A sweepstakes is like a raffle where people enter for a chance to win a prize. Here, the hosts are talking about the Mustang 505 Sweepstakes and the latest winner.
The Ford Mustang GT is a higher-performance version of the Mustang. It’s usually the one people think of when they want a more powerful, more exciting Mustang.
“Beamers” is a nickname for BMW cars. They’re using it as part of a story about what car brands people tend to move between.
Concept
car club and community
They’re talking about the group of people who own and talk about Mustangs—meetups, forums, and local car friends. The idea is that the car is more fun when you’re part of that community. They’re saying that community is a big part of what “makes Mustang happen.”
The Volkswagen Beetle is a small car made by Volkswagen. It’s known for its rounded, unique look and it’s been produced for many years. The podcast mentions it because the speaker owned one before.
“Copper wheels” means the car’s rims are painted or finished in a copper color. It’s mostly a style choice, and the speaker thinks they look especially cool. They’re pointing to it as part of why the car’s setup looks great.
“Coyote” is the name people use for Ford’s V8 engine in certain Mustangs. It’s the engine that gives the car its character and sound. In this segment, the owner is basically saying it’s fun, but it’s loud.
HOA means a homeowners association—basically a neighborhood group that can make and enforce rules. Some HOAs care about noise and parking. They’re saying they haven’t had trouble with the HOA yet, even though the car is loud.
The “Coyote” is Ford’s V8 engine used in newer Mustangs. “S550” means a specific generation of Mustang (the 2015–2019 style). In this segment, they’re saying it sounds very loud, especially when you start it up.
“Straight piped” means the exhaust system is modified so there are fewer/no mufflers to quiet it down. The result is usually a much louder sound. Here, it’s mentioned because it makes the car very loud when starting.
“First gens” means the first generation of a model—its earliest production era. “Early first gens” implies the hosts are seeing more of the earliest Mustang generations in Charlotte, which matters because those cars are often the most historically significant and visually distinctive.
A fastback is a car body shape where the roof slopes smoothly toward the back. The host likes this style because it’s one of the most iconic Mustang looks.
A “back lot” is a secondary area behind the main area where cars are parked or displayed. The host is saying there’s more space for cars once the main street gets crowded.
Holman and Moody is a well-known racing team and performance name from Ford’s history. If a Mustang has Holman and Moody branding, it’s usually meant to look and feel like a track-inspired, special-heritage car.
“Lowered” means the car sits closer to the ground than stock. People usually do it to change the look, and it can also change how the car feels over bumps and turns.
In car talk, “stance” refers to how the car sits visually—especially ride height and wheel/tire position relative to the fenders. A “lowered” stance typically means the suspension has been adjusted so the car sits closer to the ground.
Term
Arrest Me Red
“Arrest Me Red” is an enthusiast nickname for a particular classic red paint color on Mustangs. It’s basically a way of saying “that very specific red” people recognize from the early cars.
“GT twin pipes” refers to the dual exhaust outlets associated with the Mustang GT. It’s a visual/trim cue: the GT typically has two exhaust tips rather than a single outlet.
“Snake headlamps” is an enthusiast nickname for a Mustang headlight design that looks like “snake eyes.” The idea is that the light elements and lens/reflector setup create that distinctive look.
“Snake eyes” is a nickname for a Mustang headlight style that makes the lights look like narrow “eyes.” In this segment, they’re talking about how the lens/reflector setup makes that look, including green-tinted versions.
“K code” is a Mustang label enthusiasts use to mean a particular higher-performance version. The host is saying he doesn’t get to drive many of those, and that it feels different from newer Mustangs.
Term
early 280 ninths
“Early 280 ninths” sounds like a shorthand for an early Mustang engine version. The point the host is making is that those older cars feel and sound different—especially the clutch feel.
The clutch is what you press to shift gears on a manual car. The host is saying the older Mustang’s clutch feels tougher and the car is noisier than a modern one.
Term
RTRs
“RTR” is a Mustang performance and styling package. It usually means the car has been upgraded beyond stock, and it’s popular with people who want a ready-made modded look.
Term
salines
“Salines” sounds like a specific type of Mustang build or customization. The way it’s mentioned suggests these cars are modified rather than completely stock.
Term
entry level buyer
An “entry level buyer” is someone who’s new to buying enthusiast cars. They’re saying the RTR cars cost less than many alternatives, so it’s easier for newcomers to get into the Mustang scene.
The “50 Fever” contest is an event where someone won a Mustang-related prize. The host is using it to talk about meeting new people in the Mustang community.
