSixKid > RPM esq.
03/26/2014 at 20:25

When you figure out what's up with the car and no owner has claimed you should grab it. Think about it has been on that roof using it's charm to grab and pull you in closer and closer. She has been waiting all this time for the right owner to come along maybe that's YOU.

AthomSfere > RPM esq.
03/26/2014 at 20:36

Why hasn't it been towed? Why wasn't it stored one level down? Why, I'll tell you why...

Because no one wants to move it from the spot 302! Spot 50, 5 or 5.0 just didn't exist in 1971 (In Ford's naming at least).

RPM esq. > AthomSfere
03/26/2014 at 20:49

I like this theory a lot. I wonder if that answers the question of whether it's a 302, 351, or 429?

AthomSfere > RPM esq.
03/26/2014 at 21:20

And 351 Cleveland or CJ.

I guess you have to walk back over there tomorrow and decipher the VIN.

Spaceball-Two > RPM esq.
03/26/2014 at 22:12

I know that corner!

I do the same thing from my office in Bellevue. It's mostly Subarus and X5's...

stuttgartobsessed > RPM esq.
03/27/2014 at 00:28

Seattle/Tacoma has such an interesting car culture! There are so many people DD classics or who have them as projects/second cars. I was walking back from the Italian Classics shop in Tacoma and I was passing a house when the garage opened and a lady in her late 50's early 60's comes out to get into her car: a vary early Mustang. Parked next to it was her Husband's Buick GS. There were signs and "automobilia" hung on the walls. Crazy!

StoneCold > RPM esq.
03/31/2014 at 22:17

I shared this story with one of the Mustang clubs by me, and we are VERY intetested in the story. If you could possibly grab the VIN, we'd be eternally grateful and may get more answers for you

Kylemaro > RPM esq.
03/31/2014 at 22:46

i think you owe us all a better story, go magnum p.i. on this find out the story, and if your really dedicated to oppo buy it and give it some freshening up and make it your new daily. theres no reason an old muscle car can't be a good daily driver

BrianRad > RPM esq.
03/31/2014 at 23:27

You or your friends know any cops? You could try and run the plate through one of the many online data mining companies with links to Washington State DMV. Run the Vin through carfax etc.Slip the building maintenance guy a twenty for any info. Make a game of it.

JDIGGS > RPM esq.
03/31/2014 at 23:54

someone probably has an agreement with the owner or renter of the complex

Semabe > RPM esq.
04/01/2014 at 00:01

James Bond and Tiffany Case left it parked after chasing down Willard White.

Jimmy Joe Meeker > RPM esq.
04/01/2014 at 00:01

Poor car. It could be rotting in some hidden areas being left like that.

So long as the bill is paid the garage owners probably don't care about the details. Or someone is letting time go by until it can be claimed legally by someone associated with the garage.

kenhitch > RPM esq.
04/01/2014 at 00:09

Looks like I need to go hunting for a seller...

Riley Schultz > RPM esq.
04/01/2014 at 00:46

Is the car on Google Maps/Earth?

Hectic > RPM esq.
04/01/2014 at 01:39

I'm be in seattle this weekend, can't be that hard to find the owner.

Buick Mackane > RPM esq.
04/01/2014 at 02:24

Hello, I am the president of the "Classic Car Rescue Team". I can rescue this car from the damp weather and rain of Seattle and will immediately drive it away from the Pacific Northwest at high speeds to safety and a much drier climate here in the Los Angeles area, where I will bestow tender loving care upon it forever. Please find the owner and get the keys and title from him (he does not deserve it anyway) and I will be there ASAP.

Kenzo-san > RPM esq.
04/01/2014 at 02:29

I need to document this unassuming, tiny house with a 1 car garage I started to pass by every morning in the u district to my new job. There is a different super car in front of it on sunny days. First a bright red Shelby Cobra, probably recreation, then a Ferreri 360 Modena.

Sky Blue > RPM esq.
04/01/2014 at 07:38

Get it...it's parked in spot 302. Ha ha

89stang1 > RPM esq.
04/01/2014 at 07:52

great story!! i love 71 Mach 1 and always have, what you need to do is get a trailer and rescue that piece of American Muscle car heritage out of the elements and then put it in my garage!

Coty > RPM esq.
04/01/2014 at 07:52

Kinja'd!!!

I can appreciate this number.

Coty > RPM esq.
04/01/2014 at 07:56

Look up the laws regarding abandoned vehicles and see if you can get yourself into some Mustang.

yeah, that guy > Brian Silvestro
04/01/2014 at 08:08

Some answers, just lead to more questions.

Brian Silvestro > yeah, that guy
04/01/2014 at 08:09

EXACTLY

thebigbossyboss > RPM esq.
04/01/2014 at 08:24

This is awesome!!

Jesse Katianda > RPM esq.
04/01/2014 at 08:59

Let's save that Mach 1 (from the elements).

Fluxx > RPM esq.
04/01/2014 at 09:00

Being a Mach 1 it would either be a 351 4V or a 429SCJ. The 429 would make it a 6 figure car. Very cool, a guy in the town I grew up in had an immaculate 72 Mach 1 in red and black.

ras0ne > RPM esq.
04/01/2014 at 09:02

This might take some social engineering, but I would find a police officer\traffic cop to run the plates and get you a name. You call that garages management and that car is going to disappear.

