The originally diesel-powered F-250 was almost too nice to disassemble, but its clean state also aided in getting the project underway without a lot of repair work. The ease of getting it made the team think “yeah, we’re supposed to be doing this.”
Design by committee doesn’t work, but that doesn’t mean that a large team can’t come together and build something spectacular. In the August 2021 issue we introduced Project Artemis, this 1997 Ford F-250 crew-cab pickup whose ambitious build was undertaken by 41 partners, including Hemmings. Wisely, most of the detail choices were left to the discretion of Crystal and Kurt Lawrance at KTL Restorations in Danville, Virginia. They’re not big on titles at KTL, but Kurt is owner and president of the business that he founded with his late father, and Crystal is his wife and enthusiastic business partner.
KTL is just now expanding into overlanding builds from the muscle-car restoration and restomod field, bringing a fresh sensibility to what has become a rapidly expanding market. Partnering with KTL in this capacity was a decision that paid off, as the company’s vision pioneered not only several technical developments in the off-road/overlanding field but has sown the seeds for an expansion of that field into 1992-’96 (and early ’97) “Old Body Style” (OBS) Ford trucks.
That expansion includes both OE-style reproduction parts, notably from Complete Performance (aka CP Addicts), in Jasper, Texas; and in modified (by Kurt) off-the-shelf pieces from places like KC HiLiTES in Williams, Arizona, and Clackamas, Oregon-based Warn Industries
Thanks to minimal rust and damage, no panels were replaced on the clean, three-owner truck. Instead, to prepare for paint, a few small patches were installed, some minor cleanup was done, and some dents were pulled out using Spanesi Americas equipment.This is just before Lizard Skin was applied to the bottom of the cab. A pure show build would have simply used paint, but functionality demands something tougher.The graphics took a long time to nail down, but the end result (executed in paint, not vinyl) reflects the ‘90s nostalgia meets 2020s technology theme perfectly.
Body
In case you hadn’t noticed, 1990s-’00s nostalgia is hot—both among the millennials who lived it and the Gen Z kids who wish they had. There was no question that the classic OBS elements had to stay in place among the state-of-the-art overlanding bits. Thankfully, the crew-cab F-250 was found (“on a little bitty car lot in North Carolina”) with almost preternatural speed. The dry, Southwestern truck needed minimal bodywork and was treated to BASF Glasurit paints in pearlescent white and two shades of blue. The underside was sprayed with blue-tinted Lizard Skin for a durable, yet attractive, undercoating. The mountain and stripes graphic package was initially conceived by Crystal’s 16-year-old daughter.
The original fuel tanks were cleaned and re-sealed using POR-15 products, then reinstalled in the factory-issued frame, which itself was cleaned up and coated with POR-15. The restored frame was then ready for the installation of new suspension.This isn’t the complete kit from RYD, just a part of it, but it gives some sense of the number of fabricated pieces needed to marry the OBS frame to 2005 axles.
The Ford F150 trucks were introduced to the United States in 1948 and they were known as the Ford Bonus-Built trucks. They were built on a dedicated truck platform unlike earlier versions that were built from car chassis during the war. Ford’s very first truck was built in 1917 and it was based off the Model T and named the Ford Model TT. The truck had a cargo capacity of one ton back in the day, which, if you can imagine, was no small feat for that era.
The First Generation was between 1948 and 1952.
The first generation F-Series trucks carried the designations of F-1 through F-8. They were rated by weight as panel trucks, conventional trucks, school buses, cab-over-engine, and of course, the pickup truck. Each truck was equipped with a manual transmission, and they featured driver and passenger side windshield wipers and a foot-plunger windshield washer. This was pretty high-tech stuff back then, as well as quite an accomplishment for Ford.
To signify the importance of the Ford truck history: The 1948 F-Series line was Ford’s first post-war truck which debuted a year before Ford’s first post-war car. Henry Ford shut down all civilian production during WWII in order to produce vehicles that would support our allies and our troops. When the war ended, the F-Series trucks, along with the veterans, were the first to be recognized
The Second Generation was between 1953 and 1956.
