All in the Phamily
Bao Pham, father to MCSD members Doug and Long Pham, was a young member of the Vietnamese Airforce when he first came to the US in 1965. His mission was learning to fly C130 aircraft and return to Vietnam to teach others to do the same. His trip to the US indirectly sparked a passion created by the introduction of the Ford Mustang.
Returning to Vietnam, he talked to his General about his American experience and at the forefront of that discussion was the Mustang. The General in turn, made the trip to America to see the car in person and ultimately buy one and ship it back to Vietnam. Not many folks had cars in Vietnam at that time and most were of French origin: Citroens, Peugeots and the like. According to Doug, the Mustang was a celebrity on to itself, creating excitement wherever it traveled.
Fast forward to 1975. When South Vietnam fell to the North, the Phams came to the US. Besides being a pilot, Bao was a mechanical engineer. However, upon his arrival to the US, he could only find employment as a mechanic at a Buick dealer in Westminster, California. Later he would go on to have a career with Parker Hannifin, a supplier to the aerospace industry.
It was 1977 when a ’73 Mustang showed up at the dealer on a trade. Bao loved the car but it wasn’t in his budget. The dealer worked out a payment plan and Bao, 12 years after he saw his first Mustang, finally owned one.
Bao would buy his second Mustang in 1987, a black GT that his son Doug would eventually buy from him. Doug still owns it today.
Inspired by their dad, sons Doug and Long couldn’t pass up a deal on a 1969 Mach I in 1986. It was all white including the hood that was traditionally black. Theirs was powered by the 390. The rule for who got to drive the car was simple: The one who had a date got preference over the other. According to Doug, Long had the car more often than Doug.
Long too, had a greater commute to Cal State Long Beach so he had the car more often than Doug who went to UC Irvine. But to this day the big regret was selling the ’69 in 2000. With the brothers starting families and incurring student loan debts, it wasn’t the car for the times.
In 1990, with their faces glued to Muscle Mustangs and 5.0 Magazine, the fox bodied Mustangs looked too good to pass up. The brothers suffering from fox fever, each bought one. Doug’s a black LX 5.0 and Long’s a red GT convertible. Used as daily drivers, Long’s piled up over 150,000 miles and Doug was right behind him with 110,000.
Long’s GT went through an extensive restoration from June, 2012 to October, 2013. New paint as well as a new interior were top priorities. Doug’s LX received fresh paint as well as interior work. The engine still stands tall with over six figures on the odometer. Both brothers replaced the factory wheels with the five spoke cast aluminum wheels that where first offered on the 1991 Mustangs. For all their pain staking car of these cars, Doug and Long enter them annually in the Mustangs by the Bay Car Show and last year both won awards for their class.
Bao Pham’s love for the Mustang has inspired his nephew’s ownership of Mustangs with two owning Mustang IIs and one with a ’68.
Doug Pham quotes his dad, “I thought Mustang was a P-51 airplane, but Mustang is a car? It was the most beautiful car I’ve ever seen in my life. From that day on, all I’ve ever wanted was a Mustang.” 
