|
|
26th Annual Fabulous Fords Forever Show - Variety-PackedThe only thing missing at the big show this year was Joe Gosinski From the September, 2011 issue of 5.0 Mustang & Super Fords By Tom Wilson Photography by By The Author
|
|
Knott’s Berry Farm was once... Knott’s Berry Farm was once a working farm but is now an amusement park. Get away from show central and the distant clatter of roller coasters and screaming girls is a constant of the Fab Fords experience. While the coasters are fun, we prefer V-8 thrill rides as exemplified by this early morning lineup of GT500s. The Shelbys are a regular feature at Knott’s, with their own parking in the north 40 and never a shortage of cars There's nothing like 1,500 Fords in one spot to keep us coming back year after year, and like moths to the flame, we buzzed to Knott's Berry Farm for the 26th annual Fabulous Fords Forever car show last spring. Even with the car count down due to $4.30-a-gallon gasoline, as always there was more to see than any one person could hope to cover. Plus, after a cool, wet winter, the show came on one of the first days of warm sun and a clear blue sky, perfect for a day outdoors surrounded by Fords. Not that we pay slavish attention to it, but each year Knott's recognizes specific Ford vehicles or personalities. In 2011, the show officially celebrated 40 years of Panteras, 40 of Pintos, 45 of Broncos, and 50 years of Econoline vans. So, no Mustang anniversaries this year--the original Boss 302 was recognized last year--but that didn't stop Mustangs from making up almost half the show at around 900 pony cars. From the legions of daily drivers given a good waxing and displayed with their hoods down, to the pair of four-day-old '12 Boss 302s and their ecstatic new owners, Knott's offered its usual Mustang abundance. While the cars are the stars at any show, we'd like to take a minute to recognize the unique organization that makes Fabulous Fords Forever possible. Ford Motor Company provides the indispensible heavy hit that gets big shows like this moving, but it's the 34 independent Ford car clubs that cooperate in sharing the heavy lifting that make the show happen. Hundreds of volunteers from these clubs do everything from filling goodie bags to parking cars, to which we say thanks! We're already looking forward to next year. Obviously we live in the here and now in Mustang performance at 5.0&SF, but for a quick tutorial on how gas used to be burned, a walk from the distant Shelby area back to the main Mustang field at Fab Fords will take you diagonally through the nifty '50s and perhaps some of the '60s musclecar stuff. We made the walk early this year and couldn't resist the low sunlight on the Ford Special Oil Bath Air Cleaner. You had to have been there--when intake air was made pure by bending it around a deep saucer of oil (we're not making this up) and changing your filter involved pouring out a sediment-heavy half-quart of oil, with a few large insects and maybe some flower pollen floating on top. It makes us appreciate panel air filters all the more. Fine as it is to eyeball show cars in detail, get them moving and we're like 8-year-olds in front of a television. Apparently we're not alone, as a favorite Knott's hangout is the single two-lane entrance. From breakfast time until the 10 a.m. official opening, the cars arrive in random order--the ancients chugging, the cruisers gliding, the race cars snarling, or sometimes silently as crews push them along. To anyone with a lawn chair, it's a ready-made all-Ford parade. Unfortunately we never have time to watch the whole procession, but here are a few scenes of the variety from this year's arrival.  Shelby American has always...  Shelby American has always been a southern California car company, and with the birthplace of Cobras maybe 40 miles up the road at LAX, the snake pit at Knott’s is always slithering. Both originals and replicas were equally represented.  With its black and orange...  With its black and orange motif, this Three-Valve and Shaker intake combination was channeling the new Boss 302 Laguna Seca edition...  ...Like Cobra R wheels were...  ...Like Cobra R wheels were a generation ago, the open-basket multi-spoke rims—TSW’s in this case—look great on almost any current Mustang.  Many hundreds of volunteers...  