Bob Perkins said Hubert Platt was the "start of the entire Drag Team" program. The cars were seldom driven, usually just on weekends. Note: these lug nuts are not the same as the more common 1969 Boss 429 stainless steel lug nuts that have been reproduced and are a different shape. When Ford balanced tires, pink specified a 1-ounce weight (placed next to the paint mark). This one is mint and seldom used. I agree to receive emails from RacingJunk.com. He went to Mark Hefty's shop, and Mark had the big Cobra sign, dated 1964, that hung over the Shelby-American plant.". Go to mustang-360.com/events/1712-the-incredible-1969-1970-ford-drag-team. “He said he couldn’t split the car into thirds for his sons,” Bob says, “and he had decided that he wanted to buy some land.”. (Installed hubcaps or center caps were often stolen in transit.). Tires are N.O.S. For example, 100 percent virgin sheetmetal is a major plus in a restoration. Ford also built colorful trucks and haulers to move the cars around the country.

front spoiler, still in its original plastic, from Bud Moore’s leftover stock of Kar Kraft parts. That sign needs to be hanging over Ellis' Cobra in his showroom.". The factory was the team, with racing and other activities administered by "Car Corporation" directly for Ford Motor Company. Sign Up today for our FREE Newsletter and get the latest articles and news delivered right to your inbox. “His nickname was Ed Glass because he had a glass company,” Bob recalls. These are the type of original features found on low-mileage cars. With their truck and cars and uniforms, they won best-appearing team at the Winternationals in 1969. The program came crashing to a halt in 1971, as muscle cars declined for a range of various reasons, leaving 1969-1970 as a high-water mark for Ford in drag racing. The gaps between the hood and front fenders is even. He owns his own business restoring Mustangs, particularly of the Boss persuasion. Hubert Platt was gone, but his son Allen would be there with his booth to sell nine different shirt designs, including retro shirts like the ones his dad gave out at the track, plus DVDs of his dad racing in the glory days and other memorabilia. He said, “The best cars, when they’re done, were the better cars to start with.”. The Ultimate Source for Mustang News and Reviews. (Note: We don’t show a close-up of this tag to prevent people from reproducing it.) This stunning jacked-up SOHC 427 Bruiser Fairlane not only dishes out a severe case of eye-candy craving, but also reeks of a “built to be reckoned with” tour-de-force out on the eighth-mile straightaways across the nation. Bob Perkins remembers meeting Ed McMullen at the Mustang Club of America Grand Nationals in Kingsport, Tennessee, in 1981. In 1978, publisher Chet Krause hired him at Old Cars Weekly, where he worked from 1978-2008. Perkins bought this N.O.S. Hot rodding legend LeRoi “Tex” Smith was his boss for a while. In 2010, he opened Gunner’s Great Garage, in Manawa, Wis., a shop that helps enthusiasts restore cars. Perkins didn't stop with the acquisition of the car. “His nickname was Ed Glass because he had a glass company,” Bob recalls. Greg Smith’s Syracuse, New York–Based 1963 Ford Fairlane 500 Packs a Heavy Punch with a 498ci Big-Block Mill Generating 745 hp. Due to the EU’s Global Data Protection Regulation, our website is currently unavailable to visitors from most European countries.
Notify me of follow-up comments by email. He owns Hubert Platt's '69 match racer, a SportsRoof powered by a 427 Single Overhead Cam (SOHC or "Cammer") big-block featuring a Boss 302type side stripe and "Ford Drag Team" lettering on each fiberglass door, leaving little doubt as to who owned this team—Ford Motor Company. This trunk has more thought than some museum displays.