Wheelhouse is the private company that took over the Ford Racing School driving program. The hosts mention it because it’s who runs the experience now.
Term
museum tour
A museum tour is a visit through museum exhibits. They’re pointing out that you could see the Mustang history at the same location as the car show.
A car show is an event where people bring their cars to show them off. The hosts are saying you got access to that Mustang car show as part of the day’s activities.
An MCA judge is someone who evaluates Mustangs for condition and correctness. It’s part of how Mustang clubs recognize good cars and good restorations.
Robert Kennedy is the person mentioned as owning the orange Mustang convertible in this story. He’s part of the discussion about a rare Mustang and its restoration.
A rotisserie restoration means the car is put on a rotating stand so the shop can work on all sides easily. It’s often used for careful, high-quality restorations.
Term
Playboy pinks
“Playboy pinks” is a nickname collectors use for famous pink Mustangs tied to Playboy. The host is using it as an example of a pink Mustang people recognize.
Window clings are stickers you can put on and take off from a car’s glass. Mustang groups use them to show you went to an event or support the community.
A Mustang tent refers to a dedicated booth or setup at a car event where Mustang owners gather for outreach, meet-and-greets, and community activities. It’s a common way clubs organize presence at shows and reunions.
The Shelby GT 500 is a special, performance-focused version of the Ford Mustang made by Shelby. It’s the kind of car Mustang fans really recognize, and in this story it was the prize in a museum raffle.
A Shelby Mustang is a Ford Mustang that has been upgraded or built by Shelby for better performance. It’s usually meant to be more exciting to drive than a basic Mustang. The podcast brings it up in the context of a special Shelby prize.
LIVE
Hello Mustang fans and welcome to this very special edition of the Mustang Owners Podcast.
As you can see behind me, we're not in the Zoom Studio.
We're not even at Mustang Owners Podcast headquarters in my own home.
We are in no place better than the Mustang Owners Museum here in Concord, North Carolina
to celebrate National Mustang Day, April 17th, 2026.
If you're going to celebrate National Mustang Day, we're in a better place than the museum
that caused all this.
The one that started it all, last night we had a great banquet, Bud Magaldi was there,
given his presentation, entered the hall, John Forrest was entered into the hall, very cool.
And of course we had Brad Bowling, a fellow journalist, well known for his bullet exploits,
and then finally Steve Hall, the guy who founded all this, got his due by being in his own
hall of fame, and man was that well, there wasn't a dry eye in the place, but man was
it well deserved.
So what we want to do today is we want to walk the show here and show you some of the great
cars that have assembled for National Mustang Day, just to give you a little taste of what
you can find here, of other surprises, and other little special treats down the road.
People you meet here, and you will talk to and see here, will be on future episodes of
the Mustang Owners Podcast.
So I know it's time to have that guy quit talking, and let's go looking at some Mustangs.
Let's go.
Well, and we're walking up and down.
Some people need a little extra time, and that's because maybe, you know, it's just
nice to say hi and talk about a car, but when we talk about a car that you win from Ford
Motor Company, and if you know anything about the Mustang 505 Sweepstakes, we have here
the latest winner of the Mustang 505 Sweepstakes, Austin tell us about that whole experience,
and were you part of this experience?
I was kind of part of the whole experience.
You told him, don't enter that, nobody wins those contests at Ford, but luckily when you
were here, was it in Charlotte, when you were at the NASCAR Hall of Fame?
Yes, it was in Charlotte.
And you wanted to go do things, and here Austin is out there, let me just enter this, and
Austin, it's just on a whim, and you forgot about it.
Yeah, we were walking up to the driving experience, and they had a clay model of the Mustang GT,
the S650 there, and I was like, oh, it's pretty cool.
And I just spotted this little kiosk off to the side, and said, sign up to win a free
Mustang.
Everyone was kind of walking past it, there was a crowd of people, I think it's because
they were right next to the track, everyone was excited to get in, there was the next
line just moving forward and whatnot, and I was like, well, you know, I'm sure plenty
of people walk past this every day, I'm not going to walk past it, I was like, I do marketing
emails, all that stuff, I know that there's some legitimacy to it, so I'm like, you know
what, I'm going to sign up, and she had given me a little bit of crap about it, she said,
you're not going to win that, whatever, and I was there with a friend, he was his only
time in town, and we were hanging out with them, but they were off doing their own thing
at the moment anyways, they were, I think, looking at the simulator, and yeah, I signed
up, I was like, oh, that was easy, it took a total of 45 seconds, I want to say, I answered
a couple questions, and got a confirmation email, saw a couple marked emails, and I forgot
about it maybe two weeks later.
