OVERVIEW:
Muscle Mustangs & Fast Fords "MM&FF" magazine started as a Cars Illustrated Special Edition publication,
and numbering was interspersed with Bracket Racing USA which launched at the same time. Drag racing and related product
testing were the mainstays of the title. Cars Illustrated staff covered street and strip
performance muscle cars. When the 5.0 Mustang emerged in the mid-1980s, there was strong interest in this platform as a performance vehicle.
The driving editorial forces included Neil Van Oppre, Steve Collison, and Tony DiFeo. They published a special edition in Fall 1988, and market results were very positive. Cliff Gromer was the first editor for a short time, then duties were handed to Steve Collison.
After four issues, the official start of publication was September, 1990. It was initially a bi-monthly schedule and eventually was published eleven times per year starting in 1993.
Early issues covered both Mustangs and other Ford performance vehicles, and the title competed head-on with Super Ford. But against the advice of management, Collison pushed the magazine content solely to the 5.0 Mustang market and left the rest to their competitor. The strategy worked and brought MM&FF to the forefront of the 5.0 craze. The team tested new parts and showed the results on the drag strip. MM&FF just kept growing.
In 1993, Jim Campisano became the editor. Under his leadership, the magazine grew to 300 pages and suitable circulation. Mr. Campisano's leadership continued to 2006 when Evan Smith took the editor role. It continued until the end of print production in 2020.
OWNERSHIP:
CSK Publishing was owned by Stephen Schneider. It was published from Saddle Brook, New Jersey along with numerous other titles.
- 1997 -- All JHS and CSK Publication titles were sold to McMullen-Argus, a division of Primedia,
- 2007 -- Primedia sold its Enthusiast Media division including active CSK titles to Source Interlink Media for $1.2 billion,
- 2014 -- Source Interlink rebranded to TEN: The Enthusiast Network, and then,
- 2018 -- The Enthusiast Network is restructured into the Motor Trend Group, and in 2019 the publisher indicated numerous titles were ending including MM&FF.
The table of contents, if available, can be seen by clicking on the 
icon.
PUBLICATION DATA:
CSK Publishing provided net paid circulation data to The Standard Periodical Directory from 1988 through 2005
(the last year for which we have publishing data on this website). Annual print production started at 70,000 and grew to 277,600 in this time period.
CONTENT COMPLETENESS:
We estimate that 336 issues were printed from Fall, 1988 through February, 2020. All cover images are complete.
INTERNET:
An internet presence was created and links added to the front covers starting in July, 1999. The site is now defunct: www.musclemustangfastfords.com.