Ford Borrows Ideas From A Racing Past
by Johnny McDonald

Mario Andretti (right) and Bruce McLaren with the Ford Mark IV sports-prototype in 1967.

Ford has been bitten again by the expensive but cool performance-car bug.

The company’s design team applied some components from the fabulous 1960s Ford GT and produced another retro-rod concept car.

It’s a throwback to a period when designers set out to build a Grand Prix road racer that would upend Ferrari’s dynasty at LeMans, Nurburgring and Sebring.

Ford scored two straight victories (one of them a 1-2-3 finish) in the grueling 24 hours of LeMans with its streamlined 500 horsepower, sports prototype. Yet, as though they had proven their point, they withdrew the swift machines to pursue other avenues. Drivers Dan Gurney and A.J. Foyt shared the victory.

The Ford Mark IV made an impressive debut in the 12-hour Sebring race in 1967. Ford readied four of the new sports-prototypes for the 1967 24-hours LeMans race in June 1967.

This time, it took the design team a few months to produce a fully functional vehicle that can go faster than 100 mph. Many concept cars are merely sexy shells sitting on delicate mechanicals that aren’t meant to go over 15 mph.

The heart and soul is a 6.4-liter V10 that produces 605 horsepower and 501 pound-feet of torque. The block is all aluminum and mates to a Ricardo six-speed transmission. It can do zero to 60 mph in under four seconds and will approach top speeds of 180 mph.

Ford’s next-generation Mustang also borrows styling cues from its rich past and combines them into a muscle car for the future. With this thoroughly modern structure, gone forever are the platform pieces that dated back to the ’70s.

It was a big plus for Ford when Parnelli Jones and George Follmer combined talents to win the 1970 Trans Am title. Car competition came from Mercury’s Cougars, Plymouth’s Barracudas, Pontiac’s Firebirds, Chevrolet’s Camaros and American Motors’ Javelins.

The Ford Mustang has made a great impact on the auto scene since the 1960’s.

The chassis of the new version retains a rear live axle setup, with MacPherson struts up front. The Mustang will be offered initially with a choice of 4.0-liter/202-hp SOHC V-6 engine and 4.6-liter/300-hp SOHC V-8. A 6-inch increase in wheelbase provides more interior space.

The interior shows ’60s influences, with symmetrical dash segments accented with a squared arch, three-spoke steering wheel with black center hub, and defined circular gauges. The instrument face backlighting can be changed to any of 125 colors, allowing easy personalization.

Collections

Eldorado Deer Park Winery & Auto Museum, located near Lawrence Welk Resort, north of Escondido, contains an extensive collection of American convertibles, housed in three buildings. The museum was founded by Robert Knapp and the collection includes the founder’s 1928 Model A sport coupe, a 1966 Ford Mustang, a 1948 Crosley convertible, and an award-winning 1953 Cadillac Eldorado convertible.