DEARBORN, MI – A few weeks back we reported on a special media event at Ford World Headquarters where a variety of influencer-types and select employees participated in a private reveal of the company’s newly formed Ford Heritage Fleet. It was a sneak peek at a collection of saved project vehicles, concept cars, prototypes and production test vehicles that Ford had assembled from various departments over the past few decades. The recently announced U.S. Heritage Fleet came from an internal program to archive and showcase some of the most historically significant vehicles that remained in the company’s possession, patterned after the Ford of Europe heritage fleet that has been housed at Ford’s UK parts distribution center in Daventry. Estimates put the total collection at nearly 500 vehicles globally, with some 150 curated from design, engineering and development teams here in the United States. The fleet’s purpose was to serve as a resource and inspiration for designers and engineers while educating employees and the public about Ford’s product history.
When that reveal event story broke, Ford clubs and enthusiast groups from across the country bombarded the Ford Performance Club Connect program with inquiries and requests for group tours of the fleet, a portion of which was being housed in a display inside the Executive Garage at Ford’s World Headquarters in Dearborn and not open to the public. Soon after, Ted Ryan, Ford’s Heritage and Brand Manager, along with the Ford Communications team, announced that the company was planning a Saturday morning Cars & Coffee-style event at Ford WHQ on May 3rd all for fans, clubs, employees and the general public to come out to see the Heritage Fleet display, plus the cruise-in owner cars and a display of some of Ford’s hottest current products.
Despite waking up to a chilly, cloudy and blustery day, some 300 Mustangs and collectible Fords from across the region filled the side parking lots of Ford’s “Glass House” in Dearborn for a morning of cars and camaraderie. They included members of regional Mustang, Thunderbird, Cougar and other Blue Oval clubs, classic and collectible Ford owners as well as Ford employees. Adding in all the Ford fans, families and visitors who walked over from the general public parking area, there were an estimated 1,500 people in attendance to check out all the cool rides and grab a cup of hot coffee, compliments of Ford Motor Company.
We met up with people from as far away as Ohio, Indiana, Minnesota, Maryland, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, and even North Carolina. In fact, a whole group from the Mustang Owner’s Museum area in Concord, NC, came up, walking along with fellow enthusiast Dawn Reid (who we last saw at Foxtoberfest) and her son, Ashton. We also talked to young Dan Pruzinsky, star of this year’s Club Summit, who came in from eastern Pennsylvania with his father to show his dad where he wants to work now that he’s secured his MBA. Ford fan Ben Neros came in all the way from New Hampshire, and Guy Scothern, principal of Ohio’s Fort Meigs Ponies & Snakes Car Club, drove up plenty of with flyers to hand out for his June 7 show at Baumann Ford in Genoa. Mustang II owners Mike and Tina Stiles flew in from Minneapolis the night before just to be part of the four-hour event that morning. The Stiles’ found out about the cars & coffee event as members of the Mustang Owners Club of SouthEastern Michigan (MOCSEM), which they had joined after attending the Mustang II Reunion at MOCSEM’s annual Mustang Memories and All Ford Show at Ford WHQ last year on the day after the Woodward Dream Cruise. They made the trip solely because they were excited for the chance to see The Heritage Fleet. (Talk about a couple being True Blue Ford fans!)
Next to the cruise-in area was a display of some of Ford’s most noteworthy new vehicles for folks to see in person, including some show cars and track stars. Leading the pack was the “Spirit of America” Mustang GTD race car, plus a GTD that campaigned in the IMSA Series and a Dark Horse that raced in the Mustang Cup Series. There was also a Ford Performance FP800, a Mustang GT 60th Anniversary car – even a Maverick Lobo and F-150 Lightning and Mach-E EV’s, just to name a few. But it was the Heritage display of some 50 select vehicles (as well as the warmth inside) that awaited up the ramp to the Executive Garage area that people came to experience.
It's impossible to say which part of this temporary Heritage Fleet display got the most attention from the mass of Ford fandom who came to get this first public glimpse. On one end were the concepts and one-offs, and on the other the production-car stars. There’s no question that vehicles such as the 2007 Ford Interceptor concept, the Ford Airstream concept, The Ford F-150 Atlas concept and the 2004 Ford Bronco concept – and even a cool little-known concept coupe called the Reflex – caused a stir. But so did the 2015 Mustang GT that made a trip to the top of the Empire State Building in New York during the S550 launch. (They had even included a wood replica of the elevator that they had to fit all the parts of the car into for the journey to the top.) Plus the milestone 10th Millionth Mustang pony car produced was there. Others included a 1914 Model T replica built for Ford’s 100th anniversary, a 1938 V8 Ambulance, and a 2000 Ford Ranger EV pickup (yes, from 25 years ago!).
But the Ford Performance fleet side brought out the cameras and comments as well. Led by the trio of No. 0001 SVT Mustang Cobra R’s (the first of the 1993, 1995 and 2000 R-models), this display area included 2004 and 2017 Ford GTs plus some prototypes, one-offs and engineering bucks used to develop both. Also big was a range of development Mustang Shelby GT350, GT500, and KR models, as well as initial SVT Lightning, Contour, and Focus models – topped off by the popular SVT Lightning Bolt Ranger, a 2002 Ford Ranger Concept truck with a supercharged 5.4L V8 swapped in from the second-gen SVT F-150 Lightning.
As expected, the response from Ford enthusiasts was one of excitement and enthusiasm, with the mix of historical and new vehicles bringing out a mix of Ford fans both young and old. This kind of brand-building goes a long way to break stereotypical corporate groupthink that clubs and enthusiast groups are only for Boomers and Gen X’ers or that history is looking backward when a company should only look forward. It reinforces the fact that the Ford enthusiast community is the backbone of brand discipleship and the main driver for Ford’s Brand Loyalty ratings. Many club members expressed to us that they see Ford’s product legacy as an ownership pride point and that showing off The Heritage Fleet helps then feel an even stronger connection to the brand. All agreed that after hearing about similar Ford collections in England, Australia, and Germany, it’s great to see significant vehicles being saved for a U.S. Heritage Fleet instead of either donated for charity auctions, sold into public collections, gifted to museums -- or worse, given a date with the crusher.
Yes, the Ford Cars & Coffee event to showcase the Ford Heritage Fleet at World Headquarters was a memorable day for all. With a legacy of 122 years of innovation, it’s easy to see why for owners and fans of this iconic American brand, old Fords are as cool as new Fords, and they can be expected to stay that way for generations to come.
FORD PERFORMANCE PHOTOS / JOHN M. CLOR
