Fabulous Fords Forever

What’s even rarer than...        read full caption What’s even rarer than seeing a real Shelby Cobra at a car show? Meeting the original owner of one. One of only seven original Cobra owners, (Carroll Shelby, who was signing autographs at the show, is another), Hank Williams of Fontana, California, has amassed more than 130,000 miles on the 289-powered hardtop he bought for $6,339.29 in 1963. Still wearing its original paint, interior, and American Racing magnesium wheels, the car has survived remarkably well, considering the fact that Williams has raced it in hundreds of road course events over the years.

A big thrill for us was meeting...        read full caption A big thrill for us was meeting drag-racing legend Dyno Don Nicholson, who fired up the SOHC 427-powered Ford Maverick that he drove to Ford’s first ever Pro Stock win at Englishtown Raceway in 1971. He even autographed a photo of himself with the car for us.

The only grass in sight at...        read full caption The only grass in sight at the show is in the pavilion area, which contained a dazzling array of vintage Ford-powered race cars, including one of the rarest and most valuable Fords ever built: a Shelby Daytona Coupe worth about $5 million (no, that’s not a typo). Only six were built in 1964 and 1965 for the sole purpose of beating then-dominant Ferrari in the GT World Championships, a feat it accomplished by winning the World Manufacturer’s Championship in 1965—which remained the only win for an American team until the Dodge Viper repeated the feat several times in the late ’90s. Other legendary racecars included a GT-40, several 427 Cobras, and a Thunderbolt, along with a slew of vintage stock cars and representatives from virtually every other motorsports venue Ford has ever competed in.

Joe Walden and his wife have...        read full caption Joe Walden and his wife have owned this four-speed ’65 Ranchero since it was new, and amazingly, have only racked up about 5,000 miles. It’s now equipped with a standard Ford underdash air conditioning unit (inset), which was not available on four-speed Falcons and Rancheros from the factory. Why not? We’d like to think it was because the A/C detracted from the brutal performance advantage of the manual trans, but the real reason was because the underdash control unit got in the way of the gearshift lever.

Joe solved the problem by...        read full caption Joe solved the problem by putting shims under the shifter lever to tilt it back enough to clear the box, and some dealerships cleverly figured out that they could simply recess the unit closer to the firewall with offset brackets. Yet another of Ford’s “Better Ideas.”

OK, we had to show one goofy...        read full caption OK, we had to show one goofy old car from the company that brought us Model Ts, Model As, and Edsels. This barnstorming 1921 Model T Speedster is good for about 70 mph on the freeway, which was hauling butt.

Back in 1964, Mercury staged...        read full caption Back in 1964, Mercury staged an endurance event at Daytona International Speedway to showcase the durability of the division’s cars. Four specially prepped Comets equipped with the 271hp HiPo 289 completed a 100,000-mile durability run around the famed track with an average speed of more than 105 mph. Here’s one of them.

Ford built some really kick-ass...        read full caption Ford built some really kick-ass engines over the years. Three personal favorites are the Boss 429, the SOHC 427 Cammer...

...and any multi-carbed s...        read full caption ...and any multi-carbed small-block...

...like this 289 with a slew...        read full caption ...like this 289 with a slew of Webers force-feeding it gasoline and air. However, it’s always irked us that Ford’s Kar Kraft skunkworks in Brighton, Michigan, which built the Boss 429 Mustangs, ripped off our name.

The theme of this year’s...        read full caption The theme of this year’s Fabulous Fords show was the 35th anniversary of the first-generation Ford Bronco, which we think of as four-wheel drive Mustangs. Built by Bill Stroppe, Big Oly is probably the most famous early Bronco of all time, and one of the most successful in desert racing history, having won the Baja 1000 not once, but twice, in 1971 and 1972.

Remember Get Smart ? There...        read full caption Remember Get Smart? There was a sizable contingent of Sunbeam Tigers in attendance. Powered by a Ford 289 V-8, the Tiger was kind of a poor man’s Shelby, which reached the zenith of its fame as the car driven by Agent Maxwell Smart in the ’60s TV series.

Our favorite car of the show...        read full caption Our favorite car of the show was undoubtedly Jerry Utsuki’s slick round-body ’63 Falcon, possibly because it painfully reminded us of the lost potential of our own ’63 Falcon that was recently stolen. The shaved door handles, subtly reshaped rear wheel arches, and trick custom dash and console were too cool for words, but we’ll be featuring this car in a future issue, so you’ll see what we mean.

Betcha thought we missed...        read full caption Betcha thought we missed the Mustang section, huh?

What better way to put a Boss...        read full caption What better way to put a Boss 429 to use than to stuff it into a ’94 Mustang, like Ford’s Special Vehicle Team and Roush Technologies did when this car was new. The car ran low 11s on street tires and got lots of exposure with its Boss is Back campaign theme, but frankly, we wish they’d build a production car that fast.

We’ve been to some big car shows over the years, but the Fabulous Fords Forever show in Anaheim, California, takes the prize for the most impressive outpouring of single-brand loyalty we’ve ever seen for its sheer ability to pack a ton of awesome cars into a very short day. How many other shows do you know that can attract 1,500-plus cars to a five-hour show in a parking lot on a Sunday afternoon? Registration is sold out a month in advance, and they don’t even have a drag race, a swap meet, or a manufacturers’ midway! Held annually at Knott’s Berry Farm for the past 16 years, Fabulous Fords has one thing going for it that most others don’t: full backing and promotion from Ford Motor Company. That’s impressive, as are the scope and quality of cars that show up.

Needless to say, there were a few Mustangs in attendance—along with a few Shelbys, a couple of Fairlanes, Thunderbirds, Falcons, and Galaxies. Oh yeah, there were also some trucks and Model Ts, but we pretty much ignored them. If Ford made it, no matter how rare, there will probably be at least one example present. If you love Fords, this is a show you’ll want to attend at least once in a blue moon. For info on next year’s show, contact Fabulous Fords Forever at P.O. Box 2086, Downey, CA 90242, 562/862-9311, www.fordcarclubs.org.