When it comes to go fast Fords, you can be sure Bob Wytosky is first off the line. He loves the cars, but it’s the idea of making them even faster that really drives his passion.

“I’m definitely a ‘Day Two’ guy,” he said.“Although I appreciate all the work that some guys do to make their Mustangs ‘Day One,’ they were for me, and still are about performance.”

A Hawaii resident by way of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada, makes no apologies for removing smog pumps and rev limiters from some of the Blue Ovals famous Boss 302s and 429s.

“Those cars had tons of potential and looks, but it took lots of money and time to get it out of them,” Bob said.

Bobs ’64 Fairlane 500 is anything but a sleeper.

Bob, who grew up with friends around Southwinds Dragway, were track rats from the start.

“I was 10 years old but we watched, studied and talked with anyone we could about drag racing.” Bob, whose father was a structural steel iron worker, says. “From an early age I was helping him in the shop rebuild Continental sixes in our Lincoln welders. I probably learned to weld at about eight or nine so by the time we were ready for our drivers licenses we were totally enveloped in drag racing and performance cars.”

A stint as a reporter for a Western Canada magazine called Wheelspin News got Bob into the track more often and closer to the action. It was this job that would pave the way for the purchase of his first car.

“I bought a ’66 Mustang coupe for $200,” Bob said. “Then worked on it for a year performing extensive lightening after learning that weight was a big factor at the track.  I started with a 289 running 15s, got it down into 13s which was pretty fast for a street car back in my day. We did a lot of street racing in back then when the track wasn’t open.”

A racer at heart, Bob has since worked his magic on an impressive string of Dearborn muscle including his current ’64 Fairlane 500. “We built it in 1983 as a street car and got carried away. I traded my old 289 out of my 1966 Mustang and changed the 289 heads for 351 Windsor heads bringing the compression down to 8.5 from 10. I also recently swapped the Toploader four-speed for a T-5.”

Sharing garage space out back is Bob’s wife’s ’64 Falcon which began as an all-stock, original 144 six-banger.

“I had to ‘hot rod’ it up to a 170 six back in the ’80s,”  Bob says he’s suggested going with a 289 but for now his wife still holds the reins.

Aching for attention is Bob’s 1961 Mercury Canadian unibody short box 1/2 ton truck.  “I built it in the 90’s when I got the itch again with a rear engine dragster.” Motivated by a Ford powered Boss 302 the frame is boxed and plated and utilizes a Lincoln Town car clip, a 460 C6 automatic, Lincoln discs and rear end set it up for 5th wheel. All necessary to haul his NHRA Super Comp alcohol Injected Boss 302 rear engine dragster!

Bob’s ’61 Merc truck, trailer and alcohol-injected Boss 302 dragster.

R Is For Race

As if it could have been scripted from Bob’s youth, the most notable piece of the collection his Stark Hickey racer. Ordered by Ford Motor Company, Research and Engineering in September 1968 as a test vehicle, the Mustang retains its 1969 R-code door tag and a prototype 1970 dash tag.

“The body was equipped with a Boss 302 engine (prototype configuration) and com­pleted brake testing for the Boss Program,” Bob said.

Modifications were started in Detroit to run in the NHRA SS/H class followed by the incomplete race car being sent to Holman Moody/Stroppe prior to the 1970 Winter Nationals, where it was com­pleted and painted to promote the Stark Hickey Ford, Royal Oak, Michigan, deal­ership.

Piloted by Tony Rainero the car saw many passes down the strip along with being used as a test bed for Fords high-stall torque converter development.

Seizing the opportunity to own a piece of history, Bob purchased the car in 1975 and continued to race in NHRA Super Stock until 1978 at which time he disassembled, oiled and greased down the car before being stored in a ship­ping container.

Bob’s prototype Boss is currently on display at Wally Parks NHRA museum in Pomona, California.

The car was brought out of storage in the fall of 2012 to be restored back to the 1970 Stark Hickey Ford sponsored SS/H Mustang of the early 70’s and a trip with driver Tony Rainero to display the beast at SEMA.

Today, Bob and his wife cruise their Hawaiian paradise in more modern vehicles suited well for island life but the lure of racing and classic cars are never far away.

“For me it was, and still is about enjoyment,” Bob added. “Even when racing, if I did better than the other guy good, if he was better I was, I was OK with that too. It was about having a good time.”

In the classic-car hobby, that’s always a win.

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