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“Are you still going into production on
the option?”
“Yep, and right now we’re on our way to
Romeo (Ford’s testing area for high speed) to crack that 150 I mentioned
last spring!”
At this point I released that they were
serious. It seemed hard to believe but apparently Ford was out to regain
their “performance image” that was long ago copped by Chevrolet. Evans
said he’d get back to me with the results of the speed runs and also that,
as soon as he could, he’d turn over the car to me for a driver’s report.
On a Wednesday morning several weeks ago,
I motored out to Dearborn and picked up the Special. By three o’clock that
afternoon I’d completed the acceleration tests and was on the phone to
MOTOR LIFE’s offices on the West Coast. A fifth wheel and an electric
speedometer don’t lie, and that times that this engine turned up (now
ensconced in a 1960 Starliner) could only lead me to believe that here,
hands down was the High Performance Car of this or any other year!
What kind of acceleration figures
convinced me? Well, 0 to 30 in 3.1 seconds, 0 to 45 in 4.9 and 0 to 60 in
7.1 (right – seven-point-one). These are performance figures that
deserve the title heavy (4161 lbs. at the curb) Starliner delivered.
The just to be sure that the clocks and
the like were correct, I called Gil Kohn, owner of Detroit Dragways, the
site of the 1959 NHRA Championships, and asked for permission to run the
Ford through his Chrondek timers. He agreed and two nights later I was on
the line. With 8.00 x 15 nylon tires and a full load of fuel, the
Ford turned the standing quarter mile in 92.87 mph with an E.T. of 15.32.
With the right tires, the right tuning (and the right driver) this car
should easily break 15 seconds with more than 98 mph at the quarter-mile
drags. So here’s a Ford that can turn over 150 mph. (Oh yes, I forgot to
mention. The car did turn that “one-fifty”. In fact, it turned
152.2 on Romeo’s high banked five-mile oval four days after it returned
from the Daytona run.)
And, that’s quite a package for “under
$150,” isn’t it? But just what’s included and how it gets its go is just
amazing.
First off, the manifold for the Holley
carburetor is new. So are the cast iron headers and the cam. And so, too,
are the fuel pump, three-eighths gasoline line and clearances for rods and
other moving parts. But the unusual thing is that, aside from the bolt-ons
and very few changes inside the block, the engine is basically just a
plain 352.
The compression’s up to 10.6-to-1 from
the normal 9.6 and the dual-point distributor hasn’t got a vacuum unit.
New, also, is the pushrod assembly (borrowed from the Falcon Six) but the
solid lifters came off the shelf from 1958 and the pistons, rods and crank
and valves remain basically the same as introduced two years back.
The only exception is that now the exhaust valves are drop-forged instead
of being cast.
All of which brings us around to the fact
that the 352 was a screamer after all, or at least could have been
if someone would have taken the time to really find out.
But, we can’t stop there. An engine that
turns out 360 horsepower at 6,000 rpm and develops 380 lbs. of torque at
3400 rpm has to have a chassis and a driveline to go with it. And, the new
Ford has!
Beefed up suspension, commonly known at
Ford as “Interceptor” springs and shocks, was fitted to our test car. In
the power transmission department (not to be confused with the automatic
transmission department) there’s something new as well. The Starliner that
turned in the above time was fitted with a 4.86 rear end. Coupled with a
stock Overdrive unit this broke down to 3.49 as a road axle.
Such gearing, with the added advantage of
having a “passing gear” in effect when locked out of overdrive in third,
delivers some real mileage. On a test run of over 200 miles the Starliner
averaged 15.1 mpg which, considering the weight and engine, is
exceptionally good.
Stopping power is also quite good because
of the three-inch wide linings that are included in the Interceptor
packages. Roll on tight corners at speed is kept down with stabilizers.
In addition to the above chassis options,
a complete list of “service” items is offered. These are items that won’t
be available from the factory when you order your car. Meaning, except for
the heavier suspension mentioned, a three/eighths inch gas line and the
352 performance engine, you’ll have to buy such goodies as heavy-duty rear
axles, super-stiff spring rates and tougher spindles from your dealer’s
parts department and have them installed. All of which brings us around to
an interesting point in the development of this Special.
Obviously, Ford knows hat people race
(and will continue to race) their products. Now, “race” is a dirty word
in Detroit when a factory is mentioned in the same breath. No one in
command of a domestic auto works will admit to being a part to anything
competitive in auto activities.
But, Ford has taken the bull by the horns
and stated in a letter of intent to the Automobile Manufacturers
Association that they are building and offering for sale the HPS with
heavy-duty extras. If they’re going to race – Ford Motor Company will make
it safer for them to compete. There is no question but what Ford’s
approach to this problem is the most honest, straightforward one that’s
been expressed by anyone in the Motor
City. They should be congratulated
for the farsighted thinking regarding safety and their open admission of
helping to make stock car activity a safer area of sport.
And what’s more, Evans and his crew should
be congratulated on convincing the Ford brass that the “performance image”
was worth going after – and the going after it in such a convincing
fashion.
If you’re a loyal Ford fan who’s been
eating dust from the “hot ones” for so long, weep no more my laddie!
There’s a new bomb being readied that will make believers out of several
skeptics in your circle. |
