MUSTANG RETURNS TO SPORTS CAR RACING: 
FORD RACING MUSTANG GT TO COMPETE IN GRAND AM CUP

Dearborn ,25th. January 2005

• Ford Racing's competition program for the new 2005 Mustang GT delivers first race cars to compete in the Grand-Am Cup's GS Class.
• Ford Racing Mustang GT race cars will compete at the season-opening race at Daytona International Speedway.
• Ford Racing's 5.0-liter Cammer ‘R50’ V-8 powers the Mustang GT race car.
  
  Source Ford Media

From the Ford newsticker 7th. February
Mustang 2005 won its first race at Daytona
With less than one day’s experience behind the wheel of his new Ford Racing Mustang GT race car, car owner and driver Tom Nastasi, with co-driver Ian James, claimed victory in the opening race of the 2005 Grand-Am Cup season at Daytona International Speedway. The win marks the first race and first win for Ford Racing’s Mustang GT race car built off the new 2005 Mustang GT that is currently available in Ford dealerships.

Ford Racing’s development team, a two-car effort run by Multimatic Motorsports, finished in 2nd and 9th place. Two other Ford Racing Mustang GT race cars were campaigned, with 11^th place captured by the # 37 JBS Motorsports car with drivers Jim and Bret Seafuse, and 22^nd place by the #10 Champion Motorsports car with drivers Brad Lehmann and BJ Zacharias.

The ‘R50’, the race version of the Cammer V-8, as found in the Mustang GT racer, is an evolution of the all-aluminum Cammer ‘T50’ crate engine, which is currently available from Ford Racing Performance Parts. The ‘R50’ racing version features many enhancements for road racing highlighted by new cylinder heads, from the Ford GT supercar program, and a unique intake manifold. 

New pic from Don Eichstaedts/Martin Birrane's racer from 1976

Other News:
A report on the 1968 Shelby Team car #2 Racer's restoration appears in a coming Victory Lane magazine (probably in March 2005). 

Warren Topes 1970 Mustang #31 and BOSS 302 #70 pictures thanks to Larry Barnes, his mate in his final years of racing.

Update includes some history about the Tope family from Jim Alfaro. 

The CRASH that changed the History of Trans Am
3rd. August 1969 was the day at St.Jovite, that ruined the day of thousands of spectators, when 2 Shelby Factory Boss and 1 Bud Moore T/A Boss got dinged and bent for the rest of their life. 
We are searching for more pics of this pile, the grave of many Ford dimes.
 

Seems Ford got a better idea from this site and Vyto P. design studies back then (see further down this page.

• Mustang is at the core of the Ford Racing Performance Parts business and has always had a high consumer demand for performance and racing modifications.
• Mustang commands nine percent of the total market of vehicles that get modified – more than any other single vehicle nameplate.
• Ford Racing Performance Parts plans to offer everything from a 2005 Mustang "Body-in-White" to a race-prepared competition version.
• Ford Racing's 5.0-liter Cammer V8 crate engine will be the centerpiece of a racing program.
• Discovery Channel program "Extreme Mustang: Back to the Track" documents the development of racing parts for the new Mustang

(Ford Media News from SEMA, 2nd.Nov.2005.

Exclusive by Dan Lipetz: (6th. Nov. )
Report about the double BOSS #15 at the SEMA 2004 (1.-5.Nov.2004)
Look here

PJ and GF met with current owners of their cars

Sneaking into Bowdens own Museum down under in Australia is a thrilling adventure...... if you have an invitation. 
If you don't,you've got still this site :) 

Above picture courtesy Dan Bowden

All other pics thanks to NCW (no credit wanted) 


More on the Coca Cola racer at this subpage

Detailed info about the Moffat car and Alan Moffat history can be found at Brett's site www.allanmoffat.com.au

Jim Alfaro made a contact with us and is going to send us some nice pics from the Tope race period. His brothers were members of Bill  Maier's race team back then. 

Pictured on the right is Warren Topes racer dated  end of 1972, when it came to Bill Maiers race shop.

Pictured below is Bill Maiers A/S racer, probably in 1974 or 1975. Picture courtesy of Bill Maier and Jim.

Pictured below is Bill Maiers A/S racer in 1974 or 1975
Pic courtesy Bill Maier

Don Hodges #15 T/A car  
sold for 435.000 $ at the Monterey Historics (Russo and Steele) Auction. 
 

Eduardo C. found this mystery Mustang race car 
with a rollcage and all the goodies in Mexico City.

Check out the pics and if you have any information on its race entries, contact us, please.
Click here to see more info

Mike Friedlander searched his photo box 
and found these exclusive Kar Kraft pics of the Don Eichstaedt Boss being build back then.

Any more info on the Moonlighter race team appearance in A/S or other races is welcome!
Click here to see more info

#112074's first outing took place on 15th. May at the Concours de Elegance in Fresno California. Thanks to Joseph Simone we received these nice pictures of its first appearance after a long time restoration. The car will be on auction with Russo and Steele in August 2004 acc. to current owner Don Hodges.
History

Richard Evans accompanied his friend Martin Birrane back then in the roaring 70ies in England. 

See new pics of the Don Eichstaedt/Martin Birrane racer here

Ed Ludtke sent a few pics of Mike Friedlander's ex-Don Eichstadt/Martin Birrane Boss from the Autorama 2004 in Detroit 2004

News Flash March 28th:
Ford shows this new concept race Mustang GT-R with a 440hp cammer engine at the New York Auto Show. This car is developed for several race series in the U.S. and might be available for racers soon. A series of race and body parts for the new Mustang will be available as well. They are just making pics for press releases with Mike Friedlanders T/A racer.
Read more about it on Fords Newsroom
Picture courtesy Ford

A few picture updates for Ed Hinchcliffs racer2-1971,the Pettey/Hallquist and the ex-Danny Moore racer.
Jim Harris was kind enough to sent in a few actual pictures of our T/A and A/S racers from Coronado and Willow Springs 2003.

The 1971 Bud Moore Trans-Am Season
Ed Ludtke provided a closer look with more details

Click here for unknown details
A complete 1971 Bud Moore season update from Ed Ludtke, owner of the Road Racing Registry 

Staged and ready to race, but what now?
The software development team of racingnationline.com or SIM Central has put the brakes for a while on the Classic Trans Am modification for the F1 Challenge PC game.
Maybe they need some cheering or motivation from us T/A enthusiasts to return to this project. We were informed that most of the team are now working on another project, as this modification might take a bit more time than they expected, so they turned on another modification to get at least something finally out. Let not forget them about "our" project. At least they have set up a special website. Pop up there and let them know how you feel in good taste and manner in the forum post "How is it coming". Look also at the nice screenshots and the wallpaper section.

  Interview with Mike Sedlak
Mike is one of the few that has been there at the races in the glory days and still is today active in racing T/A-iron. Read about his history, his view on todays vintage racing and about the technical details of his well-known blue T/A period correct Boss 302.

Click here for the Interview