Description
1985 saw the introduction of the Group A rules, leaving Dick Johnson without a Ford eligible to race. This lead to sourcing the Mustang from Zakspeed, that was already out of date. The first running of the car was not up to speed with the engine requiring lots of work to make it legal and competitive. Johnson was able to finish the 1985 ATCC in 2nd place.
The ATCC season lead into the AEC (Australian Endurance Championship) and included Amaroo, Oran Park, Sandown, Bathurst and Surfers Paradise. After missing the first round, the Mustang had a upgrade to its suspension and brakes. The Mustang dominated the Oran Park 250 from Pole Position, but a stub axel failure caused a DNF
12 laps from the finish.
For the next race, the Sandown 500 he teamed with Larry Perkins, after Perkins walked out on HDT. The Mustang was looking good for the race, qualifying in 3rd position behind the parings of Brock/Oxton and Grice/Cullen, both in VK Commodores. The Mustang was again fast, leaping to the lead and setting the fastest lap of the race. But again the car was unreliable, with a broken axel costing the car its first win.
For the remainder of the 1985 AEC, the Mustang showed promised but couldn’t land its maiden win. Finishing 7th at Bathurst and 3rd at Surfers Paradise.
Feautres
The model is accurately detailed, the cowl panel features a finely molded vent, twin antennas, bonnet scoop and kill switch.
Behind the Mustang wheel rims are slotted disc brakes on all four wheels.
The left hand drive Mustang has the interior stripped out with full roll cage. The chassis pressing, switch box and pedals are well presented.
The drivers racing seat features soft padding and racing harness with individual buckles.
The 5.0L V8 breathes from twin snorkels attached to the side walls of the engine bay. Opening the bonnet is aided by a bonnet release button on the chassis.
From below the detail continues with metal springs used on the suspension. The steering wheel is linked to the front wheels for extra realism.
The highly detailed rear chassis features air jacks, fuel tank, suspension setup and differential.
The chassis bears an individually numbered etched metal plate which is the edition number of your model.
