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FORD DEALERS

Ford and Mercury dealers brought all those great Total Performance cars to the masses. Here we explore some of these old dealerships.

BOB FORD

Bob Ford in Dearborn had close ties with FoMoCo, as owner Robert W. Ford was Henry Ford's nephew. It opened at 13469 Michigan Avenue as the "R.W. Ford Agency" in 1923. The name was changed in the 1930s to Bob Ford. At some point early on, it relocated to 14585 Michigan Ave. Robert's son, John Ford, took over the dealership in 1953. Bob Ford sponsored numerous drag cars in the 60's, including Thunderbolt #2 driven by Len Richter. The dealership was sold in 1983 and renamed Fairlane Ford, which remains open in 2013. The original building, located where Fairlane Ford's body shop is now, was torn down 1968. Fairlane Ford is the second longest operating Ford dealer in the world. See more on the Bob Ford page. (Š2008 Dennis Kolodziej Image)

MAX CURTIS FORD

Max Curtis Ford operated for many years on Michigan Avenue in Lansing, Michigan. Max Curtis sponsored Dick Loehr's Mustang funny cars in the late 1960's. The dealership changed it's name and moved to Okemos in the mid-90's. The old building remains in 2008, it is now a Staples store.

PAUL HARVEY FORD

Sales manager/racer Paul Harvey left Bob Ford in 1966 to open his own store in Indianapolis. Paul Harvey Ford was opened at 525 W. 38th Street in Indianapolis in 1966. Harvey sponsored many drag cars, including those driven by his son, Jerry Harvey. Paul Harvey Ford closed in 2010.

ROMY HAMMES FORD

Romy Hammes Ford operated from 1940 to 1974 in South Bend Indiana. The dealership sponsored most of Dick Brannan's race cars throughout the sixties. Former owner Jerry Hammes has an extensive website at Jerryhammes.com.

SHELBY FORD

Carroll Shelby owned a Ford Dealer in South Lake Tahoe, California. See more on the Shelby Ford page.

STARK HICKEY FORD

One of Metro Detroit's longest operating Ford franchises. The original Stark Hickey dealership was located at 550 N. Woodward in Royal Oak, Michigan. Stark Hickey sponsored Dick Brannan's Goldfinger '65 A/FX Mustang and Bronco '66 Mustang Funny Car, and Hubert Platt's '67 Fairlane. Stark Hickey opened a second location in Detroit at 24760 W. Seven Mile Rd. The Royal Oak store eventually became Royal Oak Ford, the Detroit store closed in 2008.

TASCA FORD

Tasca Ford was undoubtedly the prominent dealer in Ford Racing history. The original Tasca Ford dealership site at 777 Taunton Avenue in East Providence, Rhode Island opened in 1953. Master salesman Bob Tasca quickly made it the number Ford dealer in the country. Tasca fielded it's own successful drag racing team throughout 60's, employing driver Bill Lawton. Tasca was leading performance dealer, and Bob Tasca was instrumental in the creation of the 428 Cobra Jet Mustang. At the urging of Lee Iacocca, Tasca sold his Ford dealership in 1971 and opened a Lincoln-Mercury store just down the road in Seekonk, Massachusetts. The former Tasca Ford store became Fournier Ford, which operated until 1994. Tasca then repurchased the closed dealership and quickly reopened Tasca Ford, which remains open in 2008. Bob Tasca was instrumental in bringing Ford and John Force together in 2000, and Tasca Ford is currently one of the many sponsors on Force's fleet of Mustang funny cars. In 2008 Bob's grandson, Bob Tasca III, entered the NHRA Nitro funny car series with a GT500 Mustang sponsored by Ford Motor Co. (4/13/08)

Dearborn Flashback

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