The curious case of Amber Heard’s 1968 Mustang

Amber Heard’s classic Ford Mustang has been stolen four times – one of them as part of a prank from her now-estranged husband, Johnny Depp.

Former celebrity couple Amber Heard and Johnny Depp have been in the proverbial hot seat in recent weeks, engaging in one of the most-watched celebrity trials in recent history. 

The estranged husband and wife have both taken the stand in a Virginia courtroom after Depp filed a $US50 million ($AUD69.8 million) libel lawsuit against Heard for claims she made in a 2018 opinion piece in the Washington Post.

Witnesses called to testify in the court case have ranged from personal assistants to ex-partners, and even the couple’s mechanic, David Killackey, who was tasked with working on their collection of classic cars. 

In fact, a love of vintage vehicles was one of the passions Heard and Depp shared during the course of their relationship.

Depp in particular has an impressive automotive collection, ranging from a 1959 Chevrolet Corvette, to a Ferrari 488 Spider.

But one of their last public appearances together actually centered around Heard’s car, which has an intriguing backstory of its own.  

In late 2015, roughly a year before their split became public, the couple appeared on an episode of US television show Overhaulin’, alongside Heard’s beloved 1968 Ford Mustang.

Heard bought the car back when she was a up-and-coming actress in Los Angeles in roughly 2003, describing its original condition as “a beautiful piece of junk”.

“I bought it as a driveable piece of junk – a beautiful piece of junk,” Heard explained on Overhaulin’.  

“The car cost me every dime I had and continued to cost me for the first eight years that I lived in LA.”

In addition to the maintenance costs, the silver ‘Stang also caused Heard strife after it was stolen a total of three times across her 12 years of ownership – in one instance, disappearing for six months. 

“[Each time it was stolen ] I would upgrade my system of security only to be [foiled again],” the actress told talk show host Jimmy Kimmel.  

“I found it every time – one time it took six months but they got it. They gutted it pretty good the last time; that crushed me pretty good.”

In another interview with the Sunday Mail, Heard explained: “I park it on the street for one minute and someone takes it for a joyride but they always recover it.”

“I just have to do the maintenance and repair the damage. My dad taught me enough about cars so that I’d never have to ask a man on the side of the road for help: I hotwire my own cars.”

The car was stolen a fourth time in 2014, but this time the culprits were Heard’s then-fiance Johnny Depp and her father, David Heard.

The men joined forces to kidnap the car and have it restored to its former glory by well-known, California-based automotive designer Chip Foose as a surprise for Heard.

The transformation process – detailed on Overhaulin’ – included taking the car from silver to red, as well as upgrading it with an all-white interior.

The Mustang, which the actress nicknamed ‘Cherry Thunder’, isn’t the only classic muscle car to grace Heard’s garage.

“Maybe it’s the Texan in me, but I’ve always been into muscle cars,” she told the Sunday Mail.

“My ’68 Mustang is my favourite. I love cars that have character, and I’ve had a number of them, including a ’63 Checker and a ’67 Mercedes.”

The current location of the 1968 Mustang is unknown, but a November 2021 Instagram post from Heard suggests she may have parted ways with her retro ride.

“Missing my ride or die,” she captioned a photo of herself behind the wheel of the classic Ford. 

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