1967 Ford Mustang Holman & Moody Competition Notchback

302ci Ford Racing OHV V-8
Crankshaft, Rods, and Pistons Etched by Holman & Moody
Single 4-Barrel Holley Carburetor on Roush Intake
Est. 420bhp
4-Speed Toploader Manual Transmission with Reinforced Case
Holman & Moody Talladega Super Speedway Front and Trans Am Rear Suspension
Rally Springs,
Four-Wheel Drum Brakes

*Built by Holman & Moody in 1971 for Peruvian racer Cristobal "Batman" Galjuf, Sr.
*Extraordinary historical documentation of its ownership, build, and racing career
*Meticulous restoration to the original competition specifications and appearance
*Running a Holman & Moody-built Ford Racing V-8
*An exceptional, genuine and important competition Mustang from a truly legendary shop

"BATMAN" AND THE WEDDING PRESENT

Cristobal Galjuf came of age in Peru sitting at his father's side, rapturously listening to the reports of local road rallies on the family radio. The elder Galjuf was a great fan of racing but, when his son became old enough to drive and own a car of his own, was not supportive of the young man taking on such a dangerous hobby. After some thought, Cristobal decided that he would race – but under a pseudonym. He chose "Batman," after his favorite comic book character. The nickname would stick with him for his entire racing career, and he later fondly recalled his father mentioning that "Batman" was his favorite driver – never knowing that he had long been cheering on his own son.

"Batman's" mount was, most frequently, a variant of a Ford Mustang, perhaps because Ford operated a large assembly plant in Lima that produced the model for the South American market. He first owned a Shelby GT350, later acquiring a Group 2 Mustang, and competed with both cars. Mustangs would come to run in the family. When Cristobal met his future wife, she was working at the Ford plant. They married in June 1968, and it was at that point that another Mustang joined the household – a rather plain-Jane new hardtop coupe, which the groom bought his bride as a wedding present, using her own employee discount. She drove the car as her everyday transportation while raising the family's three children.

In 1971, "Batman" decided that his wife's wedding present Mustang would become his next race car. (How thrilled, exactly, Mrs. Galjuf was with this arrangement, is not recorded.) Always seeking the competitive advantage, he began researching which companies were producing the most successful racing Fords in the United States, a path which led him to the famed Charlotte, North Carolina, aircraft hangar of Holman & Moody.

Holman & Moody corresponded with Cristobal, learning what he wanted. Quite a bit of the discussion involved how, exactly, he planned to get the car to Charlotte and back again, since Peru was at the time under a military dictatorship – and North Carolina was not exactly in the backyard, in any case. An arrangement was finally made to fly the car out to Miami, where Holman & Moody picked it up for transport to Charlotte. Once in the shop it spent over three months being transformed into a highly able racing vehicle. Upon its completion, Cristobal traveled to Charlotte, then to Georgia, where he had rented out Road Atlanta for a day. There he drove and tested the car all day, supported by Holman & Moody mechanics. After testing was completed, he returned to Charlotte, and the following morning met personally with John Holman and had a long discussion about cars and racing. Afterward, the Mustang was completely disassembled and shipped back to Peru, under the guise of used mechanical parts.

Upon its successful return and reassembly, the Mustang raced with "Batman" in road rallies in the 400 class, most frequently as number 406 or 407, with "Echa muni," the nickname of Cristobal's favorite soccer club, emblazoned on the hood, during the 1973 season. It finished 1st Overall in the Mollendo-Arequipa-Mollendo event and the races at the Circuito Passamayo and Circuito Canete, and 2nd Overall in the Lima-Arequipa-Lima and a second event at Circuito Pasamayo. Finally it finished 1st Overall in Frontera-Frontera, a particularly challenging event held over 3,000 kilometers on the Panamericana road from the border of Ecuador and Peru up to the top of Peru and Chile! It was an outstanding year and the car more than earned its second trip back to Holman & Moody for a complete overall in preparation for the next season.

Fate, as sometimes happens, intervened. A close friend of "Batman" and fellow driver had the brakes fail on his own Mustang during the rally in Andes and sailed off a cliff to his end. Cristobal looked at his own young family and decided that perhaps his father had been right about racing's risks. When the Mustang arrived back in Peru, freshly rebuilt, he decided it was time for someone else to take it on for the next season.

Another friend in the racing community, Miguel Navvaro, bought the car and raced it for a couple of years, but lacked "Batman's" success behind the wheel. The car was then sold to Brazo Vicich, owner of a local shop and a collector of old cars, and remained there into the 1980s. At that time, Cristobal Galjuf, Jr., son of the original driver, was dating the niece of local businessman and car collector Jorge Nicolini, and the young couple visited Vicich's shop to look at two cars that Nicolini was interested in purchasing. They turned out to be the Shelby GT350 and the Mustang owned and raced by Cristobal Sr. Needless to say, the two cars received a ringing endorsement and Nicolini had acquired them within days. The engine of the 1967 Mustang was sent to Holman & Moody to be rebuilt by the "original shop;" it turned out to have a fatal crack, and a new engine was built by the shop as a result.

On a trip to Lima in 2011, the current owner was informed of Nicolini's collection and was able to pay it a visit. Upon seeing the historic Mustang, he immediately fell in love. Negotiating the purchase from Nicolini over lunch was not difficult; getting the car out of Peru proved a minor nightmare, but finally the Mustang found its way onto a cargo jet bound for the States. Upon its safe arrival, a full restoration was undertaken by Cameron Bishop to exactly the original specifications. The only modification was necessitated by the fact that the Ford Racing high-nickel 302ci V-8 replacement engine built by Holman & Moody for the car was a 'tall deck' mill that could not actually fit into the car; an all-new exhaust and hood were fabricated to accommodate the V-8 and its Bud Moore NASCAR aluminum heads, Holley four-barrel carburetor, and Roush-prepped intake successfully. Holman & Moody also supplied a replacement serial number tag to identify the car as one of their original creations.

The car is accompanied by an absolutely thorough and fascinating history file, including extensive copies of Peruvian newspaper reports on "Batman's" exploits, copies of correspondence with the Galjuf family, partial restoration receipts, and a letter from Lee Holman, president of Holman & Moody, attesting to the Mustang's authenticity. Many original parts, including the original hood, engine pieces that were replaced, and original tires are available to the successful buyer FOB Cave Creek, Arizona.

Offered on Bill of Sale