Following a two-month break after the season-opening event in Florida, round two of the 2009 NMRA season stormed into Atco, New Jersey, on May 15-17 for the ninth annual Nitto NMRA Nationals, sponsored by Ford and presented by Downs Ford. While the drag racers roared down the quarter-mile in their quest for season points, Mustang and Ford car show participants from around the Garden State vied for plaques and trophies in the All-Ford Auto Show, hosted at Atco by a joint effort between Wicked Motorsports and Eastcoaststang.com. We've got to hand it to the NMRA for handing out a ton of awards at their shows. At Atco, nearly 100 plaques and trophies were distributed on Saturday and Sunday for everything from Top 20 Fords to Best Classic Mustang to Best of Show. Bob Hahn Sr. nabbed two of the event's biggest awards-Sunday's Best of Show and the Mustang Monthly Editor's Choice award-with his 77-mile '92 SAAC Mk 1 Mustang.
Mark Romano went for the Boss...
Mark Romano went for the Boss look with wrap-around black stripes on his Grabber Blue '70 hardtop. The clean Mustang is equipped with black vinyl roof, Competition suspension, and a 302 small-block. Mark earned a Second place in the Best Classic Mustang class on Saturday.
In a past life, Joe Davidson's...
In a past life, Joe Davidson's '93 SSP Mustang probably pulled over a lot of New Jersey residents who were visiting Florida for vacation. Joe says his hardtop was the last SSP Mustang marked for Florida Highway Patrol duty. The car took a Top 20 award on Saturday.
We're used to seeing '79 Indy...
We're used to seeing '79 Indy Pace Cars in completely stock and original condition. Tom Clark bucked the trend by lowering his pewter and black hatchback over a set of aftermarket wheels and Falken performance tires. The strategy earned him a Top 20 award and Second place Best Interior on Saturday, along with a Long Haul award for driving the car to New Jersey from Ravena, New York.
Shelby GT500s sure look sweet...
Shelby GT500s sure look sweet in Grabber Orange. This Super Snake version belongs to Barry Leonard.
It's amazing how many '03-'04...
It's amazing how many '03-'04 Mach 1s are still seeing highway duty.
Editor's Choice: On The Trail Again
Bob Hahn Sr. owns the trifecta of Mustang collectability-rare, high-performance, and low-mileage. In fact, we'd have to say that Bob's '92 SAAC Mk 1 Mustang is a unique Mustang in its own right. With only 65 SAAC Mustangs produced, it's rarer than '65 Shelbys and Boss 429s. The 295 naturally-aspirated horsepower and suspension mods place it in the Shelby GT350 category for performance. And with only 77 miles, it's a low-mileage original.
To top it off, Bob is the original owner. "It had 17 miles showing on the odometer when I bought it," Bob tells us. "On Feb. 24, 1992, I purchased a new car trailer and drove to Watson Engineering in Taylor, Michigan, where the Mk 1 conversions were done. It was subsequently driven to Crouse Ford Sales for a warranty issue to repair a non-working passenger-side window and I got caught in a cloud burst on the way home. So after that, the car was parked. It's hauled in an enclosed car trailer to a couple of car shows each year."
Produced by the SAAC Car Company, an outgrowth of the Shelby American Automobile Club, the SAAC Mk 1 Mustangs were first offered in 1991. Interestingly, Carroll Shelby approved the project but couldn't lend his name because he was obligated to Chrysler at the time. Developed in conjunction with Ford to help introduce the GT40 performance parts, the SAAC Mustangs were initially offered as Mk 1 models in white with blue stripes. Equipment included the 295hp GT-40 engine package, rear disc brakes from Ford SVO, Koni struts and shocks, lowering springs, and 17-inch 5-lugs wheels. Later, SAAC offered Mk 2 and Snake versions. All were hand assembled. Production ended shortly after Ford introduced the '93 Cobra.