If you’re a James Bond fan, you may recall our story on the restoration of the 1971 Ford Mustang Mach I that played a supporting role in the movie “Diamonds Are Forever.” Now completed, the Cobra Jet-powered pony car will make its debut at the 2026 Muscle Car and Corvette Nationals (MCACN).

The world of James Bond has featured many interesting automobiles. Considering “Diamonds Are Forever” takes place in Las Vegas, it seemed natural that Ford’s redesigned 1971 Mustang was used for the flick. Truth be told, Ford had a relationship with EON Productions (the company that produced James Bond films), so the appearance of this vehicle in the movie is not quite remarkable.

Nonetheless, Ford could have supplied any Mustang, but would it be just as cool to see a 302-powered Grandé being chased by cops through the Strip? To Ford’s credit, it went with a Mach I SportsRoof powered by the new 429 Cobra Jet engine. Introduced for 1970, the 429 CJ joined the Mustang series for 1971 before disappearing for 1972 when Ford went to low-compression engines per Uncle Sam’s command. In fact, there were seven or eight Mach Is used in the movie, but only three were powered by the big CJ, with this particular vehicle used in the downtown and desert shots.

Time had not been kind to this Mustang, having languished in a storage lot for years, but now it’s fresh out of restoration and will be unveiled on Saturday, November 21, 2026, at MCACN. After the two-day show, the James Bond 1971 Mustang will be on display for the year at the Gilmore Museum in Michigan.

Visit www.mcacn.com for more information on the event.