Why A Fox?

[General karthief]

I'll jump in with my history. Always a ford family from my grandfather to me. They owned a body shop and a gas station. I worked at the gas station. My mom was cool and brought home a '65 fairlane sport coupe. High po 289 4 speed. FOR ME. Few years later my uncle was restoring 60's mustangs. I liked them but always the rust, then everybody thought they could get barret jackson money on claapped out hack jobs. Marriage sucked, no money, finally made a clean break. Started a business of my own repossessing. I borrow a car to follow this kia around town. 91 5.0 5spd convert. It was too much fun and I had to get me one. Found a 86 gt but the guy wanted too much money and it was hacked with a carb. Next to it was a 89 gt that was just used up by a female owner so it just needed brakes tires clutch trans rebuilt. Few dents, don't care, paint chipped and faded, dont care, did redo the interior, well most of it anyway, need to get the front seats done, soon. Been beat'n on it ever since.
BTW, my girl don't like to ride in it. Gos sidways to much but I'm a hit with the grandkids!

 

[Davedacarpainter]

I'll jump in with my history. Always a ford family from my grandfather to me. They owned a body shop and a gas station. I worked at the gas station. My mom was cool and brought home a '65 fairlane sport coupe. High po 289 4 speed. FOR ME. Few years later my uncle was restoring 60's mustangs. I liked them but always the rust, then everybody thought they could get barret jackson money on claapped out hack jobs. Marriage sucked, no money, finally made a clean break. Started a business of my own repossessing. I borrow a car to follow this kia around town. 91 5.0 5spd convert. It was too much fun and I had to get me one. Found a 86 gt but the guy wanted too much money and it was hacked with a carb. Next to it was a 89 gt that was just used up by a female owner so it just needed brakes tires clutch trans rebuilt. Few dents, don't care, paint chipped and faded, dont care, did redo the interior, well most of it anyway, need to get the front seats done, soon. Been beat'n on it ever since.
BTW, my girl don't like to ride in it. Gos sidways to much but I'm a hit with the grandkids!

Aaaaaahhh, karthief......

 

[603mustangs]

Speaking of Trans Am, my dad bought one in 83 when I was 8 or 9. I remember him telling my mom and when she went to the window I followed her over and saw this giant bird on the hood. He took me for a ride, had T tops, cool interior, then these two buttons on the center console. I asked what those buttons did? Without hesitation he says, the ejector seat. My eyes widened and I couldn't take my eyes off those buttons. With T tops and knight rider on tv I totally believed him. I was very quiet and just stared at those buttons for entire ride making sure nothing hit them, it was awful. I probably like Fords because the buttons are placed safely on the doors.

 

[CarMichael Angelo]

Fairmont was both Bob Glidden's, and Don Nicholson's Choice for Prostock in 1978, and 1979. I thought those cars in PS form were so freakin cool that I decided that I had to sell my current car and try to buy a brand new Fairmont to replace it.
However, back then, I had a 69 Mach 1 w/ a 351 in it......I don't have to tell you that my test drive in a 79 Futura w/ a 255 v8 was less than impressive.

I bought a 6.6l 78 4 speed Trans/Am instead. A few years later, an 84 T/A followed.

While In the Army in the late 80's I had a HR mag where a graphic artist did a concept version of a Futura that was in theme w/ the current trends, and then another concept followed paying homage to the one that Glidden had ran 10 years before, and I was
hooked.

I've had 6 fairmonts since then. Save for the first one (because I was still in the Army) They've all been drag cars, (or pro street themed) up until the Monster. It's purely a cosmetic attraction though. Nothing about the sound, smell, or ride, attracts me to these cars. One car had a roller N2o fogged 5.0, 1 car had 460's, One had a 351, and the original, the 5th, and the last one have all had a six cyl's. (1st and 5th because either I couldn't afford to do it, or I didn't have it long enough. The 6th,.........well,.........Monster)

 

[HotFox]

Taken from my first post in my progress thread...My passion goes back to 1985 I was 5yo, when my dad bought a brand new silver gt 5.0 spd hatch. Many years later after high school I found 1985 red hatch (faded orange-red) gt 5.0 5spd rust bucket that I picked up cheap, drove it for a couple of years and sold for more then I paid for it. It actually was really reliable transportation and got 20mpg.

