Riding Through Volcano Country in Vintage Cars, Including A Fox Mustang With A 289

Today’s post covers a trip I took a few months ago, when my longtime friend Cesar invited me to ride along in his 1984 Mustang convertible as he joined members of the Salvadorian Antique Car Club for a drive to Cerro Verde National Park. One of El Salvador’s most popular tourist destinations, Cerro Verde is home to a cluster of volcanoes, scenic hiking trails, a recently opened upscale hotel, and several restaurants with spectacular views of the surrounding landscape.

The trip took place in mid-March, during the hottest part of the year in El Salvador. A long drive in a convertible with the top down, under the blazing sun, heading toward a volcano—and with my tendency to develop heat-induced migraines—didn’t exactly sound ideal, to say the least. Then again, there were classic cars involved… So, sure. Sign me in!

The fact that we were starting at 7 in the morning on a Sunday meant that I was willing to make sacrifices (Weekends are “sleep-in ’til almost noon” time for me). We would depart from a McDonald’s in San Salvador’s outskirts, which says pretty much what you need to know about this city (If you wish a break from American culture, San Salvador ain’t it).

I’ve mentioned Cesar in an older post from 2022 when he took me to a Mustang gathering, and referred to him as my “Mustang-loving” pal. That is not an overstatement; throughout all his adult life, a Mustang has always been part of his automotive stable. Never pristine examples that a purist would approve of, but working ones to play with over the weekend.

As with lots of hobby Mustangs, his is a Frankenstein, or more precisely, a Foxtenstein. A 1984 convertible, a body style that was returning to Ford’s pony car after a nine year absence. This one came with a V6 under the hood from the factory, which blew to bits after the original owner fiddled with it way too much. Just the kind of situation Cesar had been waiting for, and for which he had been preparing: a Mustang, selling for cheap, in need of an engine.

Preparing for, I say? Indeed. A few years before, Cesar had purchased a 289 V8 from a 1965 GT 350 fastback that had been totaled under a home’s roof (a story for another day), and with the engine-less 1984 selling for cheap, he finally had a subject for the delayed transplant.

The pieces were put together sometime around the COVID lockdowns (Hey! Gotta do something with all that time at hand!), and as is often the case with such transplants, the parts have taken a while to learn to live together as a whole. In any case, for someone like me used to inline fours, it was a trip riding on a vehicle that sounds basically track-ready while going around town.

However, the 289 woke up with hiccups and feeling funny for the Cerro Verde drive. Cesar spent a few minutes fiddling with the carburetor and making sure the extra fan for the enlarged radiator-for-the-tropics was working. And yes, we would keep fiddling with both throughout the day. No wonder he drives a Peugeot 107 during the week (The polar opposite of a 289 ‘Stang. If you wonder what a 107 is, its Toyota Aigo sibling appears in an older CC post).

As it turned out, all Fords woke up funny for the Sunday ride. A pretty 1967 fastback arrived a bit later and was going through some unspecified brake issue. Not sure what, but the posse gathered around it and, apparently, sorted it out before parting. Such is life with “weekend” cars.

After about half an hour of waiting, we decided to part, aware that some participants would catch up with us on the way. Here’s the club’s president, driving away on his ’65 Dart 270. A remarkable unrestored example I’ve already written about, still with the original 273 CID V8. 

Good thing about El Salvador is that distances are short. It took about half an hour to reach our agreed-upon midway gathering spot, a gas station near the two-lane road that leads to Cerro Verde. It was curious to see all our vintage iron gathering around the station, but that’s part of the fun of such trips. Also, you’ll all likely notice the group has a Detroit bias; proof again that these American classics have a following just about everywhere (And we’ll deal with that General Lee later).

I don’t mind old American iron; indeed, I enjoy it and it’s plain cool. But I have my own biases too, and my favorite of the trip arrived at the gas station not long after; a W114/115 Mercedes-Benz 200 in nice 1970s colors.

Time to keep riding. Hey, Luke! Long way from Hazzard County, huh?

And now, the typical Central American in-motion classic.  A 1970s Dodge Colt (Mitsubishi Lancer) wagon, that’s seen better days, but it’s still putting up a fight.

We finally entered the two-lane road towards Cerro Verde, and while it was early, temperatures were already hovering around 90 degrees F. The lowland landscape surrounding the volcanic park is mostly bereft of trees, as it is mostly used for crops, mainly sugar cane. So no shades were coming to the rescue any time soon.

The trip taking place in March, it meant that sugar cane harvesting had recently occurred, offering mostly uninterrupted views all around us. That made several peculiar mounds that spread around us easy to see. If they look man-made to you, you’re not mistaken. They’re ancient pre-Columbian sites; one of several such unexplored ones that cover this nation’s landscape. The most notorious ones have been restored as tourist attractions, while several sit quietly like this and go mostly unnoticed by just about everyone.

The clear March skies and the open fields, against the volcanic silhouettes in the distance, all made for a dramatic landscape. Naturally, we took the opportunity for some heroically staged car shots (Wouldn’t you?).

