Lined up across the Road Atlanta...
Lined up across the Road Atlanta pit area were rows upon rows of performance, muscle, and classic cars from the Big Three. Every year, we see the Ford contingent grow at the YearOne Experience.
Charles Huffman of Hildebran,...
Charles Huffman of Hildebran, North Carolina, cruised into the YearOne show with the soft rumble of his 390-powered '62 Galaxie 500 XL. The big beast features an updated A/C system, power disc brakes, auto trans, a slick set of wheels and rubber, and a nice stance to top it all off.
This '95 Thunderbird Super...
This '95 Thunderbird Super Coupe was an impressive sight for the Ford fans at the show. Owned by Bill Clifton of Birmingham, Alabama, the boosted 'Bird was spotless and it was easy to see Bill had put a lot of hard work into the 3.8L Eaton supercharged drivetrain. The chrome Cobra R-style wheels certainly highlighted the factory paint as well.
'08 Year One Experience
It's really interesting to sit back and watch people at a multi-make event like the annual YearOne Experience. It's easy to have blinders on when you hit all the typical Ford shows and you see row upon row of S197 Mustangs and maybe a couple of classic Fords intermixed in the crowd.
The same goes for the other guys, too. Would you believe that the largest contingent of cars at the Chryslers at Carlisle event is often the humble PT Cruiser? Or that of the all-Corvette shows, the C5 and C6 Vettes blow all the other models away in attendance? But bring a little bit of everything together under one event banner, and you see the true car guys-and gals-come out of their shells.
YearOne's annual event at Road Atlanta and nearby Atlanta Dragway allows those of us who appreciate any four-wheeled wonder to take in cars we don't normally see when staying within our own comfort zones of the local club scene or national event series. I'm not saying we should all go out and buy '69 Camaros or '71 Challengers, but when you have the chance to take in a really well-built car, no matter the nameplate on it, you should do so. You might even pick up an idea or two since wheels, gauges, paint schemes, and so on aren't car specific, for the most part.
This year, with the merger of the magazine fresh on our minds (and new magazine shirts fresh on our backs) the wife and I headed up to Georgia to take in the YearOne Experience once again and enjoy its family oriented event. We came back with a couple of cool car features for future issues and the photos you see here. Be sure to stop by our Web site at www.modifiedmustangsandfords.com to see more images from the event weekend and check out www.yearone.com for its coverage as well as information on the '09 YearOne Experience, when it becomes available.
No, this isn't a casting call...
No, this isn't a casting call for Mel Brooks' Space Balls 2. It's an enthusiastic crowd of participants and spectators waiting their turn in line for some spirited laps around the famed Road Atlanta track in one of YearOne's project cars.
Speaking of project cars,...
Speaking of project cars, YearOne put pedal to the metal all weekend with its Dynacorn-based turn-key '67 Mustang track car project-giving untold dozens of thrilling laps around the track without a single hiccup.
Besides being able to ride...
Besides being able to ride shotgun in a YearOne vehicle, participants could also take their own laps in designated parade lap sessions with instructors from the Skip Barber Racing School leading the parade laps. This Roush 427R was certainly enjoying its track time.
Another parade lap participant...
Another parade lap participant we spotted was this Panoz AIV owner. The AIV (Aluminum Intensive Vehicle) was the first series vehicle from Danny Panoz and his company. Utilizing a Mustang Cobra DOHC 32-valve modular V-8, the two-seater is a modern-day version of that classic sports car from the '60s we all love. The AIV is a collectible since it's out of production. Today, Panoz is concentrating its efforts on this car's successor, the Esperante.
Part of the YearOne Experience...
Part of the YearOne Experience was track time at Atlanta's other famous track, Atlanta Dragway. Participants were welcome to invade the dragstrip Friday night for the YearOne Test and Tune session. This New Edge seemed ready to make a tear, but instead broke something in the drivetrain on the launch. I hope the owner had a trailer.
A vendor area was also part...
A vendor area was also part of the YearOne Experience. Walking the row of merchandise and vendors, you could see everything from hat pins and metal signs to crate engines and performance transmissions, such as the ones here from Performance Automatic.
As we've stated in the past,...
As we've stated in the past, the YearOne folks wanted the whole family to enjoy their time at the YearOne Experience. The kids were well taken care of with a huge play area including bounce houses, clowns, games, and a rock climbing wall.
BFGoodrich not only sponsored...
BFGoodrich not only sponsored the burnout contest, but also brought its full rig out for display, handed out posters, and answered spectator's tire questions. This year, BFG had a custom tire on display with the logos of various print and television outlets printed on it. The editors/hosts were invited to sign the tire, which was then custom-cut on-site to be displayed at YearOne. Shown here is Rick Bacon of MuscleCar TV (from Spike's Powerblock) signing his section of the tire. We were honored with the opportunity to do the same shortly afterward.
All the action doesn't happen...
All the action doesn't happen on the main Road Atlanta track surface, either. Besides the Stainless Steel Brakes Corp-sponsored 0-60-0 challenge, there was a wet and dry autocross available. The wet autocross used Skip Barber-supplied school cars, but participants could run the dry autocross, managed by Air Ride Technologies, in their own ride. Tom Dingham of Atlanta had some fun in his '67 fastback trying to better his own time.
Professional Products had...
Professional Products had just finished up the details on this '69 Mustang project shortly before the show. We didn't get all the goodies on it, but the car runs not one, but two different EFI systems from Professional Products. The company's Powerjection I system (which bolts in place of a carb) and Powerjection II system (port-style injection) were on the engine and were used interchangeably at the flick of a switch during testing.
While walking the far end...
While walking the far end of the show field, we stopped at the Starr Performance display. A Superformance dealer, its display included Cobra, Daytona Coupe, and GT-40 replicas, but the Marauder at the end of the display caught our attention. It turns out it's owned by our old friend Mark Ray (some Super Ford readers might remember that name). A big fan of Ford's Panther platform, Ray has been modifying Crown Vics for years. This Marauder featured a brake upgrade package and a cold-air kit. The modular was stroked to 5.0 liters; we saw it holding its own on the track all weekend.