Most people pop down the road to buy a new car. Kelvin Perfect flew to the other side of the world to get his.

True story: when Kelvin ‘KP’ Perfect decided to purchase build number 82 of 355 Sonic Blue Ford Mustang Cobra SVT (Special Vehicle Team) convertibles produced in 2003, he knew he couldn’t look locally. Not because he didn’t want to buy a New Zealand one, but rather because there were no examples of a 2003 SVT Cobra Mustang convertible in the country. As far as KP knows, his car is still the only one of its kind in New Zealand, and one of very few Mustangs of that era in the country. And that makes it a little bit special. That and the fact that KP’s Cobra SVT has its own personally signed certificate from Edsel Ford (Henry Ford’s grandson) to verify its limited edition status.

This ’03 Mustang isn’t KP’s first purchase from the States. Prior to picking up this pristine Cobra SVT, he’d flown there, bought a mint ’65 Mustang convertible, driven it from New York to San Francisco and then shipped it Down Under — he probably hadn’t banked on doing that twice in his lifetime.

However, although KP has a passion for convertibles, things weren’t destined to work out for him and the ’65. A couple saw it at a show, fell in love with it and decided they had to have it. A deal was struck, and the appropriate amount of money was sent in the right direction to force KP’s hand. (more…)