James Smith is a member of the Clarksville Gearhead Car Club. I asked James what he likes about the car scene. He said, “It is a very diverse scene with many different makes and models of vehicles to admire.” The Army brought James to the area in 1992 after his first tour in Korea. He did another tour in Korea, recruiting and has been stationed at Ft. Campbell three different times. He decided to retire here with his wife and daughter. We are glad you chose to make Clarksville your forever home!
James owns a 1995 Ford Thunderbird Super Coupe. He has owned it since 1995 when it was originally purchased for his wife, but she didn’t like it as well as he hoped. The car is a supercharged V6 and in great condition! It has run as quick as 11.15 on the ¼ mile strip and last year registered a 506 RWHP on the dyno. He was quite active in the local drag racing scene years ago. James has since moved on to road racing and swapped in a 5 speed and several handling upgrades to assist in that type of racing. He has bored and stroked out to a 4.3L, all forged internals, upgraded the supercharger which is now pushing 18 pounds of boost, added lowering springs and cobra brake upgrades. It has new wheels, tires, a Quarter Horse tuner and software. Future plans include continuing to improve on its ability to handle well and perhaps lighten it up so it won’t be as heavy of a car.
I asked James if this is his dream car. He said, “No, not really my dream car, but I like it because it is unusual to see them anymore. It is especially unusual due to the performance level and it has been well maintained. My dream car is probably a Corvette or Dodge Viper. I have always loved those cars, especially the new C8 Corvettes.” The corvette is one of my favorites also! Where are his favorite places to drive? He said, “I don’t have any special spots to drive, but I do prefer the backroads of Montgomery County. There are a lot of nice, curvy roads for spirited driving!”
James does not have an Instagram but you are sure to see him at the Gearhead events. Thank you James for participating in our Full Throttle Thursday blog! Join me each week to meet a new vehicle owner and their vehicle.
On behalf of all the dolls, thank you for your service!
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