This is a long story so bear with me.
Way back in the 80s when I was the Lil Stampie I got my car bug from my Dad. Not the normal adjust the carb and hear the V8 rumble way. He gave it to me in his own special way. The one thing I remember most from my Dad while growing up was that one day he wanted a 64 1/2 Mustang convertible. I swear he said that more than he beat my ass and my ass got beat a lot. Only one problem, my Dad didn't get that 64 1/2 Mustang while I was growing up so it was just a dream.
Move forward to the early 2000s. I'd owned several Volvo 240s in high school and college and 88 Saab 900 Turbo while in the Air Force but those were normal cars back then. By now I'd move to Jacksonville and had a job that kept me driving all around town. One day I see an old American convertible sitting at a house. Knock on the door and no answer. Few months later I'm in the same area and it's sitting there still. Knock on the door and a lady answered. She said it's her father's but he won't sell. Even a more few months later I see it again and when I knock on the door he answers.
He tells me that it's a 1970 Cadillac DeVille convertible. Says that yeah he'll sell so we go to look at it. It's rusty as berk and if I knew then what I know now I'd shake his hand and walk away. Instead I'm in love with this classic American vert that's probably lost a ton in rust. He then says the magic words. He'll sell it for $1200 but has a friend that runs a tow truck. He'll have it towed to my house and let me look it over that weekend before I decide.
It gets there and I'm in love. I start looking it over. It doesn't start. It's rusted to hell but the top goes down and I look good in it. For being a 20 something I actually make the adult decision to pass. Then I think of my Dad's 64 1/2 Mustang that he didn't get. I call the guy and tell him that I'll take it because I didn't want to go through life thinking I should have bought that rusty old Cadillac. That old Cadillac started me down my old/interesting car path. Without it I wouldn't have the addiction I have now.
Move on to late 2008. The new Lil Stampie is just starting to walk when my Dad calls me. Says that he has the money to get his 64 1/2 Mustang. Asked me to find him one. I find him one a couple of hours north of him. Few weeks later I go up and we look at it together. Beautiful car. Best restoration I've ever seen. I tell my Dad that the only problem is it's so nice he'll be afraid of driving it. He buys it and over the next few years puts several hundred miles on it but was afraid to drive it because it was so nice.
We sold it a few years back. I thought about buying it but it would have killed me financially with a young Lil Stampie in private school. I ended deciding that it really wasn't for me because it was my Dad's dream and he'd fulfilled that dream because now he can say that he got his 64 1/2 Mustang.
So why am I telling you this story? Because a little over a month ago spkorb put up this ad.
https://grassrootsmotorsports.com/forum/cars-sale/challenge-prices-challenge-collection/192326/page1/
65 Suprang? What's that? Ok Supra enhanced Mustang. Peaked my interest enough that I sent him a PM and he replies that he'll call me the next evening. In the meanwhile he post a link the to build.
I start to read and get deep enough that I'm like this dude build a cool ass car. This is the kind of first gen Mustang I can get into. We talk the next evening and I love it except no title. I throw out a couple of ideas and they don't work. I decide to think about it.
Next day is Friday and in car pool line I decide I don't need a car I can't drive on the street. That evening I call spkorb to tell him that I'm going to pass. When I mention title he says oh my wife and I figured out how we can do it. I immediately say yes I'll take it.
Right now Lil Stampie and I are in a hotel downtown Raleigh, NC ready to pick up Suprang in the morning. I was able to check it out a few weeks ago when I picked up the Nash that spkorb sold 914driver.
Here's the teaser pictures from my first time seeing it in person.
So what is Suprang? It's a 65 Mustang A Code 289 V8 with the firewall and forward of a 82 Supra with the Mustang panels grafted on. A 289 is engine swapped onto the Supra metal and uses a custom Aussie made bellhousing too adapt it to the Supra 5 speed transmission. In the rear the Supra subframe was grafted in including the factory LSD. Spkorb is a genius. How many Challenge cars can claim to be engine swapped and run in stock block class?
I'm glad spkorb let us adopt Suprang.