It brought about a complete redesign of the F-Series. They received new engines, updated chassis, roomier interior and exteriors, options such as a radio, dome light, arm rests, and lighter- and the Series also underwent an important name change. It was during this period that the F-1 became the F-100 and the F-2 and F-3 merged to become the F-250 and the F-4 became the F-350. These designations remain in place to this day.
The Third Generation was between 1957 and 1960.
The 3rd Generation brought about a new, modernized body style where the front fenders became a part of the truck’s body and the hood was integrated into the bodywork to create a clamshell design that would remain a prominent feature of the truck for the next twenty years.
The cab-over F-Series was discontinued and was replaced by a tilt-cab C-Series that many may remember was used as a fire truck and heavy-duty delivery truck beginning in 1957. The C-Series production was discontinued in 1990. As another milestone for Ford, they began production of four-wheel-drive pickups in 1959.
The Fourth Generation was produced between 1961 and 1966.
Once again, a new style emerged and the look was noticeably different. In 1965 the Twin-I-Beam front suspension changed everything and it remained a part of the F-150 up to 1996 and up to 2016 on the F-250 and F-350 4×2. The addition of the Twin-I-Beam allowed the front wheels to run independently of one another giving it greater maneuverability and a much smoother
An F-Series 4-door-crew-cab model emerged in 1965 to compete with passenger cars and the 300 cubic inch 4.9L straight six was introduced and it remained in the F-Series trucks until 1996. In 1965, Ford introduced the name “Ranger” to its lineup.
It was previously a base model of the Edsel and in keeping with Edsel tradition, this, too, was said to be a little ahead of its time for 1965. It featured bucket seats from the Ford Mustang, detailed styling, softer suspension, and it brought sophistication to the pickup trucks of the day. The Ranger underwent many changes throughout the years and the last one was produced in the U.S. in 2011.
The Fifth Generation lasted between1967 and 1972.
The cab was roomier by 3″ than that of competitors and the truck came with a heavier frame. Between these years, there were 3 trim packages available: Base, Custom Cab, and Ranger. New safety features were added to the exterior to include reflectors to the rear of the truck bed. This was the first generation to offer factory installed air conditioning as opposed to dealer installation.
A new grill design was added in 1969 and a 302 Windsor V8 engine was optional. Also during these years, a new trim for the Ranger XLT was added as the top of the line. Other options included AM/FM radio. Ford discontinued the Low GVWR versions of the F-Series but the Camper Special F-250 was introduced in 1972. Remember the era of “The Camper”?
It is probably safe to say that we all know someone who had a camper attached to the bed of their pickup truck back in the day. And it is probably safe to say that there are numerous stories that will be passed down from generation to generation about how great they were and all the wonderful experiences that were involved.
The Sixth Generation would be the one that changed truck history forever, 1973 – 1979.
Significant changes and upgrades were given to the Series that included larger cabins, front disc brakes, a relocated gas tank outside the cab, improved heating and air, and more galvanized steel. Also during this time, the 4-wheel-drive SuperCab made its debut.
In 1975, the F-150 was introduced and has since gone on to become the best selling truck ever. Now, that’s grounds for bragging rights. In order to avoid certain emission control restrictions back in the day, the F-150 debuted between the F-100 and the F-250 and the rest is history. The Ford Bronco was redesigned into a variation of the F-Series in 1978 and featured a removable camper shell. In 1979, the 460 big block engine in the half ton truck saw its final year.
The Seventh Generation occurred between 1980 and 1986.
This generation received the first complete redesign since 1965 from the ground, up. Improved aerodynamics and fuel economy and both interior and exterior modifications were made. In 1983, diesel power was added to the F-Series. In 1984, a new high-output version of the 5.8L Windsor was introduced and 1985 saw the first year of electronic fuel injection for the 5.0L V8. In 1988, all other vehicles switched over to electronic fuel injection. In 1983, the F-100 halted production, placing the F-150 as the lightest pickup on the market. In 1986, the F-150 no longer offered “3-on-the-tree” manual shifting.
This generation was the first to include upscale amenities such as power windows, power door locks, power mirrors, interval windshield wipers, tinted windshield, locking gas cap, inside locking hood release, and so many other options and standards were available during this new, technologically-charged generation.
