1987 Ford Mustang GT - Fading Fast

Horse Sense: Corey says his parents had a lot to do with him getting into Mustangs. "Both of my parents had Mustangs when they were young," he says. He didn't get his own until the age of 20, but that allowed him to take advantage of the opportunity to build something nice and make up for lost time.

Our beloved Fox Mustangs are getting up in years, people. The "aero" frontend Fox cars are now 20 years old. We'll give you a minute to digest that last statement, as it took us a minute as well. Any car 20 years old or more is considered a classic-yes, we're getting old, too. Age is just a number-at least that's what we say-and unlike us, Mustangs can be rebuilt to look and perform better than new.

Corey Gettle, the 31-year-old owner of this '87 GT, fits right into the Fox Mustang generation with those of us who grew up in the heyday of late-model Mustang performance. The Fox Mustang has come to define a generation, much like iconic cars of the past.

Corey's Mustang obsession began when he was 18 years old. "My best friend bought an early '80s coupe with a 5.0 in it." That was Corey's first experience riding in a fast car, but he had to wait to get his own. "I was deprived and wasn't allowed to have a car until I finished college," Corey says. You know he didn't become a doctor or lawyer, because at age 20 he bought his first Mustang: an '82 GT with true duals, a "hopped-up" 302, and the old SROD four-speed transmission. "I loved that car. But after only four weeks, I was hit head-on and my first car was totaled."

With the insurance money from the '82 GT, Corey regrouped and bought an '83 coupe. "I drove that car for years," he says, "but I always wanted a T-top. So in 1997 I found an '87 GT T-top for sale." Corey found the car in a classified ad on a Friday afternoon, and he drove four hours that night so he could be the first person to look at it the next morning. Evidently, he wasn't the only person to look at it because when he went back the next Monday, he bought the car out from under someone else.

"The car was ugly, but it was mine," Corey says. It had the dreaded red interior and a black-and-grey two-tone paint job that had seen better days. Corey drove the GT for about a year, and then he parked it to turn the car into what you see here.

The two-tone paint scheme went the way of the unicorn, and in its place came an Aqua Blue fade to Black Magic design. The paint is from R-M, and the colors came from V-Dub. The red cockpit joined the chaise lounge in the trash heap, supplanted by gray interior components. Gone are the millions of engine compartment holes; those were smoothed during the winter of '05 with help from Jesse Houseman. The lousy Fox Mustang brakes have been tossed in favor of SN-95 binders with North Race Car conversion brackets out back. Ford Racing Performance Parts' 10th Anniversary Cobra wheels replace the nasty turbine versions from back in the day. Ironically, the only component remaining stock is the engine block, but that's been massaged for more power in so many ways it's hard to call it "original."

"I've always wanted a car nice enough to be in a magazine," Corey says, "And now it has happened. I've won several trophies throughout the years, but my biggest accomplishment will be gracing the pages of 5.0&SF." Corey loves Fox Mustangs, and the sound of a cammed-up, supercharged 5.0 with Flowmaster two-chamber mufflers is music to his ears. "There is no sweeter sound."

Just like Fox Mustangs, that sound will never fade.

Talk about vintage-Corey's GT features original-style '87 seats. We say that because this GT came factory-equipped with a red interior. He changed that and added white-face gauges along with an FRPP tachometer and Auto Meter Ultra-Lite and Phantom series gauges.

A Ford technician by trade, Corey knows his way around a toolbox. As such, he built the engine himself using Eagle rods, SRP pistons, an Anderson Ford Motorsport B-41 camshaft, Edelbrock Performer heads, and a corresponding Edelbrock Performer RPM intake. Diebler Machine Shop treated the heads to a port-and-polish job prior to Corey bolting them down. They feature Comp Cams roller rockers, Manley dual-spring valvesprings, and 2.02/1.60 valves. When we shot these photos at the '06 NMRA Motorsport Nationals, Corey's GT featured a Vortech S-Trim, but he has since upgraded to an R-Trim for more power. For tuning, a Holley Commander 950 engine management system is used.