It’s amazing when you stop and realize that we’re now celebrating the significant anniversaries of events that were conceived to celebrate already-vintage vehicles. Take the NMRA (National Mustang Racing Association) for example. Its recent Ford Homecoming event marked the 25th anniversary of the racing series. One of the highlights within that gathering was the 55th Cobra Jet Reunion—it certainly got our attention.
Officially, this event was billed as the 25th Anniversary Mickey Thompson NMRA Ford Homecoming at Summit Motorsports Park in Norwalk, Ohio; the June 9-12 gathering featured the TascaParts.com 55th Cobra Jet Reunion. The event was catnip for Ford lovers, whether their interests lay in early CJs, late CJs, or the multitude of other Ford-powered vehicles that ran Norwalk’s well-prepared quarter mile.
Greg Torbinski brought his rare “Going Thing” ’69 Mustang to the show. Greg bought the car in 1973 and it still wears its original paint everywhere other than the hood, trunk, and valances. We’re told there were 77 Going Thing Mustangs built as a Cleveland-area regional promotional model, of which 21 were CJs. Greg’s car is the cat’s meow in that regard, as it’s an original SCJ/four-speed with 4.30:1 gears.Photo: Eric English
The CJ Reunion follows on the heels of similar events marking 40- and 50-year celebrations, and combining with an established Ford event seemed a natural move for organizers Danny Truitt, Bob Smith, and NMRA President & CEO Steve Wolcott.
The NMRA was an excellent host for both the 50- and 55-year celebrations, with this year’s event also featuring a 40th Anniversary Saleen Reunion, the svtperformance.com 30th Anniversary SVT Reunion, and a Harland Sharp-sponsored Fox-Body Reunion. In addition to the racing and car shows, NMRA offered the Maximum Motorsports autocross and a chance to see the car-crushing Bigfoot monster truck in action. In short, there was something for every Ford enthusiast whether a vintage fan, a modern enthusiast, or a lover of all the eras.
Hajek Motorsports brought a truckload of display vehicles, including the ’68 Cobra Jet Mustang that Al Joniec drove to Super Stock victory at the 1968 Winternationals. Joniec joined in on the 55th anniversary of the CJ, signing autographs and enjoying the interest in the special car he drove. Hajek also brought the pre-production ’68 CJ Mustang that Don Nicholson originally drove.Photo: Eric English
Some of the standout personalities and cars from this year’s event included Al Joniec, Vinny Lyons, and Carl Tasca, along with the ’68 race CJs of Joniec, Lyons, and “Dyno” Don Nicholson. Oklahoma collector and enthusiast Brent Hajek brought a trailer full of cars that included the aforementioned Joniec and Nicholson rides, along with the Tasca-built “Street Boss” ’69 Boss 429 that we featured in the August 2018 issue of HMM. Closer to home, George Conrad brought a bunch of cars from his incredible collection, including a fleet of CJ-powered machines that included a ’68 G.T. 500KR, the ’69 “Going Thing” Mustang, a ’70 Torino GT pace car, ’70 Cyclone Spoiler, ’70 ½ Falcon, and ’71 Mustang Sportsroof.
There was a good representation of CJ street cars on display, from unrestored to fully restored, beginning with the debut ’68 ½ Cobra Jets, all the way through the most recent Coyote-powered models. The NMRA ran the Watson Racing Cobra Jet Showdown racing class, which featured 29 entries. Modern and classic models were combined into a single class that qualified based on reaction time, and racers competed based on their submitted index, which made for a competitive field.
This ’69 Fairlane Cobra is an original R-code 428 CJ that has run as fast as 9.85 at 137 mph with its 12:1 496-cube FE and Powerglide transmission. It’s owned and piloted by Rich DiBonaventura, who is not only fast, but consistent, as he made it all the way to the Cobra Jet Showdown semi-finals, losing in a 10.03 @ 133 MPH effort.Photo: Eric English
Not unexpectedly, the late-models were typically quicker than the vintage rides. The best elapsed time in eliminations was the 8.39 at 165 mph of Jackson Snider’s 2019 model, compared to a best of 9.69 at 131 mph by Hayden McBean in his ’69 Mustang. No matter—we found the vintage cars to make all the right noises, and many had the best wheels-up launches, the kind that spectators simply love. Interestingly, as the Cobra Jet Showdown wound down, the semifinals featured three vintage CJs and one late-model. That late-model, Ed Brown’s ’16, took the victory with an 8.75 at 149.48 mph on a .006-second light.
After 55 years, enthusiasm for Ford’s Cobra Jet-powered vehicles continues unabated.
The George Conrad collection of rare muscle was a sight to behold, but our favorite display from this collection was the vintage Ford ramp truck and “Going Thing” ’69 CJ Mustang—one of two at the event. The ramp truck may look period, but it’s powered by a supercharged 5.4-liter V8 from a second-generation Ford Lightning.Photo: Eric English
The Grabber Lime hue on Mike Lesjak’s ’71 Mach 1 almost leaps out and grabs you. Mike explained that prior to this car, he wasn’t really drawn to the bigger ’71-’73 Mustang body style, but this one, featuring a 429 SCJ with automatic, Ram Air, and 3.91 gears, changed his mind. It was deserving of its thorough nut-and-bolt restoration.Photo: Eric English
The NMRA welcomed Saleen vehicles of all shapes and sizes with a Saleen 40th anniversary display and show. Saleen, the company, even brought its transporter cross country, full of display cars, and Steve Saleen himself held autograph sessions several times throughout the weekend.Photo: Eric English
Gapp and Roush built this silver Mustang II in 1975 for Detroit-based street racer Joe Rugirello, using a 505-cu.in. 429 wedge-based engine. The setup allegedly made the Mustang, popularly known as “Sudden Death”, capable of 9-second times on the strip, but of course that’s not where it made a name for itself.Photo: Eric English
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