The Eighth Generation was between 1987 and 1991.
In the first year of this generation better aerodynamics included a rounded front clip and softer lines around fender arches and the rear bed and it sported an all new interior. The first 5-speed manual overdrive transmission was introduced in 1987 and 4-speeds were discontinued.
In 1989, a C6 3-speed automatic was replaced as a base automatic transmission by an E4OD, 4-speed electronically controlled automatic overdrive unit. In 1987, the F-Series 4.9L inline 6 was converted to fuel injection and in 1988, the Ford F-150 became the first pickup truck that was sold as a non-carbureted engine. In 1989, the F-Series had been established as being the nation’s best selling vehicle.
The Ninth Generation was between 1992 and 1996.
The F-150 received a new facelift. The FlareSide bed was reintroduced since its retirement in 1987 as an option, and a lower hood line, more advanced aerodynamics, newly designed fenders and grille changes and interior upgrades were notable. This generation marked Ford’s 75th anniversary of its 1917 Ford Model TT and Ford offered an anniversary package on its 1992 F-Series that included a 75th Anniversary Special Logo.
The 1994 models offered an updated dashboard with the addition of a driver’s side airbag in the F-150. Also, a high mount, third brake stop light was included in the new look. New hi-tech options included remote keyless entry with alarm, power driver’s seat, and a compact disc player. By 1996, Ford had overtaken combined sales of Chevrolet and GMC for the first time in a decade by reaching the 800,000 mark.
The Tenth Generation occurred between 1997 and 2003.
This is where Ford made some major changes to its F-Series lineup and was basically split into two categories: F-150 became a contemporary personal use truck, while the F-250 and F-350 became classified as working class trucks. The 1997 F-150 would be re-introduced with the aerodynamics given to the Ford Taurus of 1986, making it much more streamlined for a better ride and greater fuel economy. The 4.9L inline 6 was replaced by a standard V6 engine.
Ford didn’t let the 50th Anniversary of the F-Series pass unnoticed, with numerous promotions depicting the inaugural 1948 version beside a new 1998 model.
A fully independent front suspension was added, and a new chassis shared only the transmission from previous years. Greater rear seat access was achieved by adding a rear-hinged (curb-side) door to all models. In 1999, the SuperCab had a fourth door added to it. As another Ford first, in 2001, the F-150 was the first of its size to offer four, full size doors. Motor Trend Magazine named the new F-150 as Truck of the Year in 1997 and sales of the F-150 surged from 750,000 to over 900,000 in 2001.
The EleventhGeneration was between 2004 and 2008.
The F-150 received an all new platform in 2004. Also in this generation, all F-150s were given four doors, regardless of their cab type. The Triton engine was also introduced in this year and a flex-fuel version of the 3-valve 5.4L Triton V8 became available in 2006. A navigation system became available for the first time as an option in 2006 on some models, including the Harley Davidson Special Edition trim.
The Ford F-150s of this generation not only received a “Good” rating from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety’s Frontal Offset test-they also received “Best Pick.” They went on to earn the North America Truck of the Year award for 2004, was Motor Trend magazine’s Truck of the Year for 2004, and won Car and Driver magazine’s Best Pickup Truck for 2004, and 2005.
The Twelfth Generation F-Series was produced between 2009 and 2014.
Beginning with 2009, there were many new upgrades to the interior and the exterior featured a new three-bar grille, roomier interior, a lighter weight chassis made from high-strength steel and a greater towing capacity. A V8 engine was standard on all F-Series models for the first time in history and no 6-cylinder was available.
In early 2011, a 3.5L direct-injected twin-turbo EcoBoost V6 was offered in the F-150 and all engines came equipped with a new six-speed 6R80 automatic transmission. Other notable changes included the previous generation’s short, rear opening doors that were replaced by standard length doors, and electric power-assisted steering became available on all models with the exception of the 6.2.
The Thirteenth Generation ran from 2015 to 2020.
Another Ford first was accomplished with the 2015 F-150 model when it became the very first pickup to receive Adaptive Cruise Control. This feature offers radar sensors embedded on the front of the truck that monitors the distance between the vehicle in front of you and yourself. If it senses you are too close, speed will automatically be decreased, forming a safe barrier.
