New Holman-Moody Tour de France Mustang

Was talking to Lee Holman today and he told me about this project he just finished, instigated by Edsel Ford:

Holman Moody | 2014 - 50th Anniversary TdF Mustang

It's nice to see some recognition that people other than Carroll Shelby did interesting things with Fords in the 60s.....

Thats a very neat idea.

too bad its only a dealer intalled package.

There were several of those during the 60s as well. ie: The High Country Special cars.

None of them ever really seem to have appreciated to much over the initial cost of the upgrade.

Mark R said:

Thats a very neat idea.

too bad its only a dealer intalled package.

There were several of those during the 60s as well. ie: The High Country Special cars.

None of them ever really seem to have appreciated to much over the initial cost of the upgrade.

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Not sure I follow... I think a better analogy would be with today's so-called Shelby Mustangs.

I remember at the time thinking the GTCS was lame; it was totally cosmetic and they made nearly 5,000 of them. Lameness tends not to erode with time (Hertz Shelbys and post-66 Shelby's being somewhat of an exception).

Also it's not entirely "dealer installed". You have to start with ordering the car as a TdF Mustang from Ford. Then some of the bits are installed later by the dealer.

awatkins said:

Not sure I follow... I think a better analogy would be with today's so-called Shelby Mustangs.

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Agreed, the GT500s of today are built by Ford. But at least they are a performance-spec upgrade and not just a set of bolt-on afterthoughts.

I remember at the time thinking the GTCS was lame; it was totally cosmetic and they made nearly 5,000 of them. Lameness tends not to erode with time (Hertz Shelbys and post-66 Shelby's being somewhat of an exception).

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Sure, the '68 GT/CS cars were lame if you are comparing them to a GT350/500. But it was a nice factory upgrade from a base model or GT. And current value for a restored '68 GT/CS are likewise favorable. Also, production was closer to 4,000. (not that it matters)

And the '67 GT350/500 cars were also produced at Shelby's facility. Ford took over all the production starting in '68.

Also it's not entirely "dealer installed". You have to start with ordering the car as a TdF Mustang from Ford. Then some of the bits are installed later by the dealer.

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You have to order a minimum package type to get the TdF install kit, which is then installed by the dealer. Right? So what would stop you form ordering the same package without the TdF kit? So, its the Dealer installed kit, that makes it a TdF.

In any case, dealer istalled upgrades will tend to be more 'lame' (generally). There were actually quite a few Mustang GTs that were upgraded as dealer options. Marti reports tend to sort this out.

Sorry to be negative. I just wish it was a factory built car.

Mark R said:

You have to order a minimum package type to get the TdF install kit, which is then installed by the dealer. Right? So what would stop you form ordering the same package without the TdF kit? So, its the Dealer installed kit, that makes it a TdF.

In any case, dealer istalled upgrades will tend to be more 'lame' (generally). There were actually quite a few Mustang GTs that were upgraded as dealer options. Marti reports tend to sort this out.

Sorry to be negative. I just wish it was a factory built car.

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The option is a "ship through/package" code. This I.D.s the car as going to be converted. Ford can't do the program like the 60's Shelbys where parts were actually left off and so some items like the 9" rear end with Detroit Locker were installed at the assembly plant. Federal certification regulations make doing that type of of "semi knock-down" too complex for certification responsiblity. That is why these programs like the TdF and the new GT 350 are "post title" programs, i.e. the customer purchases the base car, titles it and then the modifications are done so that the installer is responsible for less of the certification liability.
Even Shelby could not get some components left off the cars they converted recently such as the GT500 KRs, that's why the stock wheels and tires as well as hoods were available as "take-offs" via Shelby.


I wish Lee good luck with the program. These are more difficult to sell than some would think and the current generation of car guys have no idea what or where the "Tour de France" was (despite the clue in the name!)

Mark IV said:

These are more difficult to sell than some would think and the current generation of car guys have no idea what or where the "Tour de France" was (despite the clue in the name!)

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So France.... that's near Europe, right? But isn't that a bicycle race?

Anyway I'm just tired of how thoroughly the "s-word" has been milked by Ford. I long ago lost interest in all the different striped Mustangs. The chili mix is still good though, although they've ditched the cute Texas instructions ("pot likker", etc.). Too bad it's too late to get served with a lawsuit that might have CS's signature in it somewhere. Anybody have an NOS can of Carroll Shelby "Pit Stop" deoderant for sale?

I purchased one of the last SVT cobras built in '04, and am kind of glad I got one of the last pre-shelby mustang/cobras. The 03/04 cobras were pretty low production #s and are truly unique cars. There really isn't much that didn't get upgraded vs a standard GT.

Some complain about the IRS, but I really like it!