- BODY, WHEELS & TIRES: Road Race Replicas
This is another pretty special one. Yeah, I know, I say that about all of ‘em… and I daresay they are all special in some way or another. So what’s special about this one? Well, for starters, this is an early one, bought back in February or March of 2020 when I was still getting into this hobby. This is the second Mustang Fastback body I bought from Road Race Replicas, after the gold street version. If you read the “Meet The Fleet” entry on that car, you know that getting the RRR body to fit the Ultra-G chassis wasn’t easy; it took a lot of patience and modification. Thus when I bought this one, I applied the knowledge I’d learned getting that one to work and this one went together much more smoothly, though again it took a good amount of work to make everything fit.
And, look at the results! The iconic white/blue striped Shelby with a set of gray finish Torque Thrusts: this ain’t nuthin’ but right! This was the first set of these wheels I got in the gray finish, as before I even got the car I knew they were going to be the perfect look, and I wasn’t disappointed.
Over time I added the decals, as I decided to start numbering all my racing cars. The early photos show the car on the original Tyco track (Drag City Mk.I) before it even had a racing number, let alone any of the adverts it now bears. But other than the decals, the car hasn’t changed at all, because again, you don’t mess with perfection! This car’s performance is as legendary as it should be, considering its namesake: it won many of my early tournaments, and can still hold its own even today against cars with half the mileage.
Well, let me clarify, as one thing did change: this is another car I fried the motor on. I was in the middle of a race running what looked like another record time when it began slowing down and smoking. The smell that met my nose the moment I opened it up let me know she was done racing for the day, but the next day she was scrubbed-up and had a new motor and was back on the track! That’s the beauty of the American pony cars: they’re so simple and easy to work on that an engine swap can be accomplished overnight by a couple of mechanics with the right tools. And that is also the beauty of a Thunderjet: cheap power, easy fun, awesome performance!
And that’s what makes this one kinda special: its a competitive, dependable performer that’s been with me almost from the start; I’ve put hours of racing on it, burned up a motor, replaced worn tires, and she still looks as good as the day I built her, and she’s still ready to go and still winning races! How can you beat that?!