 

[85_SS_302_Coupe]

Because it's the last car built like a true muscle car. Everything after it may be "better" in a lot of ways but all that refinement comes at the cost of purity and simplicity. It's the last of the breed IMO.

 

[cleanLX]

1979, I was 11, walking to the school bus on a cold October morning, frost on the grass and roof tops was being sucked into the sky by the rising sun. It was a beautiful and tranquil morning. An older guy (probably 20) that lived in the back of the subdivision had bough a '79 pace car, and being from a Chev family I had given it little notice... until that cool calm quiet morning. He rounded the corner at the bottom of the street and hit it, it wiggled its way through 1st 2nd and into 3rd... I'd never seen anything like it before... and, the noise that carb and single exhaust made... music... he let out of it in 3rd and was just burbling along when he went by me flashing the peace sign... I just stood there, watching it disappear into the morning mist.
It was on.

 

[cleanLX]

Because it's the last car built like a true muscle car. Everything after it may be "better" in a lot of ways but all that refinement comes at the cost of purity and simplicity. It's the last of the breed IMO.

Quoted for truth!
I could not agree more.

 

[A5literMan]

I am the black sheep of the family. All are Chevy people,who grew up in the muscle car era,and I grew up with all my uncles rocking the genre. My first car(bought at 15 with my previous 3 years of summer job savings) was a 1962 Impala SS. My mom wouldn't let me put in a "race" motor so I had to settle for a 350 2 barrel that I pulled from a early 70's GMC. Which after a 4 barrel/intake change was more than enough for my young/dumb***. Especially with a posi 4.11 rearend lol. I was the "burnout King" from my small *** high school. This was 86-89. Along comes a kid from the next town over with a brand new 89' lx 5speed with gears and exhaust. My reign of terror came to an end. Lol. But my conversion to the "dark side" had begun.

I graduated HS and in 90 I purchased a 89 black LX(@Jersey Joe clone lol). Turned it into a street/track terror(for the times) and waxed my uncles butt in a back road "meeting of the minds". He still gives me grieve for owning fords but I always tell him it's not my fault he was slow I've owned a few over the next couple decades. I love the sound/smell/looks-styling/the huge aftermarket/and most importantly the nostalgia it brings me.

 

[tannerc91gt]

I had a 2001 v6 mustang when I was 16. We'll actually my mom did.
It was nice. It wasn't fast, didn't sound good, and was generally unimpressive. But it got me around some car guys in town and made me want a mustang of my own. All I could afford was a foxbody. Which I really didn't like at all. But I went and looked at a 91 GT a couple hours away. It had shorty headers and flowmasters. Sounded perfect to me. Bought it and learned how to drive stick on the way home. Started working on cars a lot after that. Drove it every day for a couple years. Loved them ever since. I've owned or driven every body style and I always end up back with a fox.

 

[Boosted92LX]

http://www.hotrod.com/articles/ccrp-0302-fox-mustang-is-next-camaro/

 

[Davedacarpainter]

http://www.hotrod.com/articles/ccrp-0302-fox-mustang-is-next-camaro/

That was a fun read.

 

[Boosted92LX]

That was a fun read.

Most of the magazine guys that really know about the hobby overall, and aren't one sided will say the fox body was monumental. One of the writers for Hot Rod actually said it was the biggest thing to happen to the drag racing/hot rodding scene since the 55-57 Chevys. When you really think of the massive aftermarket for these cars, that kind of backs the story up. I've noticed people younger than myself dismissive of the foxbody's importance, or value.. but I kind of think that might have something to do with them playing on the carpet with hotwheels when these cars were exploding onto the streets the way they did.. not giving those folks perspective on what was really happening in the hobby.. especially with no prior familiarity with the hobby before that time. It comes back around to what I've said about value increase of these cars. It's a cycle. It happened with the 32 ford. It happened with tri five chevys. It happened with 60s musclecars. It's already happening with foxbodys. These cars are an American icon. There's no denying it.

 

[deathb4dismount]

http://www.hotrod.com/articles/ccrp-0302-fox-mustang-is-next-camaro/

13 years after that article was written and it's still not the next 69 camaro

 

[Boosted92LX]

13 years after that article was written and it's still not the next 69 camaro

See what I mean about younger people??^^

 

[Davedacarpainter]

13 years after that article was written and it's still not the next 69 camaro

And thank God for that, right?