The Randy Paynedriven Ford Fairlane Cobra Jet team car is lost or perhaps destroyed. Gunner had no formal journalism training, but working at a weekly quickly taught him the trade. And then each team had a Ford Fairlane Cobra, powered by 428 Super Cobra Jets. We apologize for this inconvenience and encourage you to visit. Parked in front of Bob Perkins' trailer was Wayne Schmeeckle's 1970 Boss 302, featuring maybe the best original paint (Bright Blue Metallic) we've ever seen on a '70 model Mustang. It sits level. The interior is a trip back in time, starting with the “better idea…buckle up for safety” service paper mat, an original that uses Ford’s slogan for 1970. McDonald's Is Almost Sold Out of These Two New Items. The sign proclaims the car a national record holder at 11.49/120.16. In November of 2015, Perkins told his friend and Mustang collector Dave Steine, “I bet Gary Erickson will show up in Chicago [Muscle Car and Corvette Nationals] because he will not be able to stay away from an event where one of every color Boss 429 will be on display.” Sure enough, Gary showed up. Whether or not this fourth Boss 429 is the best restored Mustang ever, it is Bob Perkins’ masterpiece. I have a feeling Larry would have wanted it that way! “There’s never been a shoe placed on the heel pad. He’s bought cars such as a Black Jade Boss 429 with 902 miles, a 1970 Grabber Orange Boss 302 with 1,554 miles, and, of course, the 1969 Mach 1 with 54 miles that has never been titled or dealer-prepped.

© 2020 MUSTANG 360 NETWORK MOTOR TREND GROUP, LLC.ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. He also told me that he owned a low-mileage ’66 Mustang fastback with the K-code 289 High Performance engine.”. He also displays the safety letter that BFGoodrich mailed to the original owner with a new sticker that the owner was asked to apply to the wheel to warn against getting frostbite from touching the painted part of the canister. This kit came from the Wood family. Update 3/28/09 from April 2009 Mustang Monthly, Bob Perkins "Resto Roundup" column; Original question was about presence of "Caution Fan" decal on the 1968 Mustang. Perkins said, "When I first got the Cammer car (which was the East Coast Team Mustang that Hubert drove in 1969-1970), Hubert said, 'You probably ought to have all my jackets and coats and uniforms to go travel with the car. Ford had ended the drag program, and specified no logo be left when racing in private hands. John Gunnell Dave Steine bought the two Ed Terry Mustangs four years ago from a collector.
Gary Schwartz has had the East Coast '69/'70 Super Stock Mustang since the mid-1980s. With a classic Mustang full of original, trick pieces, maybe this little plastic strap hanging off the parking brake cable is the most puzzling. Bob Perkins said Hubert Platt was the "start of the entire Drag Team" program. People might wonder what difference it would make if the starting point of a restoration was 1,608 miles or 56,608 miles. A close-up of the Group 29 battery shows the special tool (red) for removing and installing battery caps, on top of the hold-down stud. Hubert Platt, sadly, died on September 25, 2015, at the age of 83. Perkins was always grateful to Hubert and his son Allen Platt for such great cooperation in selling Bob memorabilia, which helps bring the 1969-1970 era alive in this display. Prior drag racing efforts had Ford sponsorship, but not such a direct link. The “Sports Performance” was Ford’s slogan for 1970. Finding a Rare 1969 Ford Drag Team Fairlane Cobra—and Race Memorabilia to Boot! Perkins traded for the East Coast Ford Fairlane Cobra from Richard Ellis 3-4 years ago and then swapped this car to Steine for a Boss 429, allowing Dave to own the trio of West Coast Ford Drag Team cars. Everybody was excited. Perkins eventually bought out Radke's half of the sign, which he kept until recently, when he traded the sign to his friend, Richard Ellis. Accompanied by original dealer and delivery documentation, as well as a Marti Report. In his words, “30-odd years ago” Perkins first saw this Grabber Orange 1970 Boss 429, right after Gary Erickson bought the car from its original owner. We apologize for this inconvenience and encourage you to visit. David Gravel and Brandon Sheppard Clash the Competition in Pennsylvania, Drivers Race to Heated Wins at Amalie Motor Oil Gatornationals, 2020 NHRA Title Run Kicks off In Gainsville, World of Outlaws Regulars Race to Victories. He had been a huge part of the resurrection of the Drag Team cars and their display at shows. With his dream Boss 429 in his garage, parts gathered over the past 30-odd years, and restoration expertise, Perkins went about building a masterpiece. The original gap between the front fender and the door comes from the factory, and it’s “perfect,” in Perkins’ words. Another earmark of a low-mileage car is the stance.