As the arrival of the '11...
As the arrival of the '11 5.0 Mustang marks yet another "new era" for our hobby, we find a cool bit of irony in the floorplanners' decision to place 5.0-powered Fox-body Ponies back-to-back with their Three-Valve '05-'10 brothers for the 25th annual Fabulous Fords Forever show.
For those of us who have been to most of them, it was tough to realize the West Coast's biggest all-Ford event had reached its 25th anniversary. But Knott's, as everyone calls the Fabulous Fords Forever show at Knott's Berry Farm in Buena Park, California, has indeed hit a quarter century. Still, as usual there was little fanfare. Knott's is a populist gathering, where judging, tin cups, and speeches take a distant second to simply being there.
So, while it was the show's 25th-and Ford reminded everyone it was also the Taurus' 25th, the Falcon's 50th(!), the Thunderbird's 55th and the Lincoln Continental's 70th solar orbits-out on the show field the main experience was a great mix of prepared and daily driven Fords, with Mustangs making up about half of the 1,800-car field. The car count was down slightly for no apparent reason other than the stale economy as we saw a few car-less zones spread throughout the show.
Still, it wasn't like anyone went wanting for something to look at, and the crowd was as big as ever. The weather was perfect, and for once SoCal wasn't shaking, rioting, or burning and the mood was festive. A new trend we noticed were a few non-enthusiast locals and young families taking in the show, which is easily accessible and free of charge. If that sounds like a good way to enjoy a Sunday in April, it is; if you're in the area, make a point to check out next year's gathering.
As usual we're concentrating on our favorite Mustang fare here; visit www.50mustangandsuperfords.com for a lot more coverage.
Eyeballing others' work is...
Eyeballing others' work is a prime reason to wander car shows, of course, and Knott's is great scouting territory due to the variety. Dave Palmer's '03 Cobra 'vert is a good example of what a regular guy could do on a moderate show-car budget. Starting with a low 4,500-mile car, Dave's cleaned the underhood to sparkling and dressed it with billet covers. Then he detail-painted the blower logos, adding the snake on the polished belt guard, and sticking to red as his second color. A few performance mods-a 2.93-inch blower pulley, Accufab throttle body, JBA headers, Magnaflow exhaust and FRPP 4:10 gears-round out what Dave's son describes as "...my dad's Sunday driver."
Sitting near Dave's black...
Sitting near Dave's black convertible was this naturally aspirated silver example. There's not as much detailing, but it shows the same discipline to stick with a single second color-blue-and the addition of polished pieces where possible. OK, we'll give a bye run on the orange battery top. Like seemingly half the SN-95s at Knott's, this one has replaced its stock, crack-prone radiator header tank with one of Canton's or Moroso's aluminum tanks. They look great and won't spit coolant like the commonly failing stockers.
Former 5.0&SF magazine feature...
Former 5.0&SF magazine feature car "Molly Pop" is tough to miss, even from across the parking lot. Molly Saleen's personal ride, the one-off eye-searing paint is a regular at Knott's and to those hoofing it along 91 in Corona. Molly parks the car in front of the family business, SMS Supercars, which is plainly visible to freeway commuters. At Knott's, the special S-281 let everyone know where the Saleens are parked. And yes, Steve Saleen was signing autographs nearby in the SMS booth.
When was the last time you...
When was the last time you saw a '95 Cobra painted Viper Red? Mr. F. Shipton has one, augmented by a 342 stroker from Ford Racing, Vortech T-trim, T-56 gearbox, 3.73 gears, and HRE 19-inch wheels. A full Griggs Racing GR40 suspension gets the cornering done, while Wilwood brakes do the stopping. A sumped fuel tank, custom four-point rollcage, and Recaro seats complete this racy ride. It's a prime example of a corner-happy canyon-carver, a specialty form of Mustang most often seen where the hills and valleys produce beautifully winding roads. Too bad they're jammed with traffic.
Looking sharp was this pair...
Looking sharp was this pair of red and blue Saleens that had taken the full course at Joe Gosinski's finishing school at Chicane Sport Tuning. Underhood, the blue car was especially showing its CST credentials, with no fewer than four Chicane script billet-aluminum filler caps and a CST strut-tower brace. Giant tires are also part of the charm, the Toyo Proxes measuring 275/35ZR-20 in front and 305/30ZR-20 in back. Baer 14-inch, PBR-based, slotted and drilled brakes hide openly behind the open-spoke wheels on the blue car.
For us, it's worth going to...
For us, it's worth going to Knott's just to reacquaint ourselves with the '00 Cobra R model. There are always two or more of these fantastic Mustangs at Knott's-they really put the "fabulous" in Fab Fords Forever. Even after the blown Terminators and the sparkling new 5.0-liter Coyote, the bellowing 5.4 in the '00 R remains our favorite. Thanks to Bruce Brincka for bringing this one out.