SEMA 2012 – Cool Rides #10 – GAS Mustangs and More

Posted by pikesan on Nov 20, 2012 in Featured, Shows & Events | 0 comments

Galpin Auto Sports Ford Greats at SEMA 2012

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Wondering what this is?

I was too! Turns out this is one of two cars built for the United States Air Force as part of the 2009 “Super Car Tour”, a new recruiting tool. The other car built was a Dodge called “VAPOR”.  Think something like this would help a gearhead sign up for service?

Flat but pearly paint covers the Lambo style doors, APR custom wide body kit and Galpin Auto Sports (better known as GAS) carbon deck lid. The overall look was speedy and ready for flight. Especially…

Inside where the magic is! That’s a real jet ejection seat sitting right in the middle of the car. I suspect the flight stick doubles as the gear shift and the steering wheel is just barely seen here with the X-1 logo on it. Better hang on too, there’s a 500HP Ford Racing 4.6L under the hood. This is wild!

Call me crazy, but I’d still rather have the original, “Barn Find” 1965 Shelby GT350 pictured below. Turns out, I’m not the only one with a soft spot for ultra original, unrestored factory hot rods!

Barrett Jackson sold this 44,000 original mile, original paint, original everything gem at the 2012 Scottsdale Auction. Final asking price? $385,000 with fees. That’s unbelievable, but as the Barrett Jackson article says, “… a car is only original once, and it can never be unrestored.”

That hood demonstrates pure history. The history is well known too since it was owned by the same guy from 1965 to 2009. The car went from Shelby to Galpin Ford, of course, that’s why it’s in their booth, to Webster Ford in Caruthers, CA.

Who could buy a car like this and not drive the wheels off? (I guess now we’re glad they didn’t.)

Finally, the Galpin Gasser, version 3! How can you not like this nose in the air beast!? Coming from a history of 1950s Ford built into gassers and carrying the “Galpin Gasser” name, the latest is a 1957 Ford Custom 300. Not your standard race car or even custom hot rod, I guess, but damn she looks good “Galpanized” to a gasser by Steve Carpenter.

The engine’s a 500HP 331 Ford with a tunnel ram topped by two-fours and velocity stacks. Perfect! The paint and lettering set off the overall look though. It’s gold pearl with hand applied gold and silver leaf lettering. No stickers here!

So what do you think? Can the GAS folks do it right or what?