The cool thing about Austin is that, so a lot of people, they start with Subis or VWs,
they get into beamers, and you know, that's the story for them, but graduating up to a
Mustang is a different, this is a whole different car, but the fact that this guy, it was, you
know, in the car club and community, he hung around with car people, and you know, when
you hang out, you know, there's some super performance in this little vehicle, and the
fact that, hey, you know, I'll take a shot at this Mustang, and I have to admit, you
too in this car, you've got to be getting some thumbs up.
Oh yeah, we definitely are.
I mean, I owned a Volkswagen once, but it was a Beetle, so I got no thumbs up, a bunch
of hippies followed me around, but I got to tell you, Austin, so when we talked about
this car, you specced it out so wickedly cool, I mean, the copper wheels are freaking awesome.
How is the Coyote to live with every day?
It is loud, that's for sure.
My neighbor has one though, so my other neighbors are used to it, thankfully.
So we haven't gotten any cop called on us yet, but HOA hasn't gotten us either, because
our next door neighbor has a straight piped Coyote S550, so that is very loud on startups
too.
Yeah, I mean, driving with it, I mean, it's easy to drive, which gas pipes are a little
lower right now with the V8, but.
I get it, but you are, I mean, this is rare fried air, but just to prove to everyone,
you know, if you're into cars and say, you know, maybe I could be the guy, Austin was
the guy, and even though you got a little teasing on it, and you know, it's really fair
of you because thousands of people are into that sweepstake.
But the fact that, you know, you entered it, a lot of kids say, well, you know, I'm trying
to get an apartment, I'll sell the car, I won't keep the car, but the fact this proves
this guy's a car guy, he's going to live with the Coyote a little bit and get us to understand
that what makes patch and happen at Mustang is this, the community around it.
So we're going to have to hook you up with a little swag today, we're going to make
sure that you're happy, and then you stay in touch with us, and we'll get you on the
podcast to tell the whole story.
We still love you, but we understand that this is what our women are supposed to do,
keep us in check.
And make fun of us when we sign up.
Oh, yeah, yeah.
And now, and now.
They're going to eat their words.
Yeah, but now you've had to check, you can drive it, you know, and, and, you know, unlike
some cars that come and go, this is 62 years of forever been cool, and you guys will forever
be cool for being a 50 Fever winner.
Thanks for spending some time with us and look forward to seeing these guys, we'll get
you both on on the Mustang owners podcast and an episode coming soon.
In the meantime, let's go rock some swag for you.
Okay.
All right.
Thanks again guys.
Thank you.
Carrie, we understand you're new to the hobby, not so new to the hobby.
I've been drawing Mustangs, wishing Santa would drop one off in my chimney since I
was a little girl and I finally got my two dream Mustangs.
And I plan on getting one of every generation, quite frankly.
Oh my God.
So the cool thing about this, not only does she own one of my favorite cobers, she's got
a 64 and a half.
How many 30 year old ladies, you know, has a 64 and a half?
How did you get that thing?
A dream car really.
So I, I had a 96 in college, a Jeep, just a regular V6 and it, it was barely running
and my dad said, you know, I don't feel safe with, you know, my daughter out on the road.
He made me turn it in.
I bought a Toyota.
I know, I know.
And on the way out of the Toyota dealership, I rolled my window down and I pointed at
my dad and said, you just watch, I'm going to have one of every Mustang and I'm going
to start with the first generation.
So 20 years later, I bought this about the Glend of the Good Witch, the 1964 and a half
red convertible, white top, red final seats, total Americana car.
And then I turned 40 about a year and a half ago and I said, I want my college car back
and actually I had some friends searching online for me and they found, they found this one
and said, you know, this one's well priced.
You can do it.
So we flew up and drove it back to Charlotte.
So what do you guys think?
I mean, Kerry, it's just one of a kind as is her cars.
We should have a whole special episode on Kerry and her cars coming up on the Mustang
owners podcast.
Kerry, can we get you for a whole evening to talk Mustangs with us?
Absolutely.
We've taken some time today.
Why don't you go catch Emily and talk.
Kerry is one of these superstars that we get to meet only on National Mustang Day here
at the Mustang owners museum in North Carolina.
We'll catch you on the podcast.
Thank you so much.
Bye.
Then it goes down to my father's department and they make fabric glass molds, then it
goes through the engineering, a whole range of different departments.
What would National Mustang Day be without Mustangs?
I don't know, Mike.