Have Jeep, will travel. > RPM esq.
04/01/2014 at 09:08

Someone who knows someone who's in charge it's why it's still there. Manager, tenant, owner of the garage. Tons of legIt possibilities but no excuse for leaving it out in rainy Seattle.

YoFeld > Sn210
04/01/2014 at 09:22

The Mach 1 has a 351 Cleveland in it. I have one, same color scheme too!

SirHosis > RPM esq.
04/01/2014 at 10:31

I'll take that car off your hands for $50.00, cash money right now.

solracer > RPM esq.
04/01/2014 at 10:35

"The parking lot in question is on a corner frequented by an odd and unsavory crowd of vagrants and panhandlers—which, in downtown Seattle, tends to involve severe and and visible untreated mental illness or substance addiction. "

That's the American way these days unfortunately. It used to be those with mental illness received treatment from the state but ever since the '80s America feels that it's better to keep taxes low because after all *you* don't know these people so what do you care? Besides they deserve it right? #sarcasm

technoir1984 > RPM esq.
04/01/2014 at 12:21

Kinja'd!!!

The wheels are not stock but they are the right size, thankfully they are not some crazy 22' wheels.

RPM esq. > Kenzo-san
04/01/2014 at 12:46

If the house you're referring to is on 25th near Dahl Field, I think I can enlighten you.

RPM esq. > solracer
04/01/2014 at 12:47

Sad, but true.

RPM esq. > Riley Schultz
04/01/2014 at 12:50

Nope.

JayR727 > RPM esq.
04/01/2014 at 13:11

Wonder if it belongs to one of the owners/managers of the parking garage/building? If so, wonder why they don't keep it on a level that is better protected from the elements?

Steven Page > RPM esq.
04/01/2014 at 13:24

Where is it located? I'm really curious to know - could have plates run

Jumbojeepman > RPM esq.
04/01/2014 at 13:59

And here's my Mach 1 story. My grandfather came home one day with a new car for my grandmother (that's how it worked, she liked being surprised!) It was a 72 Mustang Mach 1. She drove it for a couple of years, but it was a little small for her, so she got a 77 Dodge Charger (what a horrible downgrade, but it did have the rich Corinthian leather!,) and my grandfather got to start driving the Mustang around Miami (where they lived.) One time he was going so fast down the 826 he didn't recognize passing my mother and I on the way to go see them (he worked and we lived, at that time, in south Miami, he and my grandmother [and great-grandmother, for that matter] lived in Miami Lakes, in north Miami.)

The car was a white Mach 1 with a 351 Cleveland and a 4bbl carb, 100% stock. It was garage kept, and looked great. Fast forward to 1985. I was turning 16 in the middle of 1986, and by this time it was known that I was going to get the Mustang when I turned 16 (first greandchild!) Hell Yes!

Now our story takes a tragic turn. My grandparents went on an international trip, and left the Mustang parked outside so people would think they weren't away for two weeks. One day before their return, the Mustang was stolen. My great uncle (my grandmother's brother, who lived 7 houses down from my grandparents) actually saw it being driven down the street by the thief, but thought he got the date of their return wrong, and didn't realize until too late it was being stolen. The car was never seen again. Being that this was Miami, the thought is the car was driving straight into a container, loaded onto a ship, and is probably in South America right now.

In the end, when my grandmother could no longer drive, I got her car, a 86 Chrysler 5th Avenue. It lasted the drive home from Florida to NC then the transmission crapped out, and a tree fell on it during a hurricane while it was waiting for repairs. Funny it lasted 10+ years in Florida with no hurricane damage, but only lasted 6 months in NC before being taken out.

Rick Brasche > solracer
04/01/2014 at 18:17

how many of these "untreated mental illness" cases ARE the direct result of "substance addiction"?

Answer: most. But that's politically incorrect to point out. We gotta celebrate and legalize, yo!

solracer > Rick Brasche
04/02/2014 at 02:45

While one can argue that those with substance issues have a mental illness that's not the way the medical community classifies them, they are two distinct group. But in either case society doesn't treat them these days but rather ignores them and let's them live on the streets.

monstertwin1203 > RPM esq.
04/05/2014 at 13:08

So has that plate expired 4 years ago?

RPM esq. > BrianRad
04/11/2014 at 19:10

VIN can't be run through CarFax because it's pre-1981 and only 11 digits, but an update post with the VIN is forthcoming on Oppo.

RPM esq. > StoneCold
04/11/2014 at 19:13

The VIN appears to be 1F05H189619, which confirms 1971 Mach 1 with a Cleveland 351, I believe. See updated post coming to Oppo shortly.

RPM esq. > AthomSfere
04/11/2014 at 19:13

See updated post on Oppo coming shortly!

AthomSfere > RPM esq.
04/11/2014 at 19:18

Following you now!

BrianRad > RPM esq.
04/11/2014 at 19:43

Thanks. I did not know that. You still may be able to go through Washington State DMV, but I would not even know where to start.