Horse Sense: What have commonly become known as the "Bullitt" wheels are available through Ford Racing Performance Parts as PN M-1007-J178. They list for only $165 apiece and will clear 13-inch brakes. Or, you might look for deals on "take-off" wheels and tires.
Sometimes it's all in the hands of fate. Did you win this week's multimillion-dollar lottery or just waste another five bucks? Does that letter from the IRS contain a refund check or a notice of audit? Will Friday night's blind date be with a perfect physical specimen or a perfect candidate for sympathetic euthanasia? Cars, too, are subject to the whims of destiny. Does a serious collision result in a terminal trip to the scrap yard, or does fate step in and miraculously change that destination to a show field and the pages of this magazine?
Bullitt wheels and Cobra brakes...
Bullitt wheels and Cobra brakes separate Adam's '90 from the Fox crowd.
Well, fate, it seems, can sometimes be kind to our four-wheeled friends. This '90 GT was surely destined for either life as a perpetually oxidizing yard ornament, or possible reincarnation as a bunch of soup cans, or-worse yet-a Chevrolet. That is, until providence and Adam Burch stepped in. The Owings Mill, Maryland, resident is apparently one of those guys who never tires of working on cars, as he's a technician in a Ford dealership by day and still has enough enthusiasm to wrench for fun during his off-hours. About five years ago, fate dragged Adam to the property of his sister-in-law's neighbor, where the shattered hulk of this hatchback sat, written-off, its mangled front end the victim of unspecified road carnage. [Maybe Associate Editor Johnson drove it once.-Ed.] Proving that one man's scrap is another man's treasure, Adam was intrigued, thinking this might make a good "toy."
In this case, fortune may also have been kind to Adam himself, since his best buddy and right-hand man in the project, John Turner, just happens to be the owner of JT's Collision Repair, down the road in Eldersburg, Maryland. We assume bodyman John must have shared Adam's enthusiasm for the crumpled GT, since the two of them spent many a late night during the next few months stripping and rebuilding the forlorn hulk into something good enough to even-tually attract our jaded eyes and camera gear.
What we look for in a potential feature car can be anything from the outrageous-such as 10-billion horsepower wrapped in a retina-ripping paint scheme-to the subtle-such as a well-thought-out combination that may be understated but is also nicely detailed and preferably unique in some way. Adam's GT definitely falls under the subtle category. And we aren't the only ones who like it, judging by the First- and Second-Place show trophies that adorn Adam's mantle after a couple appearances at the Motorsport Nationals.
Probably a lot of its attraction has to do with the color-shifting BASF Extreme Caribbean Night Mist paint that was JT's handiwork. And it's hard not to notice the airbrush work-shot by Jack of Arts, in Elliot City, Maryland-that flows back off the hood and down the doors. Of course, since so much original sheetmetal was pooched, it was the perfect opportunity to bolt on Cervini's venerable Cobra body kit, along with a 4-inch H.O. Fiber-trends 'glass cowl hood. But what really has us amped up is how good the factory 17x8-inch Bullitt wheels look on the Fox platform. Naturally, this involved swapping over to five-lugs, so Adam took this as an excuse to upgrade to '98 Cobra front and rear discs, with Stillen rotors and pads.
And it's not all flash. Yes, the engine bay looks virtually stock in an unusually neat and color-coordinated way, but Adam took the time to build himself a fresh 302 based on a '96 pickup block. Hidden away on either side of the stock intake is a set of FRPP iron GT-40 heads, with a valve-train working under orders from a custom-grind Comp Cams bumpstick. But it's what you can't see that can hurt you-in this case, a Nitrous Works adjustable giggle-gas kit.
 Who would have thought that...  Who would have thought that '01 Bullitt rims would look so righteous on a Fox? We just wish some of the many varied hues of the BASF Extreme paint would come through in photographs. |  We don't know how much power...  We don't know how much power it produces or how fast it'll go in the quarter-neither does owner Adam Burch for that matter. But we do know the nitrous-fed small-block has a starring role in one of the more sanitary engine bays we've seen in a while. |  |