LEESBURG, VA – I entered our incredible Mustang hobby back in October of 1981 when I bought my first Mustang, a 1966 Sprint 200 coupe, and started its restoration. Not long after, I joined the National Capital Region Mustang Club, and within six months I attended my first Mustang show that was held by the NCRMC the following April at Academy Ford in Laurel, Maryland. Now, all these years later, I am still going to NCRMC events! I was also at their Mustang Club of America Grand National held in Fredericksburg, Virginia, over Labor Day weekend in 2019, and I have been to many other events hosted by the club. Next up was their Summer's End Mustang Spectacular & All Ford Show, held on Saturday, September 14, 2024, at the Ion International Training Center, a large ice-skating complex in Leesburg, Virginia, some 68 miles from my home. or about or an hour-and-a-quarter away.
I was at this event the previous year, and the location is excellent for car shows as we were set up by classes in their large parking area. This show uses MCA Abbreviated Rules, where the emphasis is on cleanliness, condition and workmanship for Mustangs through the 2020 model year, with newer models and other classes using popular voting. My Mustang is usually placed in a modified class at these events as there are so many changes on my car. In addition to showing my Mustang, I volunteer to assist with judging and have helped with that over the last three of the club’s Fall shows. This is a great training exercise for me personally, as I have to look carefully at what I am judging and note exceptions on the score sheets if I make points deductions, as each owner may request these sheets if they want. It takes time but I enjoy doing this for the club.
The forecast at my take off time of 7:30 a.m. called for temps in the 60's to start, but quickly climbing into the 80's by the afternoon, with generally sunny skies and no threat of rain. I drove to the show in a light jacket but quickly put that away by the time I arrived at the Ion Center. The fun part of this long ride through Virginia was cruising the last 22 miles on Route 267W from the Capital Beltway to Leesburg. The road was generally empty at that early hour, and I could cruise uninterrupted at speed. I saw my V-6 engine give me an incredible 30.4 miles per gallon for the first time since I bought this Mustang, the highest I have ever seen and a personal best for my car!
When I arrived at the Ion Center, my 2011 Mustang was placed in Class L for '64-1/2 to '20 Mustangs -- Modified. In the past this class usually drew only two to four cars, but today there were 10 modified Mustangs in my class, and I did not know any of the other owners. This would be a challenge! So, I spent my first hour recleaning my car and getting it ready to participate in its 32nd show. I did not see my Mustang being judged later, but we were not required to be there when our cars were reviewed.
Not long after, I spoke with the head judge and asked to review a class. I was given Class A for '64-1/2 - '68 Mustangs, for which there were three awards, and I had seven or eight coupes, convertibles, and fastbacks to look at. The head judge said that I was judging these cars based solely on cleanliness and craftsmanship, and not for incorrect hardware or the wrong parts. In the 1980's, I restored my '66 Sprint coupe as noted, and that information has generally stayed with me over the years, so I felt comfortable looking at these Mustangs. I looked at everything except undercarriages as I had no way to get under these cars.
A few of these owners wanted to ask questions, so I judged their cars first and then spent time sharing what I found. I felt that this was a good learning tool for them as well as for me. The goal was to help these owners make their cars better for future shows – if they wanted to go that route. Most of the deductions were for areas that should not be too difficult to correct, such as cleaning engine areas or repainting parts under the hood. The only bad aspect of this assignment was that half of the way through judging, a yellow jacket tried to sting my right wrist leaving a nice sore spot for the next hour, but I just kept on reviewing the cars.
After judging, I had time to photograph several of the more interesting Mustangs and other specialty Ford, Mercury and Lincoln products that were at this show. There were a few rare examples, including early Shelby Mustangs, a Mercury Marauder, a '57 T-Bird, and an exceptionally rare and well-kept pink '56 Lincoln. This last car was an incredibly big luxury vehicle, and it later took the Best of Show award at trophy time. It was very impressive! I planned to feature a few of these cars in my Mitchell Motorsports newsletters.
When we were all called forward for trophy time, Class A, the group that I judged, was called first. The Mustang that won first place was owned by a man who had owned this car for 10-15 years but had never shown it before. This was his first Mustang show, ever! The only area that strongly stood out to me as needing attention was that his black carpet was noticeably sun-bleached in some areas and looked grey. I said that this may be a good winter project to have his faded carpet replaced with newer material. Most of the Mustangs in Class A were generally in good shape and just needed a little more attention to detail. Eventually, the club got to Class L, my class. They awarded multiple trophies for first, second and third place, and I was fortunate to receive a second, which was a nice award.
One of the highlights for me personally was the opportunity to speak with several of the NCRMC officers. This was important because this club is hosting the Mustang Club of America Grand National over Labor Day weekend in 2025, which is another three-day event held in Fredericksburg. MCA National and Grand National shows are the highest levels of competition in our Mustang hobby, and these same club officers are making the extensive arrangements needed for running this excellent event.
Another highlight was assisting with the judging by reviewing a class of Mustangs and answering questions when asked. I believe both the judge and the owners learn something from this exercise, and it is time well-spent. Overall, this show was an excellent opportunity to enjoy our Mustang hobby on a higher level. Do you want to get more involved in our Mustang hobby? Try judging a class or assisting another judge and learning more about the process. It adds a whole new and interesting dimension to car shows!
FORD PERFORMANCE PHOTOS / COURTESY RICK MITCHELL
