Rise of the Fox-Body Generation – Jason Curtis’ Supercharged ’91 Mustang Notchback
The Fox-Body Mustang might be more popular today than Lee Iacocca’s first-generation pony cars that turned the automotive world on its ear in the 1960s. The third-gen Mustang, with enduring styling from Ford Design Chief Jack Telnack, is one of the most-attainable modern pony car platforms around and easily lends itself to go-fast mods.
Debuting in 1979, the third-gen Mustang was like a breath of fresh air. Seemingly overnight, the middlin’ Mustang II was unceremoniously sent to the glue factory. Instead of a Pinto chassis, the new Mustang was based on a shortened Fairmont Fox platform, hence the nickname. Over the next 14 years, this new Mustang was massaged, tweaked, and updated until it was replaced by the fourth-generation SN95 model for 1994.
Jason Curtis has had a thing for Fox-body Mustangs since he was a kid. He owned a 1990 GT back in the day, but family duties intervened, and his stable was emptied. A LEO by profession, he lives in Oakley, California with his wife and two boys and these days, he’s a reborn Fox-body jockey.
He pitched his wife that as soon as they paid off their house, he wanted to jump back into the corral of Mustang ownership and include the whole family in the adventure as well. She agreed and the rest is history.
Jason set out to find a coupe and it took him eight months of scouring the internet to locate a suitable candidate. “What I found when looking for a late-era Fox-body is there were two options to choose from,” he says. “Either well-used racehorses or tired, stone-stock nags. I finally found my 1991 Mustang LX Notchback in Nevada, and it was a hybrid of sorts. It had been painted, and a turbocharger was added by the previous owner, but it was a rust-free California car with 133k miles on the clock. I christened it the ‘Cali Coupe.’”
Jason took his newly acquired steed to Fox-body guru Edgar Arevalo of Six50 Motors in Hayward, California. They put their heads together and developed a plan to transform the old ’Stang into the MTV-era cruiser of Jason’s dreams.
First off, the guys swapped out the front and rear suspensions with spanking new Maximum Motorsports components combined with 18-inch ESR C5 wheels, SVE disc brakes, and Nitto NT555 rubber. The little pony saddled up nicely with the upgrades and now gallops down the road with a sure-footed, picture-perfect stance.
Under the hood, the original engine and turbocharger were sent out to pasture. In its place, Edgar and his team at Six50 dropped in a Vortech-supercharged, 347c.i., R-Code, Blue Oval small-block with 550hp. Backed up by a Tremec TKX five-speed manual transmission, the engine boasts Holley Systemax Induction, BBK headers, and Magnaflow exhaust.
The interior deviates just a skosh from early-’90s Ford design. A keen eye will spot white-faced Dakota Digital gauges, an AZA flat-bottomed steering wheel, a Hurst shifter, and Corbeau Trailcat seats. This cabin has that certain patina of a car that is meticulously maintained but regularly driven and enjoyed.
Like Bob Dylan sang, “the times they are changing,” and Jason could be the poster child for the new blood circulating in our hobby. Just 41 years young, Jason put it into good perspective for us. “My peers and I now have ‘grown-up money,’” he says, “and we’re building the cars we knew in a younger day.”
For this generation, old school doesn’t mean prewar Fords or ’60s-era muscle cars. We say bring it on! Muscle machines from the ’80s and ’90s are more modern cars with airbags, competent suspensions, disc brakes, and fuel injection from the factory. They are a great stepping off point for eager enthusiasts wanting to jump into the project car game.
Jason has owned his Mustang for two years and puts miles on it every chance he gets. He is well known at Pleasanton Goodguys events, local meets, and cars and coffees in beautiful NorCal. “The best part of the build has been hanging with new friends, old friends, and Edgar and Jesus from Six50 Motors,” Jason says. “It’s a family affair with our kids and wives, too. We’re having a blast with the car and want to thank everybody at Goodguys for the acknowledgement!”
Photos by Terry Lysak
