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Holley Intergalactic Ford Fest Short Take: 1984 Ford Mustang 20th Anniversary Dominator GT


Holley Intergalactic Ford Fest Short Take: 1984 Ford Mustang 20th Anniversary Dominator GT

Even if there hadn’t been a billboard in sight proclaiming what this 1984 Ford Mustang was all about, I could tell you that it was something special. And no, the “G.T. 350” stripes aren’t it…any Mustang with the 20th Anniversary package got those. No, I was more excited to see two stickers on the hatch: The Summit Ford branding from the dealership in Lee’s Summit, Missouri and “Dominator GT”, the callout that let you know that this four-eye Fox is actually something more than just an early 5.0 car. Remember, this was 1984…in the world of performance, Detroit was deep in the hangover of the 1970s and was just starting to open it’s eyes again after a long blackout. Big power figures were still a thing of the past. Or were they?

Summit Ford is to Fox bodies what Nickey Chevrolet, Grand Spaulding Dodge and Royal Pontiac were during the height of the first horsepower war: dealerships that dreamed up special setups that would entice the local power freaks to stop in and do some shopping. The Dominator GT was a three-tier package setup that went from mild to shockingly good…the baddest ones, reportedly numbering less than 30 examples, were over-built and were capable of 12-second timeslips on street tires. In 1984, the list of vehicles you actually had to answer to was tiny. Unless you had the misfortune to cross path with a Hemi, LS6 or a 455 in good tune, chances were good that your taillights would lead the way.

Chances are good that there were less than five 20th Anniversary Dominator GTs made. Chances are great that this might be one of maybe two left. And chances are stunning that this car has a kill list a mile long. In 1984, if it was new it was already considered inferior. It didn’t have the thump of days gone by. No big-block? A 302 making less than 300 horsepower? No, thank you. But a 12-second car off of the showroom floor would demand respect regardless, and when it looked like a peppered-up version of a sticker package car from the manufacturer, you could imagine every yokel taking the bait and learning all about the art of the poker player the hard way…this car was the pocket ace hand.


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