Ford Mustang Marketing Corp. of America

Ford Motor Company withdrew from racing in late 1970 and by the early 1980s it was time to re-establish Ford's reputation in motor racing. This is when Michael Kranefuss was made director of the newly formed Special Vehicle Operations (SVO) with the task of Ford's re-entry into Motorsports using the Mustang Within the SVO group were marketing, finance, engineering and public relations people. Kranefuss along with Walter Hayes had several tasks at hand. Select a private race team and provide them with parts, technical backup, financial support and to expand the racing and high-performance street parts program known as Ford Motorsports. Also to produce a limited production high-performance street car that would bring SVOs racing success to the streets. By mid-1982 SVO and Ford Motorsports had spread into every form of racing in the USA. The #02 and #01 cars were designed by Bob Riley and Gary Pratt at their Pinckney, Michigan based Protofab Engineering facility and the race team was managed by Gary Kohs-Marketing Corp of America. IMSA rules allowed a full tube frame as long as it's made to fit around a stock floorpan and some measure of an original firewall in it's stock location. Cars weighted 2,450 lbs and the fuel call capacity was 32 gallons. Engines were dry sump BOSS 302 supplied by Bud Moore Engineering and were rubber mounted to cut down on the vibration and shock-transmission that can could shake loose some parts and fracture others. The 02 car raced on the treaded HPR tires and the sister 01 car raced on slicks. For the 1982 race season the 01 car was painted blue, for the 1983 season is was painted red to match the 02 car. Team drivers were John Bauer, Milt Minter, John Morton, Gary Pratt, Ronnie Bucknum, Tom Klausler and John Bright with Bauer and Minter as the main drivers of the 02 car. This car won the WEC Fuji 6 hour race (World Endurance Championship) in Japan with Bauer and Klausler at the wheel. This was the first win for FoMoCo in an International race since the GT40s at Lemans. This car has some very notable history as the #02 Firestone HPR Mustang team race car, one of two tube chassis cars built by Protofab for FoMoCo to run endurance races in IMSA GT for the 1982-1983 race seasons. This car was driven by John Bauer and Milt Minter and was funded by FoMoCo and Firestone to promote the HPR tire. It was recently purchased (December 2005) by the current owner and had previously been in storage since 1984 (was owned by the same original team owner all these years). The car is still in its original paint and livery from the 1983 season and came with some spares including two Bud Moore built Boss 302 dry deck dry sump engines (one 1983-era fresh and the other with only one race on it), two T-10 transmissions and several 'N' case differentials. According to the new owner, the tube chassis is a "work of art" and very well built; all TIG welded with Gary Pratt's signature all over the car. While it will need a full restoration and a few small missing items replaced, it has obviously held up very well over the years. This car (along with its #01 sister Mustang team car) ran in numerous races during 1982-1983 and won a 6 hour endurance race in Fuji, Japan in 1982. The sister #01 car was sold years ago and currently has a newer, updated Roush Mustang body on it. The #01 car was blue for 1982 and red for 1983. When you look at photos of both cars, one has two clips at the top of windshield (the #02 car) and the other car (the #01 car) has 3 clips at the windshield top area.

John Bauer drove this car in 1982 and 1983.