I mean, there are so many cars at all these events.
Sometimes, yeah, we hang out, we talk to a lot of people.
It's fun talking to them, hearing their stories, because that's what we're all about
here on the Mustang owners podcast is, you know, everyone's got a Mustang story.
But sometimes, you know, you just like to take a few minutes out and just walk the
show and I don't like you sometimes get, you know, kind of upset when you say, I
didn't even have a chance to walk the show.
We do that more so than often now, especially with the podcast, though, we
actually do get to do that when we actually working and running the show.
We never did.
So we had to rely on the pictures to see what happened at the show.
Well, so beyond the interviews and beyond, you know, all the wonderful things
that happened that day, there's some great photography.
So let's take everybody on the podcast to a little bit of some of the the
sights and the wonderful cars that we saw at National Mustang Day in Charlotte
just to see how it looked on that beautiful sunny day on National Mustang Day
2026. So, Mike, one of my fun photos is to see the first Ford racing and the
second Ford racing being worn on T-shirts.
And of course, you and I know our good friend, Lee Holman, as being really the
first Ford racing.
Yep, absolutely.
And I gotta say, yeah, that's kind of a really, really cool picture there.
Just, you know, giving you the history, right, of the performance world within
Ford. Yeah, to see people.
I love to see people still wear the Holman and Moody T-shirt.
I expect people to see the Ford racing shirt.
And Mike, it's still hard for me to see the Ford racing logo, not in the red,
white and blue, not with the the the italic racing moving R and to see the
block letters. It's still hard for me to see the new logo.
Maybe I'll get warmed up to it like Cracker Barrel.
That's too far.
I don't know.
Yeah, so, Mike, I missed you a lot working the tent alone.
I mean, my wife, Jenny, was great, but I know you would have really walked this
crowd because I was surprised.
The difference, I think, when you throw your National Mustang Day up here in
Dearborn, all the ones we did together, there was just a lot more early first
gens in Charlotte and obviously, for good reason.
Yeah, but to see so many people bring them out on a sunny 70 degree day.
It was just refreshing.
I was just burned out with a long winter and that's why just to see hoods up
and a lot of early cars. To me, that's what makes Mustang Day special.
Yeah. And, you know, being in Charlotte, right? Steve Hall is the one who really
pushed this and got National Mustang Day to where it is today.
So I think that's paying testament to him down there, right?
Yeah. And I love this.
I'm glad people brought the early ones. Of course, I was always drawn to the
fastbacks. And when I saw this 67 fastback, really close to my tent,
you see, if I didn't see anything in Acapulco blue or Honolulu blue or
any of the light blue metallics to see a big block car, a fastback in
perfect condition, you know, with the right wheels.
And then, of course, I see a Mustang 2 behind it.
You know, I left my post.
I was not... Of course.
I was not slinging posters anymore.
I had to go see these cars.
And they were so close.
And the chance that you get to talk to the owners, I think, Mike,
that's what really makes it to see a beautiful blue first gen
fastback, or maybe to see a 2.
As you know, Mike, when they moved the museum across from the first initial
opening of the museum, it's on a corner.
And the street filled up so quickly.
There's a back lot, Mike.
You remember when we first got down there, they had that front lot
and they added parking on the side, then they're on the grass.
And now they're their next door.
I mean, it's an issue for a big show to be at the museum.
Yeah, you know, that that's about where they got it.
I think they're using it to the fullest extent they can.
So I hope people appreciate that.
But it's always a packed house.
That's for sure. Yeah.
Well, one thing I have to say about being there was every once in a while,
I'll go, I'll stop at a car and just get say, wow, I haven't seen this.
And when I saw this Holman and Moody car, you know, it looks so different.
And then the way the stance was, I could tell it was lowered.
And then to see the graphics on a, was this the same dark Holman and Moody
car that was up in Woodward last summer?
I don't think so.
I think that one was lighter than the one that was up in Woodward.
Yeah, this is they've got the competition proven logo on the side.
They didn't have the other one.
I don't not to that one.
I don't believe I think they might have something different on it.
Well, the cool thing about the museum down there in Charlotte,
they're just down the road from Lee Holman shop. Right.
So anything that's new and exciting, if they could roll it over there,
maybe, you know, just drop it off for a few hours.
I was really interested in this car to see, you know, the new version of
whatever pieces they had on this car, I wasn't able to get the whole download.
But we're going to do a whole episode on Holman and Moody's new stuff, Mike.
So we'll have to chase these guys down.
Yes, absolutely.
