Ford
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.
“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.
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.
“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.
When Jim Anderson builds a car, he really builds it. Other than paint and a few of the more intense aspects of the interior, he takes on the task of reconstructing the entire car into what he thinks it should be. And when asked what he thinks a vintage car should be, he responds that it should be fast and handle well.
Rich Oakley is not your average hot rod builder. There is no room for cookie cutter cars in the Retro Rides by Rich shop in Archdale, North Carolina. In fact, he prefers to be one step ahead of the norm when it comes to building his personal rides. Loosely inspired by the Tony Nancy 22 Jr., his Model A highboy comes equipped with an attitude. “The car has a loud, rude nature. That’s what I like about it, the way it shakes, smells, and of course, the noise,” Oakley says. It has an aggressive stance, and those six Holley 94 carburetors are an indication that the roadster might have a chip on its shoulder.
Neal Hensl is a true muscle car enthusiast. Over the years he’s owned plenty of them, including Novas, Chevelles, Corvettes and a Fairlane. Not long ago, he picked up a ’68 Mustang fastback, and it wasn’t just any fastback—it was a rare R-code.
If you’re a Ford 6.0L Powerstroke owner, you already know the score. The factory stand pipes are a disaster waiting to happen, and most of the aftermarket replacements aren’t much better. Torn o-rings, flimsy oil ports, and cheap materials? Yeah, those sound like problems you don’t want to deal with when you’re halfway through a road trip or hauling a trailer up a steep grade. But don’t worry—DIESELSITE has your back with their Stand Pipe and Dummy Plug Kit, a complete overhaul of the weak link in your 6.0L system.
With its immaculate details throughout, this ’06 Mustang GT never fails to grab attention, but we’re sure Frank DeFeo isn’t finished modifying his Ford. An aggressive lower valance, smoked headlights and a billet grille lead the way, and the Torch Red finish is complemented by black stripes, painted by McClure Collision of Charlotte.
Doug Schultz of Maple Valley, Washington, is not your typical home builder. Several years ago, he owned Street Works, a shop for hot rod and racecar fabrication. He built a black-and-silver ’62 Impala, which we featured in the December 2002 issue of this magazine, as well as a ’67 Nova that earned Goodguys’ Street Machine of the Year honors a few years back. Today he’s a fabricator and press-brake operator with his local municipal government, but during this time, he never lost his love for cars.
