Cars Of Merlin
Past to Present

Stoned Pony

This 66 Mustang has quite a history. Rick traded a Dodge Cuda for
this car back in 1974.  The night before the trade this car with the
stock motor had run the best of a 12.91 this was before Nitrous.  A
Long Long Time ago.  Well anyway the previous owner got the car
home and the next day as we were moving it out of the garage it
dropped a rod.  But the trade happened anyway and Rick became
the owner of the "Stoned Pony".  From here the legend grew, including
the night him and one of our friends Jolly were driving down this
kinda steep hill.  Lets just say Rick had to much to drink and he
let Jolly drive thinking he was not so drunk.  Can horses fly, why
yes they can just ask those two.  You see the orginal Stoned Pony
died in 1975 when it took flight off the road and landed teetrering
over some boulders.  But just like the Phoenix he rebuilt it to race
some more.  The car always ran 13 something at the track and with
nitrous it ran low 12's at Carlsbad on Saturday day.  Then he'd come
back to El Cajon and beat 11 second cars, racing Friday night and
Saturday night at the street races and testing on Saturday day
at Carlsbad.

Billie Jo's Vega
Then and Now

The above pictures are of the Stadium in San Diego around 1985
The picture below was taken in 2002 at the Stadium in San Diego

When we first got this car it was actually the first Chevy in Ricks' all Ford
family.  So since all of his cars were Fords and Black, and since this
was my car and a Chevy it was painted white.  From 1982 until 1986 this
car raced every Friday and Saturday night at the street races and at the
Stadium on Sundays. 

Here is a picture of our 68 Cougar and the Maverick
This Cougar towed one of Ricks Mustangs from Florida back to California
when he moved back in 1982.  And for the longest time what you see here
is how we towed to races, when we didn't drive to them.  Here is a little
story about the abuse this car has taken and kept on running.  We lived in
Santee California one day Rick was getting the car ready for me to race,
since my car was down that weekend.  I was going to El Cajon to see my
sister who lived about 15 miles from us.  Once I got into El Cajon, I
noticed the car getting hot, well I called Rick from a pay phone (before
cell phones) and told him it was getting hot.  His response was "what did
you do to it" as usual I told him nothing it was just getting hot.  Well
being the typical male he said "just get it home" "I don't care how you do it
just do it".  So since it was up to me and I had 15 miles to get home, I
decided to drive it what else could I do he was where the trailer was
and he wasn't coming to get me.  Anyway I drove for a few miles until
the gauge pegged HOT, then I shut it off and coasted.  I did this the whole
way home, until I got to our street.  You see it was up hill to our house, so
I drove up the street and before I could pull into the drive way the car died.
Rick got it started and pulled it into the driveway, the headers where glowing
red, so was a few other things.  When he took the radiator cap off "Felpro"
in red letters was on the cap.  Well to end this up, we ending up racing it
that night and it made many trips to Phoenix to race and then to tow one of
our cars out when we moved.  That same motor kept running, racing and
towing until Rick decided to put a blower motor in it. 

The Maverick
"Have you chased a Ford lately"

1923 Ford T-bucket
Orignal 1950's Hot Rod
"E-Ticket"

1970 Ford Tornio
"as seen on Merlins home page"