Well, the other thing I wanted to show you, Mike, and, you know,
I know you would have shown me was the back part of the museum
had its own parking lot.
And I didn't know there were cars back there until you could cut through the museum.
And then there's a whole another row and there's a row of new, old,
you know, mostly S197s and S550s.
But there there's a whole back lot that was full.
And if I didn't walk through the museum and see the back door open,
I might have missed it because it's in a fenced in area behind the museum.
I don't know if this was added when Steve expanded museum property,
but this is much needed.
Yeah, I say, I don't know when when they did that.
But yeah, it's definitely needed, except parking was always an issue.
So that's going to help alleviate some of it for sure.
Well, so what is a Mustang show without a red Mustang convertible?
You know, if you don't get a if you just something about an Arrest Me Red,
a first gen convertible.
This one, of course, has the luggage rack on it.
Got the GT twin pipes to get the right wheels, black interior.
What what says National Mustang Day more than this car?
Yeah, that is the absolute true definition sitting right there.
You know, I start laughing when people say, oh, John,
you always get excited over a red Mustang.
Well, weird that I own one.
So if Marty Mearris was around from West Michigan Mustang Club,
he would say to us, hey, there's a pace car.
Yeah, put it on my trailer.
I'm taking it home.
Yeah, he would try to buy the official Kentucky Speedway pace car.
Are you watching, Marty?
There it is.
He may have this, maybe another one.
You know, he he wants to collect every pace car there is.
Yeah.
You know, this is this was a cool car.
You know, when when Ford Racing was helping out and Jamie Allyson
was trying to do one off pace cars for the speedways.
I think that was a cool idea, Mike.
Yeah, I miss Jamie.
Yeah, that was really, really cool.
And those cars got a lot of attraction.
That's for sure.
Well, we're going to have to mention certain colors.
Now, I don't know what it is about got to have a green.
But we've told the Mike Berardi story so many times.
Yeah, the reason I think this car was interesting.
I didn't know that you could get the green snake headlamps.
It's some kind of a reflector in there or something
that you got the snake eyes, you put them over the the reflector
lens on the on the front end of your Mustang.
And those green cars actually have green eyeballs.
Have you ever seen those before? No.
Where do people surprise me whatsoever?
Yeah, I mean, anything for anybody, right?
Most modified car in the world.
There you go.
Where do they come up with this stuff?
So a buddy of ours, Mark Young,
he's the regular.
I mean, he's he was with the museum program from day one.
Mark with the integral and doing the 50th anniversary
down there in Charlotte.
And he is still working as helping curate the cars that come in out of the museum.
Of course, he's got his beautiful fastback, that dark blue.
You know, he actually let me drive this K code car.
And I haven't driven too many K codes in my life.
Like there's something about those early 280 ninths.
You know, it's not like a modern Mustang.
Those clutches are tough. It's loud.
I don't remember being that loud.
But knowing Mark Young and his dark blue fastback,
I think it wasn't necessarily stock.
Right. Yeah, I'm sure it wasn't.
And I really look forward to seeing Mark on an upcoming car line this year as well.
Oh, yeah, absolutely.
Well, the other thing I did see a lot of, you know, is you'd think
everybody's kind of gravitating towards the classics.
But there were a lot of salines there and there in RTRs.
And I think Mike, the RTRs are starting to really find
favor of young people like to buy them and bring them because you don't see them everywhere.
But this show had several several RTRs on the property.
And, well, you know, RTR is right around the corner there as well.
So it's right there, right in the backyard of the museum.
And yes, RTR's price point is is great for especially an entry level buyer.
Even the more pronounced buyers, right?
I mean, the the bang for the buck that you're getting for RTR pricing right now
is really, really good. You got to give them some major props.
Yeah, our podcast crew on on YouTube can go back and look up our visit to the RTR studio there.
So, of course, one of the things I like to do is I like to meet people that are new to the hobby.
You know, Mike, we had that 50 Fever contest and the winner was right out of the Charlotte area.
So I got to meet the winner of the 50 Fever this year and his wife and and also to see his car
and actually interview him. It was really fun to interview him.
But I wanted to get a shot in of his car and to say, you know, you maybe you may have only
owned that car for a couple of weeks, but hopefully you'll own it a long time.
Yeah, yeah. Yeah, just like Dennis, right? Yeah.
Yeah. So the other thing I found interesting was that, you know, the Ford Racing Racing School,
the driving school that Charlotte got sold off to a private entity called Wheelhouse.
