The automobile in Southern California is revered as a sacred item as the car culture carries a strong social standing. For those who drink Snapple, you might remember that one of the facts under the cap proclaims there are three times more automobiles in Los Angeles than there are people. Armed with that information, it's no surprise that nearly 2,000 Fords of all generations were at Knott's Berry Farm for its annual Fabulous Fords Forever car show.
We saw quite a variety of iron from all years, including the '10 Mustang and Shelby GT500. The cars--and trucks--weren't the only stars of the day: We ran into Chip Foose, Parnelli Jones, and Steve Saleen as we prowled the show-grounds. As usual, the lines were long for the autograph sessions. Roush Performance took the opportunity to rollout its '10 Roush Mustang 427R in the Cooper Tires booth.
For those who have never attended Fabulous Fords Forever, the volunteer staff slices and dices the park's parking lot into a highly organized regiment of specific models. Mustangs are broken down by generations, and SVT products are secured in a single section out back. Shelby fans rejoiced as nearly every Shelby Mustang was represented in the Shelby division of the parking lot. Trucks are segmented into two categories--early year Broncos and everything else. All other classic Fords are put into sections. Parking and organizing the sheer volume of vehicles is an impressive feat, to say the least.
We scoured the grounds and grabbed some highlight shots, as well as picking a slew of feature vehicles for upcoming issues of your favorite Mustang magazine. The accompanying photos are just a sliver of what we scoped out at this year's show.
Chip Foose was one of many...
Chip Foose was one of many popular car guys floating around Knott's Berry Farm. Ford set up a display with many of the custom Fords built at Foose Design. Naturally, Chip was signing autographs all day and rarely took a break.
Molly Saleen and her dad,...
Molly Saleen and her dad, Steve, took a break from signing SMS posters for a quick snapshot. Steve left early from the 45th Mustang Anniversary event in Alabama in order to make the Knott's Berry Farm Fabulous Fords Forever show that same weekend.
Kevin Sarkisian drove his...
Kevin Sarkisian drove his '04 SVT Cobra to the show. Thankfully, your author spotted Kevin on the highway and followed him to the show--if it weren't for Kevin heading up the 405 Freeway, I might have missed the exit and gotten lost. His Cobra is clean and simple, with a host of suspension modifications, exhaust, and supercharger upgrades.
Fox-body Mustangs were well...
Fox-body Mustangs were well represented at the Farm. Matt Glover shined up his '88 Stang and drove it down to Orange County. The street car boasts an impressive combination that consists of a 306ci mill with AFR 185 heads, a custom Kurgan Motorsports cam and tune, and a Vortech S-trim. All told, it has run as quick as 10.00 at 139 mph at Fontana Raceway.
APR Performance rolled into...
APR Performance rolled into the show with its new wide-body kit. A Turbonetics S197 turbo kit helps give the Stang some go to complement the SCCA Trans Am look that it carries.
The Shelby section of the...
The Shelby section of the show had some special vehicles. Here is the new Shelby 427--the Pace Car edition Super Snake. Shelby Automobiles sponsored the NASCAR race in Las Vegas and built 427 cars to commemorate the occasion.
Each year there is a strong...
Each year there is a strong showing of Mustang Bullitt cars. Mixed in with the New Edge Bullitt rides were a couple of S197s, as well. Dark Green Metallic was the most popular color, but we did see a couple of blue '01 Bullitts lurking in the crowd.
This 351 Windsor engine is...
This 351 Windsor engine is simple but makes a big statement with its direct-port NOS fogger system. It was a nice break from the busy engine bays of the later-model Mustangs. This potent small-block was installed in an '86 Stang.
Vinny Cee proudly displayed...
Vinny Cee proudly displayed his custom-painted '93 Mustang LX. Vinny concentrated on the look of his ride and Best of Show Coachworks painted the car. The flames were done by Vinny, as were the various bolt-on parts under the hood.
Cooper Tire displayed the...
Cooper Tire displayed the '10 Roush Mustang 427R edition. As usual, Roush exemplifies a subtle musclecar look, and it carries over the powertrain and suspension upgrades from the previous Roush cars. This Stang is supercharged but Roush offers various stages and models.
We just love the drag look,...
We just love the drag look, and this '04 Mystichrome Cobra had us drooling. The 4.6L Four-Valve engine is wearing a Kenne Bell 2.2L Twin Screw blower and a host of suspension modifications. If we had to guess, we'd say this car is a 10-second player at the strip.
Here is a familiar S197, owned...
Here is a familiar S197, owned by Garrett Turbo. We'e seen this car on the NMRA circuit running in the MM&FF True Street ranks. It's a mostly stock GT with a Garrett twin-turbo kit, built automatic transmission, rear gears, and a set of M/T ET Street tires on the stock wheels. It runs mid-11s with ease.
One of the cleanest engine...
One of the cleanest engine bays we saw was under the hood of Ross Dehoney's '88 Mustang LX. The engine features lots of chrome, which was spotless. Ross drove down from Sacramento, 450 miles one-way, to attend the show at the Farm. The 302ci features ported E7 heads and a Paxton NOVI 2000 blower. It produces approximately 375-400 hp at the rear wheels.
This might be an older Boss...
This might be an older Boss Mustang, but we had to show it because the matching truck/race car combo is just too cool in its Parnelli Jones-look.
SMS is the new venture from...
SMS is the new venture from Steve Saleen. The company took the chance to show off an artist rendering of its next-generation Mustang, as well as its soon-to-be released twin-screw supercharger.
A twin-turbo 5.4L in an S197,...
A twin-turbo 5.4L in an S197, which is set up strictly for drag racing, is just unadulterated fun. The turbos in the foglight holes are a nice touch. We featured this car last year when it belonged to Modular Mustang Racing. The new owners at Stage 3 Motorsports added some Roush body parts to it.
This is a rare sighting: a...
This is a rare sighting: a '00 Cobra R, this one parked in the SVT corner of the show. SVT calls it a street-legal race car and only made 300 versions. It features a seriously upgraded 5.4L engine with Four-Valve heads, special intake manifold, and 385 hp. It breathes through shorty-headers, a Bassani x-style midpipe and cats, and three mufflers that exit from the side. It also comes standard with a larger fuel tank. Stopping it is a set of Brembo binders, and the driver gets to business while sitting in a Recaro seat. Oh yeah, it's more than just talk--the Cobra R boasts 1.0G-capable cornering and a 170-mph top speed.
Who needs twins when you have...
Who needs twins when you have a honking single turbo blowing into a sheetmetal intake and a built Four-Valve? If that isn't enough, 281 Motorsports added a shot of nitrous to the mix.
Many former CHP patrol cars--Fox-body...
Many former CHP patrol cars--Fox-body Mustang LX coupes--made it out to the show. However, we also saw two police versions of the S197 Mustang GT. We're pretty sure the new Stangs were never made into official police cruisers. The only cop car we know of is Barricade, the evil Saleen Mustang in the movie Transformers. This seems to be a replica of the movie car, save for the Paxton blower and non-Saleen front nose.
Lambo-style doors always look...
Lambo-style doors always look impressive and seem to be a very popular item on the California Mustang scene.
Keith Duda made the long trip...
Keith Duda made the long trip from Colorado Springs, Colorado, to Southern California with his '93 Mustang Cobra in tow. The black SVT ride is a sick street machine with a DSS-built 331, Dart Pro 1 heads, a Vortech XX-Trim blower and Mondo aftercooler, and three stages of Nitrous Express nitrous! That adds up to a rather mild 1,000 rwhp under the hood.