Roger Tausch’s, 1972 Pro-Street *Maverick *

 

 

 

 

                                                                                 I came across this, radical for its time 1972 Ford Maverick, and I wanted to share it with my readers.

 

 

When Roger Tausch's blown 1972 Ford Maverick rumbled through the Indiana State Fairgrounds over 35 years ago during the Street Machine Nationals, it caused tons of excitement among fellow Street Machine enthusiasts!  You see most blower cars at the time were Chevy's and very few were Ford's or even Ford powered.

Roger's car appeared in the November 1980 issue of Car Craft, It was a fantastic debut for Roger and his  Supercharged 302 powered Maverick. It would go on to grace the pages of several other magazines in the following years.

 It is virtually unchanged from its appearance when it was last seen over 35 years ago, apart from a narrowed rear end and the carbs were switched over to fuel injection. This mighty Maverick followed the wildly popular Pro-Street trend that took hold at the time. Later on it was converted to 4 speed with a Hurst Shifter.

Roger and best friend Bob Gagne did the work themselves without harming the dazzling black paintwork and backyard-painted graphics.

The fuel-injection system is a more recent addition,  Roger added it only a couple of years ago to fulfill his decades-long affinity for the look of a bug-catcher-topped, mechanical-injection setup. Roger said it was the blower, that kicked off Roger's Street-Machine legacy. 

  When his father bought the brand-new Maverick for him in high school. It was already wearing a tricked-out dealer package dubbed the Mod Maverick, which included wide rear rubber and side pipes. 

What didn't change was the slow 302 C.I. engine and three-speed transmission. Roger stated he couldn't beat anything on the street so in 1976, Roger and his father went to Dyers Blowers and picked up a 6-71 unit. Roger bolted the blower onto the stock engine and started winning races. There weren't any other blower cars around in his area, so it made a really big impression.

 Roger said that impression has lasted for about 40 years, People just know it around here as (The Car). And it's a good reminder of my father, who at first was dead-set against me cutting it up, but he was thrilled to ride around the Indy speedway during the Street Machine Nationals.

                                            

Roger's pioneering Pro Street Maverick was never a  Trailer Queen, as many Pro-Street cars were dubbed in the later years of the movement. He's got some 9-second e.t. slips among his decades of memorabilia to prove it.  

The attention to detail shows, with the original interior from 1980 which matches the exterior graphics. The six point cage keeps the body from twisting.

Rogers love for Fast Ford's has rubbed off on his son as well, he is continuing his fathers & grandfather's passion by building his own supercharged Mustang. What a great bonding experience .