Tony Conover

Tony Conover, owner of Conover Racing & Restorations, Inc., has been in the car restoration business since 1977. His love of the Ford Mustang and Shelby, along with his vast knowledge of the history of these cars, led him to focus on Ford's classic muscle cars since 1977, with particular focus on Shelby Mustangs, and he believes that he has probably restored more R-models than any other restoration shop in the country. He fondly remembers the overwhelming originality of 5R531, which retained all of its original sheet metal, a far cry from many of the exhaustively raced and frequently damaged examples that have passed through his care over the years. Following Mr. Conover’s exacting year-long restoration, the car was bought in September 1990 by Buddy Belzer, of Rapid City, South Dakota, and soon after, it embarked on a successful exhibition run. Presented at the SAAC-18 meet at Watkins Glen in July 1993, 5R531 drove away with the 3rd place Popular Vote in the R-model class.