Exit Lane: Matt and Caitlin Dumas

Matt and Caitlin Dumas
Chief Operations Officer and Creative Director,
Red Bird Media

1971 Mustang Mach 1
351-cubic-inch V8, 380 HP
25,000 kilometres

WE HAVE OWNED the car for just over a year. Caitlin’s dad, Mark, is an avid collector of classic American muscle cars and he has always had Auto Trader magazines around, which got Caitlin into them from a young age. Mustangs in particular have always been her favourite, and even back then she dreamed of one day owning a Mach 1. As for me, I have always had an interest in muscle cars and have been wanting one since I was a kid. Mark could sense our shared love for these cars, and he surprised us with the Mach 1 as a wedding gift!

THE POWER AND the feel of how the car drives and handles really takes you back to an era before power windows, airbags and satellite radio. Just being in the car and hearing the exhaust rumble, you know that you are in a very cool car.

THIS IS DEFINITELY a fair-weather car. We want to make sure it stays in great condition and will ­appreciate for years to come.

WHEREVER WE GO, we always get thumbs up from people who appreciate the restoration job, or from time to time people who love classic cars will want to come take a look and have a conversation about it with us. You definitely don’t see many of these on the road.

ALL OF THE attention does come with a caveat: the cops seem to always notice the car, too.

WE PLAN TO keep this car in the family for ­generations to come. It really holds a special place in our hearts and there is a lot of sentimental value attached to the car.

WE RECENTLY TOOK a trip for our first wedding anniversary to Blue Mountain. In addition to celebrating and getting some much needed R&R together, driving the car up there was one of the highlights of the weekend. Getting out on the open road, cruising through the small towns along the way and driving through the hills was just magical. We travel throughout Southern Ontario for work all the time, but when we get a weekend off for ourselves and have the Mustang on a trip, we enjoy every minute of it.