Weekly Motor Fix: 1970 Ford Mustang

10 March, 2015

 

In NZV8’s last Weekly Motor Fix, we took a peek at Maurice Shapley’s circuit-destroying Holden Monaro, with its serious re-engineering in pursuit of precious milliseconds. Well, this time around, we have an equally serious offering from the Ford camp.

Michael Dromgool has owned this tough 1970 Ford Mustang for 12 years, and it’s come a fair way to become the slick all-rounder you see here. When he purchased the car, it was essentially stock, and the first modification he made was some much-needed lowering, carried out on the day of purchase. Of course, there’s a bit more to it than a dose of low, as the pictures no doubt tell.

The Mustang is propelled along by a hot 302ci small block, stroked to 347ci, and comprising AFR heads, a solid camshaft with an aggressive grind, all backed by a rock-solid Tremec TKO600 five-speed manual gearbox. The healthy power figure this engine produces gave Michael no hesitation in entering Americarna’s Go–Stop event at Hawera, where he did rather well.

Inside, the car means business, but being a road car, Michael hasn’t gone overboard. Sparco race seats, a Sparco steering wheel, Autometer gauges, CMC-style long shifter, and fire extinguisher give everything needed to give her a hammering at the track, without detracting from the ever-important drivability on New Zealand roads.

The Mustang gets up and boogies alright, thanks to its generous helping of power, but Michael needed it to do more than just go in a straight line. RRS coilover suspension, with a three-link in the rear, keep it securely planted, and a big VTTR brake package rounds off the sturdy mechanical underpinnings.


The Simmons FR-series rims are a great look on the Mustang, especially with the 17×11-inch rears’ huge dish, and coupled with the matt-black vinyl wrap it looks almost like a road-going Hoonicorn — if Ken Block ever designed a street car. The grey-primer finish was a bit of a gamble, as the wheels were originally a polished finish, but Michael went with it and hasn’t looked back.

The sticky rubber on those Simmons wheels also helps to keep everything in check, and polish the Mustang off as a perfect all-rounder that can haul arse down a drag strip, pull serious lateral-G around corners, and cruise down to the shops for some milk. In fact, the ‘022’ decal down the side of the car is from the recent Waitara Street Sprint, and also signifies Michael’s son’s birthday. Michael plans to keep the Mustang for a whole lot longer, eventually passing it over to his son as a family heirloom.

It’s a seriously cool car with a great family history behind it, and by the sounds of it, a lot more still to come!

NZ Classic Car magazine, July August 2025 issue 400, on sale now

Good for the soul, a dose of Hemi Orange – Chrysler’s champion Charger
The Australian-developed Chrysler Charger was a game changer for the company in 1971, as it faced a faltering start introducing its new VH range. The stylish big coupe signalled a massive change of direction and emphasis for Chrysler.
Auckland racing driver Rod Coppins raced successfully in Australia and New Zealand. Rod found success behind the wheel of a couple of Chargers, and it is a special E49 R/T in the custody of Mike Todd for some years, that is our feature car.
A full restoration of this car has been completed at Auto Restorations (AR) in Christchurch. We recently sampled the car, ready to be shipped back to Mike and spoke to AR’s Harry Dawber, leading the team who completed the superb restoration of this rare piece of NZ motor racing history.
I mentioned that Chrysler Chargers were never built to this standard as we walked around the gleaming Charger in its Hemi Orange colour scheme.
“We took a lot of time getting those shut lines exactly right. It’s been a great car to work on, and the paint and trim have been very well done by the team here.”

Britannia rules the roads – Royal Tour Cars – part 2

Royal rollers and fancy Fords
Ford Zodiacs had transported the Queen Mother during her tour in 1958 but five years on, their glitz had perhaps faded a bit too much for an actual monarch. As there was no longer a convertible version of Britain’s Zephyr or Zodiac on offer, Ford looked to their American arm for a replacement, finding it in the huge Ford Galaxie. The Public Service Garage purchased the car at around £3000 for royal tour work and VIP transport.