Our Five Favorite Fords From The Goodguys North Carolina Nationals

Once again, the beautiful state fairgrounds in the state capital of Raleigh, North Carolina, played host to the Goodguys North Carolina Nationals. Only in its fourth year, this event is quickly earning its spot on the Goodguys show schedule as one of the coolest stops of the year.

With its agricultural setting on the fairgrounds, the show is a nice change of pace from your traditional parking lot and racetrack shows. Of course, on top of all that, the event draws out some of the nicest cars in the south for everyone to see, making it a must-attend event on our show calendar each year. We, of course, were on location with camera in hand to check out all the Goodguys action. From all those shots, we narrowed the show down to our five favorite Fords from this year’s event…

5. Sleek & Simple Falcon Futura

Daniel Williams’ 1965 Falcon Futura is sleek and sinister. With all the trim blacked out, there is not a lot of flash here like some of the cars at Goodguys, but this one still draws plenty of attention. A set of black steel wheels, a simple interior and a period-correct 289, all look right at home. It offers a nice mix of simple that proves you do not need all the flash and chrome to get noticed. Good job, Daniel.

Rocking a 289-cube small-block Ford, an automatic on the column, and no chrome, this one just carries just the basics here and we love it.

4. Autocross Ford Ranger

The autocross competition is one of the highlights of every Goodguys show and always draws out some awesome machines. From company-built rocket ships to backyard builds, it draws a little of everything. Jonathan Graham’s 1986 Ford Ranger falls in the latter of those two categories. With some custom fender flares, air dam and other pieces, this Ranger is definitely one of a kind. There is some serious suspension work under this Ford truck and from the looks of it on the autocross track, it works.

That is definitely not a stock Ford Ranger frame underneath the bed. Mixed with a 302 Ford engine, a T5 manual transmission, and tons of weight reduction, this is one nasty little corner carver. It might not be show truck, but it can hang a corner with the best of them.

3. 1970 Boss 302

In a show field full of some of the nicest customs in the country, we still stopped dead in our tracks after spotting this all-original, 1970 Boss 302. One of only 7,013 such examples produced in that year and one of just 505 in red, this is a rare Mustang in any condition. This particular example belongs to Mike Jones of Jacksonville, North Carolina, and it appears  in 100-percent-correct factory condition right down to all the original markings and tags under the hood.

The original Boss 302 Mustangs were much more than just a styling exercise from Ford. They featured a unique 302-based engine with thin walls, screw-in freeze plugs, four-bolt main caps, and canted-valve cylinder heads. These cars also featured lower ride heights, reinforced shock towers, larger sway bars, and factory disc brakes up front. All of that made them great performers — both on the street and the track — right off the showroom floor.

2. Modular-Swap Galaxie

Over the past six months or so we have shown you several early ’60s Ford muscle cars in our top-five lists, but most of them have been pretty stock. At Goodguys in North Carolina we ran across one that was far from stock and definitely one of the coolest rides on the property.

Brandon Freeman’s 1964 Galaxie 500 was featured in the Builder’s Choice Top 10 area, which is obviously reserved for the best of the best, on Saturday. Sitting on a set of Budnick wheels and a modified, stock-style suspension featuring Ford Crown Vic goodies up front, Brandon’s Galaxie would look at home sitting just about anywhere. Its engine bay is filled by a naturally aspirated Four-Valve 4.6 liter engine giving this classic a modern touch of style and driveability.

While red interior may not be for everyone, we think it looks perfect in this white Galaxie. Revamped by Custom Auto Sound and Custom Stitching Company, this red leather interior features a nice mix of classic with just a few modern touches to match the Four-Valve 4.6 powerplant under the hood.

1.  Coyote-Swap 1972 F100

Geoff Beale’s 1972 F100 is one special truck. This thing is custom from headlights to tailgate and everything in between. It should come as no surprise that we found this beauty on Saturday in the Goodguys Trick Truck Corral. Powered by a 2015 Coyote 5.0-liter engine under the hood, it rides on Crown Vic suspension up front and a Lincoln independent suspension out back. The body rails and lines were worked and smoothed to make this truck more appealing to the eyes and appealing it is. Geoff’s truck is a beautiful piece of work.

The truck’s simple and clean exterior is carried over to the engine bay and interior. The Coyote’s smooth surroundings are upscaled, but the interior features just the basics to drive from Point A to Point B in comfort. A traditional, split-style truck bench seat with a custom center console trimmed in black leather keep the drive comfortable.

Bummed you missed out on all the Goodguys fun? Do not worry, the next one is just around the corner, May 11-12 in Nashville, Tennessee. Click here to see the entire 2018 Goodguys event schedule.

Even with some pretty serious Chevrolet cars and trucks on property, the Fords were holding their own on the Goodguys autocross circuit.

We never turn down the chance to visit the swap meet section at any show. The North Carolina Nationals’ swap meet and car corral had their fair share of Ford hardware.

The crew from Ford Performance was out in full swing with an impressive display of Ford goodies. On the outside, an early ’30s Ford roadster — in all-original form — welcomed you into a tent that showed off a 2019 Mustang Bullitt and a 2018 Mustang GT with a TVS supercharger and a wide variety of other Ford Performance goodies.

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About the author

Jeff Southard

Growing up with a dad who loved Corvettes, I was destined to be a gearhead from day one. Beyond that, my dad owned an auto parts business for over 25 years. There, I learned the automotive basics as a child, then began my professional career working there after high school. From Corvettes and Superbirds to Hemis and Cobra Jets, my dad has owned a little of everything over the years, so I've had my chance to get some quality seat time behind the wheel of some rare, unique, and sometimes, just odd automobiles. I have owned my share of toys, including over 20 Mustangs. I guess to make a long story short, if you look up "car crazy" you will probably find my photo listed pretty close to it!
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