 

[broncojunkie]

When I was 10 or so (around 1984, I guess) my cousin stopped by my grandparents' house in his '79 pace car. I guess it didn't take him long to blow up the 2.3 turbo because when I first saw it, it was sporting a built 351 Cleveland and c4. I remember falling in love with it and thinking it was a race car. A few months later, he took me for a ride in it and that was it.

He eventually sold that car to his brother-in-law, but ended up getting another one years later, which he restored. It had a built 302 with nos and 5 spd. He eventually sold that one, too.

Over the years, I've had quite a few foxes. No pace car until last year. I'm putting together a nice 331 stroker for it. I also have an 88gt and 82gt (also a 98gt and 70 coupe...I have problems lol)

 

[deathb4dismount]

See what I mean about younger people??^^

Not dismissing the impact of the car, it's just not nor will ever be a 69 camaro or a 65 fastback. It will never have the impact or world wide appeal that the early pony cars had. There are too many factors, including socio economic ones that made early mustangs and camaros what they are. Will foxbody mustangs become more valuable over time? Sure, that is obvious, but I still think it will always be a cult enthusiast car and our community will be the ones setting the value of the car.

 

[cleanLX]

Most of the magazine guys that really know about the hobby overall, and aren't one sided will say the fox body was monumental. One of the writers for Hot Rod actually said it was the biggest thing to happen to the drag racing/hot rodding scene since the 55-57 Chevys. When you really think of the massive aftermarket for these cars, that kind of backs the story up. I've noticed people younger than myself dismissive of the foxbody's importance, or value.. but I kind of think that might have something to do with them playing on the carpet with hotwheels when these cars were exploding onto the streets the way they did.. not giving those folks perspective on what was really happening in the hobby.. especially with no prior familiarity with the hobby before that time. It comes back around to what I've said about value increase of these cars. It's a cycle. It happened with the 32 ford. It happened with tri five chevys. It happened with 60s musclecars. It's already happening with foxbodys. These cars are an American icon. There's no denying it.

Agreed.
Back when these things were rolling off the assembly line for $13k there was nothing on the street for under 30k(price of a new vette at the time for those youngsters) that would touch it at the stop light. Z/28's, even the 5.7 IROC(automatic only) had nothing for the little 5.0 and the obese firechickens were even slower. The Grand Nationals arrived on the scene (most selling for around $25k) and the 5.0 finally had something to play with... but most of those owners were more mature and you rarely saw one on the scene, and, they usually stayed away from the 5.0 because by then all the 5.0's were sporting gears/exhaust and didn't want to get handled by a blue collar kid. The GNX arrived, but again, $30k. The only people buying them were grown up and stayed away from the scene, matter of fact, they were in bed when it was all going down. Late in the game Pontiac finally unleashed a stripped out Firebird called the Formula with the 350, but, it was only available with an automatic... so, the 5.0 ruled on.
If you are too young to remember, it was all about the 5.0... this is what the talk was like... "almost beat a 5.0", "5.0 wouldn't race me", "was pulling a 5.0 but ran out of track", "will it hang with a 5.0?" ... ... the 5.0 was the measuring stick.

 

[A5literMan]

And I feel, they were a main reason for the modern day "muscle car renaissance". The aftermarket exploded with mustang parts. That market had been stagnant for over 20 years. Magazines like 5.0,Mustangs and Fast Fords,etc became huge! Until then there were just basic Hotrod,CarCraft,Popular Hotrodding,and a bunch of fringe rags to read. They all were about the SBC. This platform is still iconic and promotes discussion(love or hate). How many F bodies of that generation do you see? I haven't seen one up here in a long time. I see foxbodies often At shows,at the track,and occasionally tooling down the highway. As far as value goes...never going to hit the same "value system" as a 60's muscle car. Still going to escalate in value though. I still get lots of comments/thumbs up from guys in my generation. Lots of "man I had one of those when.." or "I always wanted one of those when.." 20-30 year olds don't understand that. They may like or dislike but they didn't grow up in that era....and the over 60 crowd doesn't really care either(they had their muscle cars and nothing compares for them). Oh well I love them and don't really give a rat's red bunion hole what others really think(until I sell it lol).