Mustoe Muscle
Married for 10 years, Karen and Shane Mustoe have been connected to cars even longer.
Their Brighton Motorsports, 15650 N. Northsight Blvd., specializes in the sales and mechanical repair of vintage (pre-1972) European and American collector cars. Brighton Ranch Paint & Body, 9550 N. 90th St., also in Scottsdale, replaced their Tempe collision and restoration facility in April 2008.
A Valley resident for 37 years, Shane bought his first sports car when he was 16 — a 1964 MGB. Karen grew up in Austin, Texas, where she was the son her father never had, enjoying cars and motorcycles. The two met at Greasewood Flats in Scottsdale while they were on dates with other people — and both riding motorcycles. “I love cars,” she says, noting that a great car auction easily takes precedence over a day of shopping with the girls.
Here are five of their girls: 1954 Allard K3- “We stumbled upon this car when we were visiting the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance in 2007,” Karen recalls. “We were there with friends, ready to walk in, when I noticed Shane was missing. I found him outside looking at the Allard. Sure enough, before we left the event we were the proud owners!
“It turned out there were only 63 of these made, and this particular car had been originally purchased by a British actor who ordered it with the Cadillac V8. That engine in this lightweight alloy bodied car must have performed like a supercar in 1953. This gentleman transported the Allard to each movie location and raced it whenever a track was nearby. The car still wears the vintage racing safety belts, and we have the smaller racing bumpers with the old driving lights attached.
“The previous owner had the car since 1960 and has verified that the car has traveled only 23,325 miles. We have had fun with it on sunny Sunday afternoons!”
1964 Porsche 356 SC- “The old Porsches are hard to beat for their handling and classic lines. While a 356 is not known for blinding acceleration, the SC model has a full 20 horsepower more than the standard 356C, and it’s definitely noticeable in a light car.
“We found this sunroof-equipped car covered with a thick coat of dust in a warehouse. A flashlight showed the underneath of the car to be rust free and quite clean, but the quality of the paint was undetectable through the dust in the dimly lit warehouse. After getting the car home and treating it to a good bath, we found the car to be a gem.
“We have since learned the car was originally from California; after a nut-and-bolt restoration, it was sold to the collector who let it sit in the warehouse for four years collecting dust.”
1967 Chevrolet Corvette 427- “Shane and I bought this car to replace an already very special ’64 Corvette coupe we have in our collection. The previous owner here in the Valley had had this car since 1975; it has only 49,500 original miles. It has many factory options, including our favorite, factory air.
“Although the ’67 427 is one of the more sought-after Corvettes to own, the colorful and passionate gentleman we bought it from was a deciding factor to add it to our collection. Let’s just say that buying this car was as if we were adopting a member of his family. By the time we were done with the purchase of the car, we knew where he stood on everything — from grandkids to the president.”
1968 Aston Martin DB 6 2-door Coupe — “We think Aston Martin is one of the finest marques in the world. There were only 1,328 DB6s built between October 1965 and July 1969. Our DB6 is finished in Dubonnet Rosso with the luscious Garrett interior that it still wears today. The ZF 5-speed, power steering and Wabasto sunroof make this a wonderful touring car. We bought the car from a doctor in Texas in 2008 who had had the car since 1979. The car came in to the states in the late 1970s, and Shane and I are the third owner.”
1972 Ferrari 365 GTC/4 — “This was Shane’s first Ferrari, and I cannot see him ever selling it. A friend of ours that lives near Paris, France, found it for him there. It was then owned by a French TV celebrity as part of a larger collection. A few months later, there it was in our driveway.
“This model, with the requisite V12 engine, has arguably the finest exhaust note in existence. Take a double-overhead-cam V12 Ferrari sucking in massive amounts of air through six double-venturi Webers, and you have a true automotive symphony that can’t be matched.
“There were only 500 models made of the 365 GTC/4s. ‘A front engine V12 Ferrari that features sport and touring — all in one sexy, Italian package!’ says Shane, who drives this one the most.”