And this this is right in their wheelhouse. So they brought a tent out and they they brought
a couple cars and Mike, they were talking to everybody about they wanted the transition to be
seamless that, you know, if you were at the Ford Racing School, the driving school years ago,
it's a seamless transition. You know, we had a podcast episode from up there at the racing
school, if you recall. Yeah. And and it's still in the same place. The leadership is there and
they just want to deliver the same experience of getting a new Mustang on the track. So
I was really surprised to see them there and I'm glad they participated.
Yeah, I mean, it shows that they're interested, right, with all the people there. And like you
said, it's always that's the choir, right? So yeah, I'm glad they were there as well.
So it was kind of relaxing. Some people would sit under the trees that line on either side of the
museum and just look out in a view that you could see was just people standing around talking,
talking about their cars, hoods up, all the different colors of Mustangs that parked in the
parking lot, a lot of lot traffic. And, and Mike, I like that better than just everybody
parking in their, in their little seat behind the car and not seeing anybody walking.
Yeah, what a cool venue, right, John? I mean, so they're there, they're parked,
they can talk to everybody, show off their cars, show off the engines and then walk through the
museum and get a ton of history right there that you get to enjoy right at the same spot.
Yeah. We had to get the shot of in front of the museum, you're right. So for your
entry into National Mustang Day down there, not only did you get into the car show,
and that RTR is parked out right in front of the door, but you were given full access
to a full museum tour. People walked in the library, they were able to buy merch. So yeah,
you got full access for the whole day in case you know, you've, you've, you've covered the cars
and you want to see more. That's a great, that's a great thing to have a museum right there.
Yeah. And the stuff that's inside there being you've been through it many times and
it is just absolutely incredible. Michelle does a great job in keeping that museum.
Yeah. So I didn't want to not have in my collection a photo of that
67 fastback with that. For some reason, Mike, the paint on a sunny day, those light metallic
blues from the early 60s Mustangs, they just dance off those cars. And if you've got good paint on a
first gen, especially on a fastback, a light blue, I'm a sucker for that. I just, so I had to have
that photo. It's going to my collection. That's the way it's going to go. I hope you don't mind.
67 through 70 are always be my favorite run. There you go. Well, then I had to talk to
an MCA judge. And when I saw another Mustang two convertible, and know how few of those
Mustang two convertibles are, of course, our good friend, Robert Kennedy, it's got an orange one.
And when I saw this there and got the whole story of how a guy who just fell in love with this car,
found it in a swamp and somehow found a place in North Carolina that does a rotisserie restoration,
not just on a Mustang two, but on a super rare convertible. I swear to God, Mike,
the convertible top on that car looked better than it was installed when I first saw those
cars in the 80s. Yeah, 77. I don't think they made them that good. Good, good. I'm glad they're
taking care of it, right? Yeah. Well, that's, well, that's how good of a restoration he did on that
car. I know it was a wreck, but when you find someone that can restore the car better than
Ford or even the coach maker had done it, you found the right guy. Although I heard he had big
numbers on that car. Yeah. Well, then every once in a while, you'll see a pretty in pink
Mustang. We had a 67 coupe. It's really light pink. And I had, I heard they had a small run of these
cars. You don't see them too often. You know, everybody remembers the Playboy pinks.
Horace Collins, remember? Horace Collins. Yeah, Horace Collins. What a famous, he made those
Playboy pink cars famous in the MCA. You know, then Mike, he dropped out of the MCA and spent
some time with his family. But I heard he, not that he was bored with his family, but he got back
into the hobby. I think he might have got another car. And now he's back in that car show. So
Hoss is a great guy. And he's the one that introduced me personally to the Duncan Brothers.
Oh, I didn't know that. Yeah, that's how I met the Duncan Brothers was through Hoss. Hoss is a
great guy and worked with him many years on the MCA summits and things like that. So what a great,
great guy and huge asset to the hobby. Well, you know, you guys in your clings, you know, Mike,
I've been around so many window clings with with the Mustang memories show. But when I and I'm at
fault, you know, we've done what nine or 10 of these Mustang to reunions and I've got 10 clings
on my Mustang too. When I saw this car with all the national Mustang day clings, I had a Ford
Performance windshield banner. And I saw all the clings I go, God, this guy's pretty much
bend to every one of them. Yeah. Yeah. And I, you know, after a while, folks, I just want to
warn you, you have to be able to look out your front windshield, even if it's a little spot,
you just you can't completely cover the windshield. Yeah, the police going to give
out too many clings could take it. Now, Mike, I wanted to show you this photo of John Clore
working the Mustang tent when you get a free poster. Because behind my shoulder, you may have
noticed there is a sign about there's something that John Clore does with some guy that wasn't there,
some guy named Mike Ray. And your picture was there right behind me, John Clore, Mike Ray,
the Mustang owners podcast. So even though you weren't there physically, you were there in spirit,
because I had you and everybody that came up to me, it's so rewarding to hear people
enjoy listening to the podcast and the wide variety of things that we cover, you know.
