1964 Ford Mustang

Wallpaper Description:

You’ve got to hand it to a guy who sticks with something until it results in the big payoff. That’s the kind of guy amateur photographer Ryan Fultz is. This marks the fifth year that Ryan has entered the PHR Photo Contest, and we are pleased to say he is our winner this year. Prior years have seen Ryan place in the Runner-Up and Top 20 category, with his amateur work always placing in the top tier. In those five years, we’ve seen Ryan’s photography improve, in fact, he proactively sought our advice when no one else has.

Ryan’s own automotive tastes gravitate to his Pro Touring–style ’68 Malibu, which is equipped modestly, yet effectively. As our contest rules require, Ryan was not able to send more photos of his Chevelle, which he’d submitted in prior years. Instead, he sought out the beautifully restored ’64 Mustang of his friend, Terry Lee. Ryan chose Lee’s Mustang because Lee restored it completely at home—right down to the motor, interior, bodywork, and paint. Ryan says: “To me, that is very rare and cool that someone has the skills to be that good in all facets. The most work that a lot of today’s car owners do is writing the check when it’s done!” Ryan also points out that Lee also has a gold ’67 Camaro that he restored too.

As a meticulous restoration, Lee’s 260ci V-8 automatic car is worth significantly more than the $8K he has invested (including the car). Lee says it’s all stock, right down to the drum brakes, original rebuilt generator, and driveline. The only concession to modernization is a set of BFGoodrich radial T/As.

As for Ryan’s photographic effort, we were so impressed that we asked him to photograph our main cover image, as well as the opening image for this feature. We’ve never had a reader/amateur photographer shoot a cover image before, and we’re hoping that readers support it enough that we can do it again next year. Having your car on the cover is pretty cool, but it pales in comparison to being the guy who shot it!