Not that local traffic made it easy…

By this point, the whole group was together. Let’s check out up close some of the subjects we haven’t seen; a 1967 C/K truck, restored from the ground up and yes, with hydraulics. A local job done at the shop of the 1965 Dart’s owner (so now you know that he can fix up and soup up, as much as preserve. It all depends on owner preferences).

A 1974 Chevrolet El Camino, in toy-like blue hue. Non-original (Olds?) rims and mirrors, but mostly stock-looking, and under the hood a 305CID V8; far from the mightiest for that year, but still having that V8 purring sound.

And then, let’s highlight the Mustang fastback, which made it in one piece, after all (We did wonder about its well-being at some point.)

And the Gral. Lee. I know, these tribute cars are found all over the place, but what can I say? The power of US pop culture. This particular Charger has a wild story, which I already covered before (halfway, in a 2024 Car Show post). But in short; sold new in San Salvador back in the day, stolen not long after, and found by the police a couple of decades later, abandoned in a field. The relatively good news of its recovery was given to the owner, but the vehicle was too crapped out for him to do much with it other than sell it. After that, the current Hazzard-fan owner redid just about everything to bring it back to life.

Back to the tour. Photos taken, we were ready to keep on driving. And perhaps this is a good moment to talk about that volcanic range in the background, to which we’ll be driving toward.

On the left is the Izalco, the most volcano-looking of the group. The youngest of them all, it rose from the ground in 1770 and remained in almost continuous eruption until 1958. Up close, it’s a barren rocky landscape, and it’s still mildly active (for now). In the middle is the oldest, the Cerro Verde, which looks slightly greener, and had its last eruption somewhere around 25 thousand years ago. Don’t get too confident, however; no eruption has come from its top since then, but the sandy barren mounds on its slopes come from rather recent ones.

Biggest of them all, it’s the blocky one on the right; the Santa Ana volcano, which had its last eruption in 2005 and is the tallest peak in the nation.

Santa Ana, or Ilamatepec, has a massive crater that can be visited, though not by car, of course. Still, visits and tours can be scheduled, and the climb is not challenging (as long as there are no fumes); it’s a good hike that can go from an hour to a couple, depending on the chosen starting point.

It only takes a few minutes to climb from the surrounding lowlands to the hilly slopes of the volcanic cones, with the roads turning immediately swirly and filled with trees. Rather than reach the pricey new restaurant at Cerro Verde’s top, we stopped midway, in a (relatively pricey) place with views of Coatepeque Lake. Another beauty of volcanic origin.

Brunch done, and with the group still catching up on their lives, I took a few minutes to capture up close some of the vehicles. My mind has always been split about Chevy’s El Camino; on one hand, I wonder what the whole point is, and on the other, I want one. Logic, what good is it for?

On that, I also admit that I have a soft spot for the 1973-1977 generation, again for irrational reasons; I owned a toy one as a kid. Blue! So I really like this, even if it has one of Chevrolet’s most generic faces ever. That, and some of GM’s cost-cutting measures that were getting harder to ignore.

About that plain face, many also see this as a cheap Mercedes grille knock-off. Good thing the 200 M-B wasn’t parked next to this, facing the same direction.

Leaving the front aside, I find the body curves in the rest of the body awfully pleasant and attractive, and curiously, I think El Camino is the best looking mid-size Chevy of the time.

There, those soft outwardly body curves. One could argue that it all adds up to lots of spread for little practicality, but as far as I know, Bill Mitchell never seemed to concern himself with the “form follows function” maxim.

And that late sixties, early seventies affectation, tail lights on bumpers. I have to admit, I miss seeing those.

So, now on to the Benz 200. See any similarities with El Camino’s grille?

As I said earlier, this was my favorite of the bunch. A one-owner vehicle until recently bought, unrestored and all original, from paint to interior to hardware. The kind of model that gained Mercedes-Benz its fame, and that, if one kept up with its (sometimes pricey) maintenance, would pretty much run forever. Just like this one.

Nothing flashy, just purposeful form, with good proportions and some tasteful details to sell the overall look.

A detail of the three-pointed star is a must.

And that purposeful and well-laid-out interior, with that glassy, easy to see out greenhouse. Not large cars, but quite comfortable. I spent quite a few hours on a similar one in California, though on a slow and clattering diesel. The gasoline 2.0L on this one sounded robust when running, with a vigorous exhaust sound.

And here, the color-matching hubcaps.

Unlike some of the other cars, the 200 started without trouble and took off, running away flawlessy, with no odd noises or any visible troubles.

The light and shaded area where most of the remaining cars were parked made them challenging to capture, and some, like the Dart, I had already caught previously in better settings.

Still, the Duke’s-themed Charger owner got the hood open for a moment. Since he had the car wholly redone after being found, the 360 CID V8 is a transplant; basically, the largest MoPar engine he could find in the region.

The trip done, and bellies stuffed, we left for our homes. Not without a reminder of the drawbacks of light rear ends with lots of horsepower trying to gain traction on loose soil.

But yes, after some wheel-spinning seconds, we got on our way. Luckily, Cesar wisely chose to keep the ‘Stang’s roof up on the way back. So, no migraines, and memories gained. A trip worth every mile.