Yeah, it really, really is. It makes it all worth it. Now, I'd use the John Clore sign when I had
my chance to get up and talk to everyone in the tent. Yeah, I don't say mine there. That's too much
Clore, not enough Ray. Yeah, so Emily got to get up and speak in a bud, Magaldi,
everyone had their chance, but they got me under there. Unfortunately, Mike, as it is when I'm
with you, most people who see us, if we're doing a live podcast or at a show, and we have a Q&A
session, like like we had at Carlisle, the Q&A sessions last longer than the presentation.
Yeah, they do. And then what do you say? You say the first thing is,
the only thing we can't talk about is future product. What's the first question, Mike?
Always future product. Are they going to make it boss 429?
Little Wisconsin, remember, I think the first two or three questions were all future product
after we just blatantly said don't ask that. Right. So, you know, the Hall of Fame ceremonies,
each one, everybody in the Hall of Fame had a chance to find a Caribbean award. Of course,
the first one there was Brad Bowling, and you remember Brad Bowling? Oh, yeah.
He was a superstar in the Bullet saga. His family relationship with the Sean Kiernan's family
is legendary. And so not only did Brad Bowling do a great speech the night before at the banquet,
he was able to give away an award at the car show, which good to see Brad up there. And again,
great storytelling. Of course, you had Emmeline King. Emmeline was also at the show. She was at
the award ceremony watching Bud get inducted into the Hall of Fame, Bud Magaldi, but she gave away
a prize card. She also had a presentation and did a book sale at the show, Mike. So,
Emmeline is, she's just bubbly and her engagement level is so high. She's a high energy.
What an ambassador for the Mustang brand. Yes. Yes, she's a great guy. Of course, our buddy,
Bud Magaldi, lifetime Moxam member. He picked a young lady who she was there because she said her
car turned 30. And she got a, they just put a timing chain, I think, in a Cobra. And it was
out of course, had to be a Cobra. Bob Magaldi was great. He had a great acceptance speech. It was
great to see him at the Hall of Fame as well. Very well deserving of that honor. Of course,
every year, I don't know how they do it, but the museum gives away a car. And most of the time,
the winners aren't there because you buy raffle tickets this year. The winners were there. We
were stunned that they won this beautiful Shelby GT 500 red Shelby with the white stripes. Mike,
you know, I love the red Shelby's white stripes, but they were actually there and
they had to figure out how to get their other car home. Well, there's two of them there.
But I guess you got to get plates and drive it legally. I don't know. Yeah. But it's really
cool that the museum has a giveaway car every year. And what a show they put on. I mean, how much,
how much fun is that? Yeah. Yeah, that's great. I gotta tell you, I did miss you. But you know,
we're going to have so many more shows to do that. I want everybody to stay tuned for all the
stuff you and I are going to come across both this year and in the times to come. We've got our new
format show on the horizon. We got some exclusive drives coming up. Mike, National Mustang Day was
just the kickoff, but this is going to be a really exciting year. Carlisle is going to be really
interesting with our seven gen stories. We don't want anybody to miss anything when it comes to
the Mustang owners podcast. Yeah, it's going to be really, really fun. May and June coming up,
you know, it's going to be really, really packed for us with a few events. I know we have three
for May or so. And then June is right around the corner and it always kicks off with Carlisle,
which is our biggest event usually of the year. And yeah, we're going to do that special seven
generation show at Carlisle. Yeah. So we're just thanking everybody again for watching the podcast,
especially getting us past our 1000 subs. And Mike, after we hit 1000 and one 10,000 next,
let's go guys. Mike's now is going to push for, I was hoping for two, but Mike's going for 10.
No, go bigger, go home. There's no reason. All your friends, neighbors, co-workers, everybody.
Yeah, there's no reason why. If you like Mustang content and you like to see stories and cars and
photos and you like to be part of the hobby that you can't just like and subscribe, make sure you
throw a comment in there. We read all of the comments and wait till you see our new show format.
There's a lot coming up. So folks, I hope you enjoyed this little view of the National Mustang
Day 2026 at the Mustang Owners Museum there in Concord, I mean, Charlotte, North Carolina.
We're going to have much, much, much more coming for you this summer. So hang in there.