Many hundreds of volunteers are required to put on the Fab Fords show. The most visible are the parking lot crew—they’re everywhere during the morning setup, but the meetings, scheduling, goodie-bag filling, and all the rest seem to go on year ’round. A few years back, the show expanded into adjacent open areas next to the striped parking lots, so the organizers began parking the cars using one and a half parking spots per car. This allows a better view of each car, but it demands personalized guidance when parking them.  The other old friends we run...  The other old friends we run into at Knott’s are cars we’ve spent days with for tech stories. Frank Lanzas’ ’11 GT fit the bill exactly, as it was one of two 5.0s we covered at Kenne Bell. Since adding the 2.8 Liquid Cooled KB huffer, Frank’s car gained a 168mm billet throttle body, which we’ll have more on later. Frank says he drives the stick car daily with 535 rwhp from 8 pounds of boost and 91-octane pump gas, and he gets 20 to 21 mpg doing it. At the track, he pulleys down to 16 pounds of boost and 715 rwhp. His best e.t. to date is 11.70, but according to Frank, it’ll do 11.50 for sure on the right day.  Eric Cheney was on hand to...  Eric Cheney was on hand to answer questions about this Hess Motorsports project, and there were plenty of people wanting to know more about the flat-gray speedster. Highlights are twin Garrett turbos with electronic wastegates for 722 rwhp, and a svelte 2,920-pound curb weight. A rotisserie build, the finished car sports an APR wide-body kit, with 20x11 front and 20x14 rear wheels. Six-pot Alcon brakes and 8,200-rpm worth of snort make this one a mover as well as a looker.  Interestingly, Maximum Motorsports...  Interestingly, Maximum Motorsports made its first-ever trip to Fab Fords, and the company did it in style by bringing this, its street demonstrator, as well as its American Iron race car. Maximum major domo Chuck Schwynoch reported excellent results for the effort, saying he was surprised at how many knowledgeable, hands-on enthusiasts stopped by for advice on chassis setup. His experience underlines the hardcore enthusiast’s best reason to go to Knott’s—ready access to tuners, a few manufacturers, and plenty of other experienced enthusiasts.  Knott’s is a car show, so...  Knott’s is a car show, so I guess we should expect to see show cars, even if the general vibe is more hot daily driver than angel hair and colored lights. Eddie Balagtas is a regular on the show scene, and believe it or not, his Candy Apple Green S197 was, until recently, wildly Candy Red with massive airbrush work. Intricate as the old paint job was—with a flaming horse motif expertly blended around the entire car—the combination always seemed to miss the top judging spots in people’s choice contests, so he went green. So far it’s working, as spectators poured over the car the whole time we were by it. More technically, the old combination sported a Saleen supercharger, but a rare Techco blower has pride of place underhood now.  Someday we may consider SVO...  Someday we may consider SVO Mustangs distant precursors of yet-to-arrive EcoBoost pony cars, but for the moment they are rare, interesting sidelights in the Fox Mustang story. There were six SVOs at Knott’s, this one in full SCCA C-Production trim, meaning a gutted interior, full rollcage, fabricated dashboard, and plenty of custom bits under the hood. Besides the expected Esslinger speed equipment and race plumbing, a hand-built multi-runner intake was on hand.  Max Sigwart has been modifying...  Max Sigwart has been modifying his Fox since day one, with the latest being a whole-car vinyl wrap in allegiance to Chicane Sport Tuning and, by extension, the late Joe Gosinski. Max says he’ll be extensively updating his veteran Fox soon—it still rolls on four-lugs, for example—and we expect it will be typically avant garde.  Ford Motor Company has taken...  Ford Motor Company has taken a real interest in the Fabulous Fords show the last several years. It returned this year with a large pavilion in the grassy awards area. As you might expect, hordes of people were mobbing the chance to sit in new Fords of every variety, along with ogling new and old Boss 302s. Make no mistake, the new Boss is a major hit, especially with the older guys who had an original Boss back when.  It isn’t all odds and sods...  