His maroon over black interior coupe is indeed one nice 1965 model.
He's had it since he turned 16 in 1970, and while he's added a few more Mustangs to his collection over the years, this is the one that the cattle farmer and rancher came of age in and raised a family with.
He earned the car, and he has never let go of it.
"When I was 16 years old, I had to work two summers at $1 an hour driving a tractor and irrigating so that I'd have enough money to buy it,'' he says.
Harsh initially had his eye on the fastback version, but that was a bit pricey for a farm boy on a budget in Bartley, Neb. So when this sharp, clean coupe became available used, he jumped on it.
"I figured if my dad was going to let me have a chance to buy it, I better grab it when I could because I always wanted a Mustang,'' he says. "I've had it ever since.''
Harsh's car is mostly stock, with a 289 cubic inch engine and four barrel carburetor. It has 122,000 miles and the original three-on-the-floor manual transmission.
The car still has the original black vinyl seats and black carpet, with normal wear revealing a patina of originality that is highly prized in today's collector market.
He put a small lift kit on the car, better to handle gravel and dirt farm roads and lending an aggressive look. While he still has the original steel wheels and spinner hubcaps, he drives the car on a set of brushed alloy wheels that look period correct.
Harsh was showing the car off at Las Vegas Speedway, where the Mustang Owners Club and Ford marked the 50th anniversary of the introduction of the car that captured the hearts of many of his generation.
He drove the car from Nebraska to Las Vegas last week, attracting smiles and thumbs up from other drivers.
"The most fun thing about a Mustang is stepping on the gas and going. That's the most fun there is. Listen to that exhaust and listen ! to it go.''
When you love a car model, one often is not enough.
Harsh has three more Mustangs at home – a 1970 Mach 1, a 2005 Saleen and a 2008 Shelby Mustang GT500KR. That Shelby is a 662 hp performance monster that Car and Driver magazine wrote "looks and sounds as badass as anything on the road.''
"I've got four boys; I had to have one Mustang for each one so we didn't have any argument,'' Harsh says.
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