From Blue Ovals to Blue Highways.(Column)

Byline: Dutch Mandel

You thought America's 1976 bicentennial celebration was a red-white- and-blue, fireworks-sparklin' to-do? Just see what the folks in Dearborn, Michigan, have going on June 12-16 to mark Henry's hundred years of putting the world on wheels.

As enthusiasts we can't pass up the chance to celebrate Ford Motor Co.'s 100th year in the car business. Ford is a firm literally born out of its racing success. With Formula One, its investment in Jaguar, Aston Martin and Mazda, and its fun-focused products, Ford embodies the world's automotive passion.

The story lineup we assembled in this issue is amazing. Some of the world's finest automotive journalists and photographers take you on a romp through time and in the vehicles that mark the company-and the country. We have driven a Ford lately, and you get to come along for a wonderful ride.

No one is better prepared than Pete Lyons to write about the new Ford GT super-car. Longtime subscribers remember Pete's remarkable tenure as our Formula One correspondent-back before Al Gore invented the Internet and real-time web scoring, back before even the Speed Channel showed qualifying on Fridays. Way, way back: When Pete's words were the only sustenance America's hard-core fans could consume to sate their appetites. He's also been our Can-Am guy, our CART correspondent and, frequently, our Le Mans writer. Along the way Pete has spent more time with and crawling over vintage GT40s than almost anyone (there's a book in the offing), and he brings this perspective to his insightful look at the people, the process and the power behind the new GT.

If anyone can make that car come to life in pictures, it's Charlie Magee. He is a favorite shooter of ours; low-key and (excuse the expression) incredibly focused, Charlie's classic training pops with every image he takes. That he is tireless in his work ethic, that ...