By Aleta Vinas, ANN Correspondent

Mustangs, panthers and cobras, oh my!

Kermit Weeks' incomparable 'Fantasy of Flight' aviation attraction in Polk City (FL) was overrun by powerful beasts this past weekend (April 8-10). Beasts of the rubber tire variety as opposed to the furry footed variety.

The well-attended three day show brought hundreds of Ford Pony cars and a few other varieties, to the Air Museum. From 1964 1/2 to 2005, they were almost all represented. The chrome gleamed and high gloss painted shined on these “babies”. Almost all of them looked as if they had just rolled off the showroom floor.

The ‘Stang owners, while quite proud to show off their beauties in public, are also very protective. Some folks interviewed preferred not to mention where they were from, some even declined to be interviewed at all. You can’t blame them for their cautiousness. Even if insured, can the money ever replace the years spent on such careful, loving restorations?

A Mr. Conklin brought in a rare 1971 Boss 351. Only 1806 were made that year, with only one other having all the same options as Mr. Conklin’s. He has restored the car to 'concours' class but still has a bit more work to do. Concours refers to restoring the car back to the same appearance as when it was on the showroom floor in 1971 -- same equipment -- and no modifications.

Conklin has had the ’71 for two and a half years and did all the work himself. “I have literally put my hands on every square inch of the car.” He said “Bodywork included.” Do these pristine beauties get any time on the road? Not this one... the only driving is on and off the trailer to head to the next car show. Mr. Conklin explains that, “I guess you can say she’s a trailer queen.” The Boss is his third Mustang in four years and the prior two were sold to buy the Boss.

The Garner’s brought their pink 1967 Fastback, with matching pink fire extinguisher. The Garner’s use the Fastback for daily driving but it certainly didn’t look it. The Garner’s are the second owner and the car was white when they bought it. The pink was an official special order color from Ford and Mrs. Garner wanted it brought back to the original pink.

The Garner’s have been Mustang fans all their married lives, which has been 35 years (and still going). They started showing in 1997. Mr. Garner does the restoration. “He takes it down to frame and builds it back up.” Mrs. Garner says proudly, “He does all the work himself.” Mrs. Garner takes care of the cleaning.

Only two Mustangs, of the flying variety, were present on Sunday, though a third P-51 did make a brief appearance. It took a break from the MacDill airshow going on in Tampa (FL) and did a high speed fly-by. It landed for a short stay, then promptly sped off. Do come back again, fella...

The two P-51’s on display belonged to Fantasy of Flight owner and aviator Kermit Weeks. Andy Salter, who takes care of the machine shop, powerplant and hydraulics as part of the engineering team at Fantasy of Flight, gave some details about the two shining airplanes.

The two P-51’s have the Rolls Royce Merlin/Packard engines which provided the P-51s with superior high altitude performance over the original Allison engine. The P-51C (pictured above), was purchased by Weeks in a racing configuration. Weeks had it restored back to its military configuration. The paint scheme of the red tail colors was
done to honor the Tuskegee Airmen, the first Black Americans to fly combat in World War II. Tuskegee pilots stood out for being the only fighter escort group to have never lost a bomber to enemy aircraft.

Since rides in the P-51 were just a Fantasy, the Mustang enthusiasts filled their need for flight by buying a run around the patch in a Standard D-25 1929 bi-plane. There is also a 1942 Boeing Stearman PT-17 and a hot air balloon available for flights.

No matter how many horses you have under your hood or cowling, you’re welcome at Fantasy of Flight.

FMI www.fantasyofflight.com