Hemmings Muscle Machines February 2017

“ Though the Mustang has always seemed to be the America’s Sweetheart of personal coupes ... the Camaro has long had its own edge ”... Ididn’t actually start out a “Camaro guy,” as I’ve been called on occasion. My first car was a Chevelle, and I liked it, but the first-generation Camaro just seemed to me to be “right sized.” They were relatively small cars, but plenty large enough to house a V-8 without compromise. Plus, you still got a back seat that could legitimately fit three, and a trunk that was surprisingly commodious. The first-gen Camaro looked to me like the perfect car for a teenager with a penchant for tinkering with hot rods, so when I had the opportunity to buy a ’69 Sport Coupe from one of…

What’s the original muscle-car formula? Put a more powerful engine in an otherwise sedate family car, dress it up a bit and give it a bit more tire? Well, Ford has just done that to one of its smaller cars and the results are nothing short of extraordinary. Ostensibly based on a compact, five-seat, five-door hatchback, the Ford Focus RS has been re-engineered in every imaginable way to deliver near-supercar levels of performance. With 350 horsepower delivered through a very sophisticated all-wheel-drive system developed exclusively for it, the RS not only gets from zero to 60 MPH in 4.6 seconds and smokes the quarter-mile in the mid-13s on its way up to a top speed of 165 MPH, it can also dance with the best of them on the twistiest…

BONNEVILLE SALT FLATS WINS IHMA’S LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD Typically it’s a living person who takes home a lifetime achievement award, but the judges for the International Historic Motoring Awards, perhaps acknowledging the seemingly limited lifespan left for the Bonneville Salt Flats, decided to hand this year’s lifetime achievement award to that barren place. According to Louise Ann Noeth, the decision came after Noeth had nominated Bonneville Speedweek to the IHMA’s Motorsport Event of the Year category. While the judges selected other events as finalists for that category, “the dire ecological plight facing amateur racing” convinced them to pursue the unusual tactic of naming a “where” rather than a “who” for a lifetime achievement award. Geoff Love, one of the organizers of the awards, said the award recognizes both the location…

LINDA VAUGHN: THE FIRST LADY OF MOTORSPORTS Linda Vaughn with Rob Kinnan • www.cartechbooks.com • $35.95 You know how in the movie Forrest Gump, the central character is there for all of the crucial historical events of his lifetime as both a witness and participant? When it comes to auto racing, that’s the story of Linda Vaughn. Since the beginning of the 1960s, she has been there at absolutely every important happening in our great sport, taking part as an ambassador for suppliers and sponsors such as Hurst and Pure Oil. If it happened, lovely Linda was somewhere right in the vicinity. That’s the message that this self-authored retrospective — a book that a lot of people firmly believed would never be written — clearly conveys. It’s an amazing…

From the day it hit the streets in April 1964, the first iteration of Ford’s Mustang has proven to be a success beyond measure. Even if you don’t particularly count yourself as a Mustang fan, the appeal of the inaugural pony car is readily apparent — from grocery getter to SCCA B-Production champion to 427-equipped A/FXers, these cars covered virtually all bases. Good looks, three body styles and price points that spanned a wide spectrum were just some of the reasons for their popularity. From some points of view, the 1965-’66 Mustangs were never eclipsed. From another perspective, they were the precursor of even greater things to come. Stiff competition loomed for 1967 in the form of Camaro, Firebird, Cougar and a redesigned Barracuda, so perhaps it made sense for…

SPECIFICATIONS PRICE Base price (Mustang 2+2). $2,592.17 Price as profiled . . . . . . . . $4,125.19 (destination charge excluded) Options on car profiled . . . Thunderbird Special 390-cu.in. engine, $263.71; GT Equipment Group (includes: power front disc brakes, 4-inch fog lamps, low-restriction dual exhaust system with chrome “quad” outlets, GT side stripes, GT fuel cap, Wide Oval tires, and heavy-duty springs, shocks and anti-roll bar), $205.05; Toploader four-speed manual transmission, $233.18; power steering, $84.47; Equa-Lok limited-slip differential, $41.60; styled steel wheels, $93.84; SelectAire air conditioner, $356.09; Deluxe steering wheel, $31.52; pushbutton AM/FM radio, $133.65; Convenience Control Panel, $39.50; center console, $50.41. ENGINE Block type . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ford FE-series 90-degree V-8, cast-iron block and cylinder heads…