It isn’t all odds and sods during the entrance parade, of course. There are more modern “highly desirables”—such as this GT500 driving by—than you’ll see anywhere else.  Arrival watching starts out...  Arrival watching starts out in the street as the cars que up outside of the Knott’s property. For some reason the entrance crowd was a little thin this year, but everyone still had a shot at watching well over a thousand Fords turn off the street. One of the best parts of watching the entrance parade is the completely random order of the cars arrival.  Pintos were a featured vehicle...  Pintos were a featured vehicle at Knott’s this year, so here you go. There was a time when you couldn’t swing a dead timing belt without hitting a Pinto slant-back, but they are amazingly rare today. Like Boss 429s, we never see them outside of car shows. But when you do, they either look like this obviously well-kept original, or the one entirely covered in mirrors (really) that was also at Knott’s this year.  One of the nicest cars you’ll...  One of the nicest cars you’ll never get to drive (unless you’re really lucky), the Ford GT is a good reason to watch the incoming Knott’s parade. The show always attracts a wide assortment of Ford’s mid-engine exotic, along with perhaps one or two of its original namesakes.  Move just inside the Knott’s...  Move just inside the Knott’s parking lot and the steady stream of Fords continues. With its original blue and yellow California license plate, it’s a safe bet this Ranchero survived a comfy urban life to attain pampered driver status.  Fabulous Fords is a populist...  Fabulous Fords is a populist car show, so daily drivers and personal projects are the bread and butter at the Knott’s drive-in scene. Of course, this being SoCal, the daily driver could easily be a flashy Roush convert. What a pleasant way to spend a Sunday morning.  Always one to try something...  Always one to try something different, Max Sigwart’s 5.0 featured a polished Edelbrock intake. The polish was from an abrasive pad, which gives a matte finish that’s somehow new and art deco retro at the same time. Matt says a real advantage to the look is clean-up is as easy as rubbing the manifold down with the abrasive pad.  Roush has made huge inroads...  Roush has made huge inroads on the West Coast— traditionally a tough nut to crack for the man in the hat due to distance from the heartland of his now mainly NASCAR fan base and the long established Shelby and Saleen brands. There were tons of Roush Mustangs at Knott’s this year—the blue 427R closest to the camera belongs to Robert Dito from far-off south San Francisco; the blue 427R on the far side of him is James Gutierrez from Buena Park, which is right around the corner.  Twenty years ago we knew this...  Twenty years ago we knew this day was coming—we just didn’t know we’d still be around to document it. “This day” is the time when clean, original Fox Mustangs start climbing in popularity, and for a small piece of proof, here’s Sandy Blaser’s ’88 GT hatch. Sandy’s card says the GT has traveled only 13,000 miles, and we must say the fabric interior looked showroom right down to the flip-down map light in the overhead. Underhood it looked a little detailed, but no matter—the car attracted plenty of interest at Knott’s.  If we show you a Pinto, we...  If we show you a Pinto, we have to show you a Pantera, the other featured vehicle beginning with a P. There were plenty of the Cleveland-powered, mid-engine exotics at Knott’s, and like every one we’ve seen in the last 30 years, we think they’ve all been modified. Stone-stock Panteras are a rare breed indeed.  This was as close as we dared...  This was as close as we dared get to the Silver Knight.  Seeing as how we were only...  Seeing as how we were only in the second quarter of 2011, we’ll admit to being a little surprised at seeing ’12 5.0s at Knott’s. This one is showroom-stock and belongs to Carol Frosco of the Southern Arizona Mustang Club out of Tucson. She and husband Joe “broke it in on the way to Knotts,” and plan on a Bassani after-cat as their first modification because Carol loves the way Joe’s GT500 sounds with that exhaust. Joe bought his “first one,” a ’66 Hertz GT-350, after saving his Vietnam combat pay. He traded it for a ’67 GT500 and then a 428 CJ, and is absolutely loving his newest Shelby after wishing he had never sold the first.  