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FASTER PASTOR

Keith Shuley is a genuine hot rodder and a bona fide car nut. In that respect, he’s no different from any of you reading this article, but what makes him a little different is how he spends his days. Shuley is a Catholic priest and a Lieutenant Commander in the U.S. Navy, serving as the Command Chaplain aboard the amphibious assault carrier U.S.S. Peleliu, the LHA-5. He spends his days filling the spiritual needs of those sailors, aviators and Marines who help keep our country free. But during his personal time, he fills his own need for speed. What a concept!

Cherry Bomb

There are all kinds of daily drivers: those called drivers because they have a few road miles on them, so they are not considered show cars; and those that are true daily drivers because they represent your only mode of transportation. Most rodders have been there at one time or another, when all we had were our hot rods to drive. The stories are endless about how these cars were transformed from grocery-­getter to show car, but it happens. You use the car for family needs throughout the winter months and then clean it up come spring, maybe even paint the fenders, and enter it in a local rod show.

SALEEN SSC

Unless there’s a collector’s car that was purchased and directly put into someone’s collection, you’re probably looking at the lowest-mileage Saleen SSC in the world, and it belongs to Jack Redeker from Redeker Ford in Grand Haven, Michigan.

BOSS!

In 1969 and 1970, Ford produced a pair of unique vehicles designed with only one purpose in mind: to take back the SCCA Trans-Am series crown from Chevrolet. After stunning success with the ’65-’67 Mustangs, Ford lost the title to Chevy’s Camaro in 1968, and many felt that the car’s “tunnel port” engine was the culprit. Ford drastically rethought its engine program and came up with a legendary solution.

IMPRESSION

In terms of historic automotive achievements (and there have been many, to be sure), this stylized ’36 Ford roadster will long be remembered for its most human elements. Through them, a vehicle of unparalleled execution—at least to date—regardless of type, style or vintage, has come of age. Only slightly reminiscent of the car it is based upon, the lines expressed through the flowing body and adjoining components, and all of the well-placed details, give one the impression of speed, style and a hint of great classics of the past. And while it may take on a hint of flavor of classics past, the overall concept is entirely its own—a coach-built car done for these modern times.

Mach 91

MPS Auto Salvage (800/236-1156) is a name you probably already know if you’ve ever been in the market for quality used parts for Fox-body and newer Mustangs. This Winder, Georgia, salvage yard specializes in Ford’s pony car, and the company has both a huge inventory of parts and totaled cars and all the knowledge you’d need for parts-interchange questions. And since the guys at MPS are all enthusiasts, we wonder if the foxes are guarding the henhouse. Judging from the look of this MPS-built ’91 Mustang coupe, the answer is most definitely yes—but that’s just fine with us.

THE SNOWBALL EFFECT

The Fox-body Mustang is undoubtedly becoming one of the most popular Fords of all time, and the abundance of aftermarket components is its main attraction. Every aspect of the ’79-’93 Mustang is upgradeable, and whether you want a killer street car or an all-out drag car, the Fox-body Mustang proves to be a great platform for all kinds of performance goals. B.C. Happach of Pekin, Illinois, recognized this great potential and bought a ’91 Mustang hatchback back in March 1996. Small upgrades here and there, including a NitrousWorks plate kit, gave Happach a street-friendly Mustang that consistently ran in the high 12s with the stock suspension.

’63 FORD FASTBACK

“Total Performance” is what the Ford Motor Company called its corporate racing program back in the early ’60s, and it was a great way to show the buying public how strong and well engineered the automaker’s vehicles were. In a bold and blatant fashion, Ford was heavily involved in competition—in a big way.

SNAKE CHARMER

If there is such a thing as an ’03 Cobra sleeper, and we’re not sure there is, this car could easily fill that vacancy. For those who know their Mustangs, the front fascia, hood and rear spoiler are all signs that this is not a car to underestimate. But the ’03 Cobra, mighty as it is, isn’t invincible. So, if you’re prowling the streets or the track in some modded Mach or souped SS, you might see this car and assume you’ve got something for it. You don’t—Ford Racing made sure of that, throwing practically its entire catalog at this car. But if you bought the best Mustang available, and it still isn’t enough for you, Ford Racing has something for you—and this car is living proof.

ELECTRIFYING TWIN-TURBO 5.0-LITER

“From the very beginning, I’ve always raced this car,” Iida says. “In the past 11 years, I’ve put 10,000 miles on the odometer a quarter mile at a time.” Like most weekend warriors, Iida’s 5.0-liter Mustang started out life 100 percent bone stock. But with help from friends such as Honolulu Ford’s performance advisor Henry Tabios (a well-known island 5.0-liter racer in his own right), members of the Hawaii Ford Performance Club, Dillingham Automotive’s Glenn Aarake and Alan “Naka” Nakamura, Iida’s ghost-flamed Mustang GT has been transformed into a 9-second, street-legal twin-turbo terror, recording a best of 9.94 seconds at nearby Hawaii Raceway Park.

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