Robert (Bob) Tasca was the most successful Ford Performance dealer of the 60ies into the 70ies. Although he started much earlier to race Ford iron at drag strips, most enthusiasts remember the A/FX Mustangs and hin influence on the 1968 1/2 Cobra Jets with his KR-8 package. 

Built by the Alexander Brothers, a famous customizer enterprise that had earned its reputation since the mid 50ies withh outstanding customs, this car was a true eyecatcher. Plus it could unleash 505 HP towards the rear wheels with a little massaging from the Tasca garage.

The Tasca 505 is indeed a Custom Mustang driven to perfection by its creators.  Following the european sportscar influence Cibie headlights were installed up front.
The rearend was 2,5" lengthened and a full width light panel being installed.

Performance enthusiasts like those at American Rodding magazine of course did not choose the car based on its design alone. What made their hearts beat stronger, was the 505HP engine, a 289 stroked to 325cui with a modified intake manifold and a double 4V-carb. It was backed up by an all-aluminium Shelby transmission.
12 Seconds for a quartermile (120mph) with a top speed of 147mph was not too bad for a street car like this. 

(Since more details about this car are published first in our club mag and in Mark S. Gustavson's book, allow us to keep a few secrets).

Tracing down the TASCA 505 Performance Mustang
Ever wondered what happened to this outstanding Performance car of the Year?
6500 Dollar changed hands, when this unique car - built by the Alexander Brothers and initially given to Bob Tasca as an incentive  - was sold back then from Paul Harvey Ford in 1972 or 73 to Billy Joe Gilbert.


The Tasca 505 at a later date with an added hood scoop and additional side graphics. Note the white instrument top on the dash, that was original with the Tasca 505 as were the rectangular frontlights.

Tom Dillman (Brother in law of Gary Gilbert, son of the previous owner) tells us about past traces of the car. 
"I contacted you some months ago about the 505. I managed to find one picture of it from the early seventies when my father in law owned it. We recently moved my mother in law to a smaller home and came across a large box of old photos that looks promising. Since my brother in law still has a 67 GT500 he is also spreading the word around to his Shelby friends here in Indiana that we are trying to locate the car. As far as we know today Billy Joe Gilbert of Greenwood Indiana bought the car from Paul Harvey of Paul Harvey Ford in Indianapolis In. Billy traded the car in at Smart and Perry Ford in Greenwood in and they wholesaled the car to Perry Bros Auto Sales in Indianapolis. That is the last anyone around here has seen of the car. Just to think that as a junior in high school I got to drive and work on a piece of history... I actually thought the reverb radio and square headlights and T-Bird style tail lights were corny back then. Boy was I wrong!!!! I was also wrong telling my father in law that it was too expensive. It would certainly catch more than 100.000 Dollar today. I'd like to see it again."

We were fortunate to have been contacted in 2007 by the current owner, who wants to remain anonymous and the location of the TASCA unknown. But he allowed us to show a few pictures here of the car that has been stored away since the 80ies. Since I have the pics first published  in our club mag 02/2007 exclusively, we kept the pics confidential for a period. Now added in 2009 a few  a bit further down this page.

Bob Tasca himself has confirmed the car to be the original one. Tom Dilman once worked on the engine and we hope, Tom, Gary and the owner will have a nice day chatting about incidents and reuniting the family with an icon of their history. Ponysite brought them in touch with each other. That's why we are here.

Awarded by the American Rodding Magazine with this trophy, it is amazing that this special custom car is covered so little these days in all that Mustang hype.

Thanks to the archives of Mark S. Gustavson, the leader of the LYNX Project group, we can shed some more light on one of the 20 personalized cars that Bob Tasca received from Ford.

The interior as of 2007.