The Ford F-150 also underwent a radical change in 2015 by dropping 750 pounds by switching from a steel body to that of all-aluminum. This was quite an accomplishment, considering nothing “looked” physically changed; however, the bulk of the frame remains high-strength steel.
Along with dropping a few pounds, a more efficient base engine was added to include a 3.5L V6 and also introduced for 2015 was the 2.7L EcoBoost twin-turbo V6 and the 3.5L version. For those wanting more power, the 5.0L V8 is still available. Ford says the 2016 all-aluminum F-150 will be the most fuel-efficient truck ever. See-you can have your truck and drive it, too.
The Fourteenth Generation was launched in 2021
The fourteenth generation Ford F-Series is a range of produced by Ford, introduced for the 2021 model year.This was the first generation to include a fully electric pickup truck among the offerings with the F-150 Lightning model that will enter production in 2022.
Sharing a strong visual resemblance to the 13th generation, the 2021 F-150 underwent a redesign of 92% of its parts, carrying over only its cab and pickup box structure.[8] Along with exterior design changes to enhance aerodynamics, many changes were made to the interior, adding fold-flat front seats and larger touchscreens (including a fully digital instrument panel).
The powertrain line is largely carried over from the previous generation, with a 3.3-liter V6, 2.7-liter and 3.5-liter EcoBoost twin-turbo V6s, a 5.0-liter V8, and a 3.0-liter diesel V6 However, the 5.0-liter V8 receives a new cylinder deactivation system, called Variable Displacement Engine technology, similar to GM’s Active Fuel Management and Chrysler’s Multi-Displacement System. The six-speed automatic is dropped, with all engines paired to a 10-speed automatic.
Dubbed PowerBoost, an optional gasoline-electric hybrid powertrain was introduced for the first time in a Ford light truck, pairing an electric motor with the 3.5-liter V6.
A free-flowing intake and heads, aggressive cams and high compression did a lot of heavy lifting while the exotic flat-plane crank grabbed headlines and helped make lyrical exhaust sounds
The engine produced 526 naturally aspirated horsepower at 7,500 rpm and 429 lb-ft of torque at 4,750 rpm, while making beautiful music up to an 8,000-plus rpm redline. At the heart of its howling exhaust note was a flat-plane crankshaft — so called because its connecting rod journals (and weights) were positioned 180-degrees opposite of each other, instead of at 90-degree intervals like the cross-plane design used in most American V-8s. Flat-plane cranks are not new or unusual. Four-cylinder engines have them and Cadillac’s 314 V-8, which debuted in 1915, used one.The flat-plane crankshaft from Ford’s 5.2-liter Voodoo V-8.
In theory, the flat-plane design delivers a V-8 with less reciprocating mass, and superior breathing, which should make an engine lighter, more compact and capable of building rpms very quickly. But it also delivers a lot of what’s known as “secondary vibration” and that paint-shaker quality increases in proportion to the size of the pistons and the speed that those pistons are moving. In a race car, it’s a reasonable tradeoff – especially if there’s a performance advantage to be gained. In a 21st-century street car, stickering north of $60,000, customers are likely to complain about shaking steering wheels, buzzing shifters, blurry rearview mirrors, etc. So, Ford incorporated bits on the GT350 that you wouldn’t find on a race car, like exhaust dampers and a dual-mass flywheel, to help smooth things out.
While the Voodoo’s flat-plane crankshaft grabbed all the headlines, this engine would’ve made tremendous horsepower if it had been built with a cross-plane crank. It inhaled through an 87-millimeter throttle body, the largest ever used on a Ford engine. The cams were aggressive, producing .55 inches of lift with 270 degrees duration and using low-friction roller followers to bump the valves. Compression is key to making power and, with a lofty 12:1 compression ratio, the Voodoo had plenty.
Few people remember the Ford Crestline, and really now, you can’t blame them. This model, which was available as a 2-door hardtop and convertible and 4-door sedan and station wagon, was produced for just two years, between 1952 and 1954.
It goes without saying not a lot of them ended up seeing the daylight, with its successor, the well-known Fairlane, eventually becoming a lot more successful.
