Quarter-Mile Mustangs

Since first becoming a mass-market success in mid-1964, the Ford Mustang has made millions of passes down the quarter-mile on sanctioned drag strips. With styling flared toward the youth, aftermarket parts manufacturers saw an enormous opportunity to produce go-fast components to aid in propelling Ford’s pony car down the 1320. The success of these cars was immediate.

In the hands of successful and seasoned pros, such as Gas Ronda, Bill Lawton, and Dick Brannan, Ford unleashed the devastatingly potent 1965 A/FX Mustang fastback, which was built by Blue Oval stalwarts Holman & Moody with the 427 SOHC (Cammer) engine that unleashed havoc on mother Mopar.

From those very first factory drag cars through the fabled 1968½ Cobra Jets, drag racing historian Doug Boycehighlights the many successes of pioneers, such as “Dyno” Don Nicholson, Les Ritchey, Phil Bonner, Hubert Platt, and Al Joniec. However, it’s not just all doorslammers. As A/FX transitioned into Funny Car, a whole new chapter in Mustang drag racing was written with Mickey Thompson taking the reins and steering Mustangs to success throughout the late 1960s and early 1970s.

The muscle car–era Mustangs joined the Mustang II and soldiered on the best they could as ever-changing rules hampered Ford’s new pony body, with drivers Bob Glidden and Nicholson trying to squeeze every bit of performance out of the diminutive pony.

Quarter-Mile Mustangs: The History of Ford’s Pony Car at the Drag Strip 19641/2-1978 brings forth the most in-depth coverage of these cars at the drag strip. Don’t get caught sleeping at the light!

• The Ford Mustang is widely considered the greatest
pony car of all-time, and its usage in drag racing has
gained it worldwide accreditation
• This is the first book to ever exclusively cover the Ford
Mustang in drag racing events
• Many never-before-seen photos along with firsthand
accounts from many Mustang racers