A Far Out Galaxy!
By: Bruce Biegler
I get to see a lot of cool drag race cars in my travels but every once in a while something really stands out for me. During the summer of 2010 while attending the Canadian Street Car Nationals at Cayuga, I did have one of those episodes….
Brent Foster, who is from Southwestern Ontario, has in his possession probably one of the most unique drag racing vehicles in all of Canada. Brent’s 1962 Ford Fairlane Galaxy 500, which races within the NSCA and OSCA circuits, really is quite a production. From it’s absolutely awesome paint job to it’s very unique pro-charged aluminum engine, it gathers crowds wherever it goes.
This '62 Fairlane is not your Mommas!
“Yeah – you don’t see many cars like this around – especially in Outlaw class racing,” Brent admitted. “I used to be a Mustang guy, but I really wanted to race something different which is the reason why I went with it. It came up from Virginia back in 2002. It as all original then and in good shape and I picked it up for $800. It took about four years of work to get it to where it is now.”
Foster first tasked fast-rising reputation Canadian racer car builder Andre Mailloux (Mailloux Chassis – Belle River ON) with most of the car’s construction. After stripping the car down completely, Andrea did the back half and installed a roll cage. The car now features a 25:5 rated all round tube chrome moly chassis.
Originally the car was run (in 2007-08) with a 377 CID and F1 Pro-charger, but for 2010, Brent upgraded that to a new 400 CID all aluminum motor and a F2 Pro-charger. Using that and tipping the scales at 3450 lbs, the car has ripped a very impressive 7.81 secs at 174+ mph.
The final product features a paint scheme that is simply stunning. It incorporates bronze paint and the original Ford Silver color in a very unique way. That paint was expertly applied by Liberty Collision (Tilbury ON) and the air brushing was designed and done by reputed Canadian David Connery.
Driver-Owner-Brent Foster
Foster, who is employed as a Plant Manager at Toolplas Systems (Oldcastle ON), does fund the entry 100%. He does rely however on a great supporting crew that includes Nelson, Will, Charlie, Bob and Stu. He does receive valuable associate backing from AP Motorsports, FordRacingNation.com, Mailloux Chassis, Liberty Collision and Pro-Charger.
Foster races his machine primarily within the highly competitive EZ Street class which pits him against a variety of nitrous, supercharged and turbocharged entries. Most experts consider that class of racing as a (still very expensive) “junior” Super Street 10.5 category.
Foster's Fairlane has run 7.81 secs at 174+ mph...
Photos by: Bruce Biegler
