’67 Mustang on Hot Rod Power Tour Impacts Many in a Positive Way

An unfortunate accident turned into a positive outcome during the Hot Rod Power Tour

2019 marks the 25th anniversary of the Hot Rod Power Tour. If you’re not familiar with the Hot Rod Power Tour let me give you a quick rundown before we dive into the story. The Tour is a week-long journey that spans across seven cities. This year it started in Concord, NC. and ended in Norwalk, OH. For more information regarding the HRPT, please feel free to check out their site HERE.

Now let us get to the story! Cole Phillips, is no newcomer to the Tour. 2019 marked his third time on the tour. This year he had his ’67 Mustang Fastback that he has owned since he was 15. An unfortunate accident occurred during the tour but he handled it in a positive way. Cole told us this was one of the most memorable weeks of his life and will always remember this.

Cole’s journey had only just begun and the accident happened as he was leaving Concord, NC. headed towards the next stop on the HRPT in Martinsville, NC. It had rained off and on that day so the road conditions weren’t the best. As Cole was coming around a corner in his ’67 Fastback, someone slammed on their brakes to let a vehicle out of a gas station. His rear brakes were not working properly causing his front brakes to lock up. He ended up sliding through an intersection and rear-ending a fellow tour participant in his Camaro.

The aftermath

Thankfully no one was injured and both vehicles suffered from minimal damage. Cole and the owner of the Camaro both decided to continue on the Tour. To continue on the Tour with everyone, Cole had to replace his radiator. A local parts store had a radiator from a Toyota 4Runner in stock so they installed it but it was a little bit too tall.

Since the hood was bent all out of shape, a hole was cut into the hood so it would close with the new radiator in place. A few modifications and bungee straps later, Cole was back on the road!

When Cole arrived at the Bristol, TN. stop he talked to a lady he met two years ago during his first Power Tour. She handed him a sharpie and told him he should have people sign his hood. At first, people began signing the hood but it slowly ventured to other parts of his Mustang. Decals started appearing along with signatures from Hot Rod employees, vendors on the tour and hundreds of tour participants. The aftermath resulted in his entire hood being engulfed in signatures.

As Cole traveled along the rest of the Tour, people were stopping him any chance they could to sign his Mustang. He mentioned people would stop him at gas stations, hotel parking lots and venue exit lines. To him, this was one of the most memorable experiences he will never forget.

Cole got to meet different Hot Rod employees, hang out with his friends from Instagram, like John Bogenschutz, Mike Bozzeli (classicmustangs429) and several other people that I have met through the years. Cole’s ’67 Mustang Fastback made it all the way home, in Alabama, with minimal issues.

(We featured John previously on the site, click HERE to check it out!)

The next chapter of his ’67 Mustang Fastback

As far as the future of his Mustang, Cole wants to keep driving it. He told us he doesn’t have time to tear it apart completely to make a big project. He would like to paint it matte black so people can draw on it with chalk. His experience on the tour taught him that you don’t have to have the nicest or craziest build to have the most fun.

He could have gone home and had a bad week over the whole situation, but he stayed positive and had one of the most fun memorable weeks of his life.