Mike, it can't be more fun than the podcast. Yeah, I can't wait. Let's get out there and
get some more coverage. You got it. So hope you hit that like and subscribe. Until next time,
folks, we'll just have to catch you guys down the road.
About this episode
National Mustang Day festivities at the Mustang Owners Museum in Concord, North Carolina, kick off with a banquet honoring key figures behind the event, including Steve Hall’s Hall of Fame recognition and appearances by journalists Bud Magaldi, John Forrest, and Brad Bowling. The crew then spotlights standout cars and owners, including Austin, the latest Mustang 505 Sweepstakes winner, who signed up on a whim and now lives with a loud Coyote V8. Newer enthusiast Kerry shares her long-held dream of owning multiple Mustangs, including a 1964.5 red convertible. The episode also leans into the community and early-car turnout, with photo-driven highlights and talk of Ford racing heritage.
It may come as a surprise to some Mustang owners and fans, but the idea of celebrating National Mustang Day each year on (or around) the car’s public introduction day of April 17th didn’t originate from Ford Motor Company. Rather, it was the brainchild of the late Steve Hall, originally set up to be an annual fundraiser for his newly founded Mustang Owner’s Museum via the sale of windshield stickers to participating clubs. The museum created a National Mustang Day website to facilitate the sale of the window clings and list all of the participating club activities planned for that day, as well as to register for the museum’s own NMD events beginning in 2018.Much like the creation of the Mustang Owner’s Museum, Steve’s idea of founding an annual National Mustang Day on the anniversary of the car’s public birthday was well-embraced. And after that first one was in the books, the practice of owners and fans gathering on National Mustang Day has grown into a global phenomenon. For 2026, Mischelle Hall invited the podcast to attend both days, to be a guest speaker at the museum show and set up our Meet & Greet tent.Friday night’s Hall of Fame dinner was emceed by MCA past president Steve Prewitt, who introduced the inductee for the Mustang Industry category, Bud Magaldi, chief designer and styling design manager of the Fourth Generation (SN95) 1994 Mustang. Next up was the Mustang Journalism category with fellow Mustang author Brad Bowling, perhaps best known for his unearthing of Steve McQueen’s original Bullitt movie car. John Force was inducted in the Mustang Racing category, but the retired NHRA drag racing legend was unable to attend. The final Hall of Fame category, Mustang Hobby, was posthumously awarded to the late Steve Hall, founder of the Mustang Owner’s Museum and National Mustang Day itself.Smiles were the order of the day on Saturday, as the cars started rolling into the museum lots before 7 a.m. for the National Mustang Day car show. There were easily over 100 Mustangs on display outside, with attendees coming in and out of the museum and filling the presentation tent all afternoon. The first guest speaker was Angela Graham from AutoBarn Classic Cars, who shared insights about the facility, including classic car sales, consignment, storage and memorabilia. The second speaker was Matt Grev from Wheelhouse Performance Racing, formerly the Ford Performance Racing School. Matt discussed the details of the continuation of the school under Wheelhouse and how they can help anyone take their driving expertise to the next level, whether they are beginners or experienced racers.We were able to catch some of the talk given by the third guest speaker, none other than our friend Emeline King, Ford’s first-ever black female transportation designer. Known as the interior designer of the Fourth Generation 1994 SN-95 Mustang under Bud Magaldi, Emeline came down to witness Bud’s induction into the HoF as well as to offer the backstory behind her inspirational book, "What Do You Mean A Black Girl Can't Design Cars? Emeline King, She Did It!"This year’s 9th Annual Mustang Owner’s Museum National Mustang Day event wrapped up with a brief awards ceremony, with each car show award winner chosen by the Hall of Fame Inductees, the Mustang Owner's Museum and by event attendees. They were:Carrie Boschan - Black 1996 SVT Cobra CoupeChosen by Mustang Industry Inductee Bud MagaldiBrian Rosenstein - Grey 1985 GTChosen by Mustang Journalism inductee Brad BowlingMike & Lorie Williams - Bright Yellow 1977 Mustang II Convertible
Jimy Reid - Vapor Blue 2024 Dark HorseChosen by Emeline King on behalf of Mustang Hobby inductee Steve HallEric Hausfeld - Dusk Rose 1967 Coupe Sports SprintChosen by the Mustang Owner's MuseumCJ Carter - Ivy Green
1966 Shelby GT350And finally, the winner of the drawing for the 2009 Shelby GT500 Giveaway Car was Anthony Greene – who was actually in attendance when his name was drawn!