But given it was manufactured for just a couple of years, the Crestline has become a pretty sought-after model among collectors, especially because finding an example that still has everything is very often mission impossible.
This 1954 Crestline Victoria is, at least at first glance, the dream of many collectors out there.
It comes in incredible condition, and it’s all thanks to how the car has always been stored. eBay seller yellaboimike says the Crestline has been parked in a garage exclusively, so it comes with zero spots of rust or any other metal issues.
Unfortunately, few specifics have actually been provided, so we can’t tell if the car has ever been restored or not. On the other hand, everything looks to be a pretty good condition, and the mileage (66,000 miles / 106,000 km) seems to suggest this is still an all-original Crestline.
Ford’s family of big-block engines encompasses a wide variety of cylinder heads and applications. Ford engineers stayed busy focusing on engineering changes that drive enthusiasts crazy. Most of these engineering changes are hard to see on the surface, but each had a purpose. Few of these changes have any effect on power. Port size variation is something having little, if any, effect because ports are generally too large or too small, depending upon which engine family you are addressing.
FE Series port sizing is befuddling because there’s very little difference in port size across the board unless you’re talking 427 cylinder heads. The 385 Series big-block employs four basic cylinder heads even though there are a number of casting/part number differences. The MEL was a low-revving luxury car engine. However, it achieved fame in powerboat cruising and racing. Despite both factors, Ford produced one basic cylinder head for the MEL with slight variations.
FE cylinder heads are identifiable by their casting number and date code. This is a C0AE-6090-D cylinder head for 1960 352 and 1961–1962 390. The casting number (bottom arrows) is almost never the same as the Ford part number. The alphanumeric casting date code of “0E6” (top arrow) indicates the exact date the part was cast: May 6, 1960.
The real beauty of Ford big-block heads is easy identification and broad selection in each engine family.
FE Series
A big plus for FE big-block buffs is a plethora of factory head castings, with the added bonus of OEM-style head castings from Blue Thunder, Robert Pond, Bear Block Motors, Survival Motorsports, and Edelbrock that give an FE build a stock demeanor without revealing what’s inside. These manufacturers offer more choices than ever and that means unprecedented power gains.
FE cylinder heads have 10 head bolt holes and 4 rocker arm pedestal attachment bolt points. Each end sports 3/8-inch threaded bolt holes for accessories. What makes the FE cylinder head odd is that it shares the valvecover with the intake manifold. That makes the FE head narrow compared to the 385 and MEL series heads. All valves are on a common plane of 13 degrees in relation to the block deck. Combustion chambers range in size from 58 to 88 cc, depending upon which head you’re thinking of.
Most FE cylinder heads have the smaller chambers at 58 to 74 cc. High-performance cylinder heads such as the 427’s traditionally have larger 77- to 88-cc chambers, with compression regulated by piston dome configuration. Exhaust port passages jut way out from the valvecovers as they do on a Pontiac or Oldsmobile cylinder head.
It is well known that massproduction FE cylinder heads don’t vary much across all castings. Port sizing across FE production history varies little despite dozens of part and casting numbers. For example, the GT High Performance cylinder head doesn’t have enough of a port/valve size difference to be worth its distinction. It is basically the same head found on Galaxies and pickup trucks with only minute variations.
The C0AE-D cylinder head has these terrific 59- to 62-cc chambers, which offer great quench. One issue could be valve shrouding, which can be improved with the talents of a seasoned cylinder head porter. Valve sizing is 2.020/1.550-inch intake/ exhaust. This is considered one of the best FE heads Ford ever produced due to its smaller chambers
The Eighties were when American automakers affected European accents. A new generation of consumers appreciated the understated styling, buttoned-down road manners, and real or imagined prestige that vehicles from Germany, England, Sweden, Italy, and France offered. Even true-blue American icons like Ford’s personal luxury car, the Thunderbird, looked overseas for inspiration, the result being the Turbo Coupe that the company hailed as “A World Class Touring Car.” This popular flagship forever changed buyers’ perceptions of the Thunderbird, and nearly 40 years later, its surprisingly contemporary driving characteristics make it a modern classic worth owning.
