The Villages - March 2018 - 30

The Ford Mustang is a legend.
"The fronT plaTe is a
An integral part of the classic car
1968 vaniTy plaTe my
scene since the first model rolled off the
faTher had. iT has his
assembly line in the early 1960s, the
iniTials on iT - 'Wav.'"
Mustang is one of the first vehicles that
- Will Vermilya
comes to mind any time the topic of
classic cars is brought up.
parts from 1968. The only non-original part of
For Will Vermilya, of the Village of
the car is the tires - because he wanted tires that
Woodbury, his love of Mustangs began shortly after
offered more traction and stability than what was
he purchased a '65 Mustang while in college. Since
available in 1968.
then, he has owned a total of five Mustangs, but
one in particular stands out - his fully restored,
For the bodywork on the car, Vermilya partnered
nearly original 1968 Mustang convertible.
with local high school students in his home state
Originally in the market for a classic Mustang
of New York who were part of an automotive
he could use as a "daily driver" in 1999,
body repair program. The students
Vermilya found a '68 Mustang convertible in
and their instructor removed
need of restoration.
the engine, wheels and
"My brother-in-law and I went out looking for a
much of the interior, placMustang and we finally found this one in a storage
ing the car on a "rotisserie"
unit in New York," Vermilya said. "(The owner) was
to easily reach parts of the
going to restore it for his daughter, but she said she
body that needed to be redidn't really want the car, so I bought it from him."
stored or replaced.
Since there was already a lot of work that
Vermilya decided to
needed to be done to the car to make it drivable,
paint his car in the same
Vermilya decided it was the perfect opportunity to
iconic dark green color
restore the Mustang to its original condition.
as the famous Mustang
"I found out there were a lot of things that
Steve McQueen drove in
weren't right on it," Vermilya said. "I said to myself,
the 1968 movie "Bullitt."
'You know, I think I deserve one restored car.'"
For Vermilya, it's not just about
Over the span of two and a half years, Vermilya
the look of the car - he also appreciworked with various businesses, individual sellers
ates the sentimental value that goes along with it.
and automobile clubs to restore the Mustang
"The front plate is a 1968 vanity plate my
using only parts that were available the year the
father had," Vermilya said. "It has his initials on it
car was built - 1968. Engine, body restoration,
- 'WAV.' It's sort of like having your dad go with
electrical, even the specialized knobs on the radio
you - I even put it on my golf cart the same way."
- all were done using original or reproduction
Along with his father's vanity plate, Vermilya
made a custom pedal car in the same style as
his Mustang - right down to the color - for
his daughter. Even though she is now an adult,
Vermilya brings the pedal car with him to car
shows, where it's a hit with young kids.
With multiple awards at the local and national
level under his belt already, Vermilya loves showing off his Mustang at cruise ins and other local
car shows around The Villages and Central Florida.
And no wonder - when you have a car this cool,
you have to show it off whenever you can. After all,
.
ng
sta
Mu
ill's
W
a wild horse yearns to be free.
working on
High school students
30

MARCH 2018

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of The Villages - March 2018