DEARBORN - It took vintage racer Steve Francis of New Milford, Connecticut, two and a half decades to acquire a 1967 Mustang K-code Hi-Po GT race car from its second-owner crew member. Getting it back on track required a restoration that took nearly a year and a half. To hear about a special reunion that Steve had arranged at Indy for this unique racer (1 of only 77 built), read his email to us below:

 “Hello Ford Performance! My name is Steve Francis from New Milford, CT. Please consider my 1967 Mustang K-code Hi-Po GT coupe (1 of 77 built) for your Ford Fan Spotlight in Fast News. This vintage race car Mustang was special-ordered by FoMoCo Dearborn employee Larry Beaupre through Stark Hickey Ford in Royal Oak, Michigan, for racing in SCCA A/S class as well as Rally events. Shortly after the car arrived at the dealership it was sent to nearby Kar Kraft Engineering for race prep.

“Its race history extends from 1967 through 1974. Beaupre, as well as fellow Ford engineer Bill Clawson and crew member Don LaCombe, also raced this car. One of the major rally events in which this Mustang participated was the POR (Press on Regardless Rally).

“I learned about the car back in 1990 when one of the original crew members told me he had a vintage Mustang race car in storage awaiting restoration. It took me 25 years to acquire the Mustang from this second-owner crew member. After a 16-month rotisserie restoration it’s now being vintage raced. Last June I was able to reunite the original owner/racer Larry Beaupre with the car at Indianapolis Motor Speedway – and got a double ‘thumbs up’ from him. It was the first time he had seen the car since 1975!”

Editor’s Note: One of the most popular features on FordPerformance.com and in our Fast News e-newsletter continues to be "Ford Fan Spotlight," where readers can send in their own reasons why they're fans of Ford Motor Company. You know who they are: Ford "superfans;" grassroots Ford racers; unique Ford vehicle owners; loyal Ford enthusiasts; notable Ford club people; special Ford families; and/or any avid supporter of Ford, Ford vehicles, Ford motorsports or Ford Performance who deserves a little bit of special recognition.

All you need to do to get you, your car or candidate considered is to send in a brief description (200-500 words or less) and a few photos (in .jpeg format, preferably 300 dpi) of a person (full name and hometown, please) and vehicle that you think Ford Performance should feature (and why) in the "Ford Fan Spotlight" for an upcoming installment of Fast News and posting on FordPerformance.com. Then email it to: AskTFR@Ford.com. Should you wish to send a video, you simply need to post it on www.YouTube.com (preferably 1-2 minutes long) and send in the link, along with a brief description, to that same AskTFR@Ford.com email address. We'll choose one submission each week.