The ninth-generation Thunderbird, which still shared Fairmont-derived Fox-platform underpinnings with the Mustang, rocked the market upon its 1983 debut. Adding fuel to the fire was the unprecedented Turbo Coupe. Introduced midyear, this top-of-the-line, forced-induction variant attracted well-heeled enthusiast buyers, those to whom its advanced appearance and technical innovations strongly appealed, to Ford showrooms.
While the 1983 Mustang looked trim, even the hatchback version of that pony car was a brick (0.44 Cd) against the new Thunderbird. Surprisingly, its smooth lines were a development of a Lincoln design proposal from Ford’s Luxury and Intermediate Studio. Gone were the 1980-’82 model’s formal lines, padded vinyl roofs, opera windows, and stand-up hood ornaments. Now we had a downsized two-door whose careful detailing resulted in a 0.35 coefficient of drag, in Turbo Coupe form accented with Euro-style blackout trim and sporting a thrifty four-cylinder making more horsepower on demand than the traditional V-8 more than double its displacement.
While it would retain exposed quad sealed-beam headlamps through 1986, the Thunderbird featured hidden windshield wipers and wrap-over doors concealing the rain gutters, these working in concert with the high rear deck and subtle lip that managed the wind. Turbo Coupes were further distinguished with dark headlamp housings, a front bumper with integral Marchal fog lamps and deep chin spoiler, and bold 14-inch alloy wheels. Inside, special fascia finishes, comprehensive gauges and diagnostic lamps, articulated front sport seats, and a leather-wrapped steering wheel and gearshift knob set the high-performance variant apart.
The Thunderbird Turbo Coupe evolved steadily, gaining an available automatic transmission in 1984 and a color-keyed grille, redesigned instrument panel, larger wheels, and a more powerful engine in 1985. This model took a major leap for 1987, when Motor Trend named it Car of the Year. A planned mid-cycle facelift ended up much more, the Turbo Coupe gaining flush-mounted window glass, a ducted hood, composite front lighting, a “bottom-breather” front bumper, and a smoother rear end. Mechanical updates included an intercooled engine, Programmed Ride Control electronic suspension, anti-lock brakes, 16-inch wheels, and more. A 22-gallon fuel tank ensured impressive high-speed-cruising range.
Ford’s premium two-door was a hot property in its ninth generation, selling nearly 884,000 examples. The North American Turbocoupe Organization (“NATO,” online at turbotbird.com) distills the Turbo Coupe from that total, suggesting 128,533 units were built over six model years, the final two selling the most copies. This Thunderbird benefits from its mechanical relationship to the Fox Mustang, but its unique body and sophisticated electronics pose more challenges for today’s restorers. Thankfully, these well-engineered sports-luxury cars are notably tough and enjoy a passionate, engaged enthusiast following that help each other with parts and information. Values are starting to tick up, with classic.com listing average sale prices nearing $12,500 and rising, so if you’ve always wanted a Turbo Coupe, now is your time to soar.
The dashboard of 1983 and ‘84 Turbo Coupes was held over from the 1982 Thunderbird, albeit enhanced with a different finish and instrumentation.Thunderbirds received an updated dashboard for 1985 that was retained through the major 1987 revamp. The electronic systems in Turbo Coupes are largely reliable, but replacements are rare.
My wife loves her daily-driver Ford Fiesta ST to bits—the power, the keen handling, rowing through the gears—save for one thing: the gas in the shock absorbers feels more like quarry gravel. She likes cars, a consequence of growing up with a father and grandfather who ran a used car lot in Spokane in the ’70s and ’80s. She learned to drive on a Trans Am from the lot, I’m told; when we met in Los Angeles 20-odd years ago, she was driving a stick-shift car. By choice. When I talk about car things, she doesn’t automatically roll her eyes, tune out or scold me for thinking crazy. So when she has the slightest inkling about anything car-related, I try to feed that. (Similarly, she indulges me when I get a home decorating idea; it’s not often, but it happens.)
