Inside, there is no nonsense about retaining headliners or door panels in an attempt to make the cars look or feel like production cars. American Iron cars are gut like mackerel, with not a hint of carpet, insulation, or dashboard left. A full cage with meaningful door bars is mandatory, as are five-point seatbelts, proper racing seats, the electrical master switch, the window net, the fire suit, and the aforementioned fire extinguisher. As removing things costs nothing except your labor, this is a great way of achieving lightness while easing rollcage installation.
Outside, the bodywork must remain stock, save for the front and rear bumper covers, and adding a rear wing and front spoiler is allowed. As mentioned, the stock outer fenders can be rolled, but no metal may be removed or added to the fenders.
Drivers must have the usual helmet, fire suit, shoes, and gloves, and have their doctor fill in a NASA medical form. For drivers 32 years old and younger, the medical is good for five years. From age 32 to 59, the medical must be renewed every three years-from age 59 up, yearly. NASA membership is $30 per year, and a competition license is $50. Entry fees hover around $275 per event. Currently, there are NASA American Iron series on the West Coast (San Diego to north of San Francisco), and in the Southeast. NASA regions are found nationwide, however, and everyone expects American Iron races to spread.
From the Driver's SeatNASA is privately owned by three individuals, one of them being Ryan Flaherty, who-surprise-competes aggressively in American Iron. Wanting to give us as close a look as possible at the class, Ryan turned us loose during a practice session with his own Fox-chassis'd Mustang. A basic hatchback with carbureted 5.0 power, a T5 transmission, an 8.8-inch rear axle, 13-inch Brembo brakes, and full Maximum Motorsports suspension, Ryan's car represents the prototypical American Iron car.
Even with multiple door bars, climbing in Ryan's machine is easy enough, especially with a removable steering wheel and simple dashboard. Once in, the race-car ambiance is complete. The lack of upholstery and aftermarket instrumentation gives the visual clues, while the undampened road and drivetrain noises provide the hot-rod soundtrack. As always, the wide, five-point harness and supportive racing seat felt secure and inviting.
It didn't take but one lap to understand Ryan's Mustang is a real race car and a total gas to drive. Our previous experience with Camaro-Mustang Challenge cars proved they were definitely entertaining to drive, but with their basic engines and chassis mods, they lacked sharpness at the limit. They were also torquey off the turns, but ran out of breath at midstraight. Not so with the American Iron machines. Ryan's example pulled with authority right up the tach, giving the car both snap off the corner and continued speed down the straights. On Buttonwillow's curved back straight, we guesstimated via rpm, gearing, and tire diameter approximately 130 mph before braking for the next turn. That'll hold your attention when approaching a 90-degree left-hander with a slight rise and fall immediately in front of it.
As for the handling, with a full torque-arm suspension, reduced overall weight, and improved front-to-rear balance, these feel like baby Trans Am cars. Understeer or oversteer can be tuned using the usual spring, bar, and shock tools during practice, and power oversteer is available in the slower corners any time you want to get into the throttle, of course. Turn-in is sharp, especially on high-speed corners, yet we found Ryan's car neutral, with maybe a hint of understeer at midcorner. Coming off the slower turns, you can steer as much with the throttle as you think the rear tires can take. Overall, the balance is neutral enough that these cars can be drifted out of the turns when you get it right.