Under the heading Car Show...  Under the heading Car Show Humor, you can delete all those people still placing stuffed children dolls peering into grilles and add Shannon Simmons with his bolt-on S197 and “Speed Limit 151” sign.  A bit of creative parts bin...  A bit of creative parts bin scrounging works in the aftermarket as well as for OEMs. We suppose the “Cammer” nickname might come to represent the newest 5.0 instead of the 427 DOHC big-block, just as “Cobra” now more often means an SVT Mustang than what Carroll Shelby chews us out for calling an AC Cobra.  On the hood of Perry Peffer’s...  On the hood of Perry Peffer’s new 5.0—the same one with the “Cammer” badge—we found this bit of script. For sure the Coyote name is going to stick in a major way thanks to grassroots efforts such as this. Perry is a Knott’s local hailing from Torrance, California.  Go to Fab Fords long enough...  Go to Fab Fords long enough and you’ll start seeing friends there. We got a chuckle after pointing the camera at what later proved to be Miles Cook’s ’69 fastback with 17-inch Vintage 45s rolling stock. We worked with Miles at Super Ford magazine, and he’s obviously still in the game with his veteran restomod. The 351W, T-5, 9-inch fastback has five Silver State runs to its credit and “cruises real nice at 130,” according to Miles.  If automotive orphans and...  If automotive orphans and oddities secretly raise your oil pressure, the Knott’s entrance parade should peg your needle. Score 20 points for even remembering there was a Scorpio, and a bonus point if you can correctly pronounce Merkur. If all this is old hat to you, then it’s no doubt redundant to recall the German-sourced Merkur line was offered through Lincoln-Mercury dealers, and the Scorpio sedan was lost in the glare emanating from the XR4Ti.  Bolt-ons are nice, but when...  Bolt-ons are nice, but when personal initiative drives by, it captures our imagination. So, yeah, a hot rod hammered out of an old Courier pickup may not be a mainstream dream, but we admire the get-off-the-couch handiwork required to get something interesting stuffed (mainly) under the hood. What do you wanna bet it’s got a snappy hit? It was plenty loud and lumpy idling by.  Yolanda Adkins’ white and...  Yolanda Adkins’ white and Grabber Blue 5.0 caught our eye as a particularly clean presentation put together by DG Customs. She had a V-6 late-model but when the 5.0 came out, it felt so much better to her that she traded up...  ...The V-6 was blue with white...  ...The V-6 was blue with white trim, but she reversed the scheme for the GT. Mechanically 100 percent stock and likely to remain that way, Yolanda’s ride is an excellent example of the power of paint. The ghost carbon-fiber pieces made the difference here.  Sal Valdez bought a new 5.0,...  Sal Valdez bought a new 5.0, “but I never get to drive it” because buddy Matt Bernal is trying to orchestrate a Gosinski Signature Series around the car. Doug Thorley, Trufiber, and Vortech were listed as participants. We guess Sal wasn’t kidding much, as he says he’s driven his car just three weekends in three months.  Knott’s, like the SEMA show,...  Knott’s, like the SEMA show, is a good place to scope out the latest trends. One not difficult to spot was the popularity of Boss 302 intake manifolds. A handful of Coyotes were already wearing RoadRunner intakes such as Dewayne Servo’s ’11 GT. The cold air is a JLT; the unseen after-cat is from Bassani.  John Calvert is a longtime...  John Calvert is a longtime SoCal Ford drag racer, and now his son, Brent, is in on the action as well. Showcasing the family’s fabrication talents was this positively gorgeous, home-built Cobra Jet clone...  ...It runs 9s in mainly PSCA...  ...It runs 9s in mainly PSCA competition. The car was a standout race car at Knott’s, something we’d appreciate seeing more of at this major Ford gathering. Calvert Racing Suspensions is where you can purchase some of this level of craftsmanship; the company specializes in drag and off-road racing springs.  Dewayne’s ’11 looks sharp...  Dewayne’s ’11 looks sharp in Grabber Blue and hunkering over 315/35ZR-20 Nitto meats. Blacking out the “5.0” fender badge helps the strictly black-and-blue color scheme, which no doubt started with the matte-black, 20-inch Forgestar rims.
|
|
|