She has forever loved the look, feel and even the smell of an old truck (old defined as a time before she was born in 19-cough-ty8). Yet she knows that she is not willing to put up with the nature of an old truck, particularly if it’s going to be something reliable enough to daily. The cut-and-thrust nature of morning traffic is far better suited to her 197-hp hot hatch than it would be to a properly restored vintage pickup. The perpetually-under-construction roads in our town would feel no better with two solid axles beneath her, and there wouldn’t be enough oomph to make her anything but an impediment in traffic, no matter how adorable she looked behind the wheel. Hot rodding might be the answer, with a bigger engine and Mustang II front suspension and all sorts of aftermarket components that might well be engineered to work with a stock truck, but not necessarily with each other.
Recently, an intriguing alternative came to our attention. This ’65 Ford F100 pickup now lives on a Ford Panther chassis. Panther, you may recall, was the codename given to the downsized full-size platform underpinning the Ford LTD and Mercury Marquis starting in 1979, with other applications coming on line later. From the mid-90s through 2011, when production ceased, and even long after, a Panther was probably your local PD’s cop car of choice. And while the beefy P71 cop-car package was built for beatin’, plenty of grandma-spec Grand Marquis models came down the pike as well—and benefited from regular updates. By the year 2000, a Grand Marquis came standard with overdrive automatic transmission, four-wheel disc brakes with both anti-lock and traction control, set-it-and-forget-it climate control, smooth suspension with anti-roll bars on either end, dual exhaust, power windows, and more. All of it was rigorously tested by engineers in Detroit and elsewhere. Here in the desert Southwest, there are approximately 17 billion of them, plenty of which look just like your great Aunt Helen’s last ride—low mileage examples with questionable roof treatments and scraped bumpers—and lots of them for sale around the $5,000 mark. Could something like this be a viable replacement for the Mrs.’ little orange rocket?
The Flathead Ford is still the engine of cool for traditionalists in the Hot Rod & Custom Car worlds. Here on the blog I always like to feature items and articles that spread the Flathead word & its storied history. This article from Ryan at the Jalopy Journal is from 2006, and is excellent!
When Ford of America wanted someone to run some cars, it turned to a British racing driver. He promptly turned up, beat the much bigger American Fords with his British Ford Cortinas, and went home. That is the story of how Alan Mann Racing was born, and pretty soon the team became the go-to place for Ford for help developing its racing cars. From the Cortina to the GT40 and F3L, they all went through Alan Mann racing and the driver roster is second to none, with Graham Hill, Jacky Ickx, Jackie Oliver, Jackie Stewart, Jack Sears, Jack Brabham and more all racing for the team. Now back out of a period of dormancy, Alan’s son Henry is keeping the AMR light going
In the latest part of our series of Goodwood Masters presented by Motul, looking at the people and firms behind some of the classic car industry’s greatest machines, we visited the modern Alan Mann Racing to find out about its history and how Henry and his team are keeping the legacy going.
We love watching clips of personal car collections, barn finds, project car rescues and those that show personalities buying and flipping cars. Some of those most famous for doing so are Richard Rawlings, Dennis Collins and their friend, Trans Am guru, Dave Hall of Restore a Muscle Car.
Today, we ran across this latest video from Dennis Collins, who is most known for his expertise in vintage and modern Jeep vehicles, but naturally, is pretty well-versed in just about everything from classic muscle cars and modern exotic sports cars. Usually, Dennis focuses more on buying and flipping cars, or gives us a tour of whatever he currently has in his shop at the moment. But every now and then, he takes us on a trip to visit someone’s private car collection, and that’s just what he’s done here
A personal friend of his, Jeff Catlin, has been buying, selling, restoring and modifying Mustangs from the first-generation, to the more modern SN95 cars of the ’90s. He talks us through some of the cars he’s currently working on, tells us a bit about his background and gives us a closer look at some of the jewels in his collection.
What we see, is a legit Salon Fox Body from 1987, a super clean 6-shooter first get, a pair of mild pro-touring first-gens and a former Arizona state trooper Fox Body notch. There’s also a black Fox coupe with some large-diameter rollers on it, and a aftermarket chassis sitting inside Jeff’s shop, with some impressive hardware attached to it.
We could tell you more, but we’ll let Dennis’ video fill in all of the details.
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