It’s been almost exactly one year since the Mustang hobby learned of the passing of Steve Hall, founder/director of the Mustang Owner’s Museum in Concord, North Carolina, just down the road from the Charlotte Motor Speedway. So it seems this would be an appropriate time for us to feature Mustang owner, racer and enthusiast Donny Wagner in our Fan Spotlight, as he also happens to be the secretary of the Vintage Mustang Club of Luxembourg who wanted to honor Hall’s efforts on behalf of Mustang fans everywhere. After reading that Hall had lost his battle with cancer last October, Wagner had emailed ClubHub@Ford.com to reveal what Hall had done for his fellow club members who traveled to the States from Europe to experience Mustang fandom on this side of the pond. As our tribute to the Hall family, who have faithfully kept the Mustang Owner’s Museum running strong just as Steve would have wanted – as well as to Wagner, who owns multiple Mustangs and races at the Spa-Francorchamps – we think the note that Donny had sent us below has aged quite well and shows what Mustang passion is all about, even from across the globe:

Hi Ford Performance! My name is Donny Wagner. As a member of the MCA and a loyal reader of the club’s monthly Mustang Times Magazine I had been very much saddened reading the article about the loss of a champion, Steve Hall. Indeed, he was a champion, and I have to admit that, while reading the Ford Performance Column, it brought me some tears as well. It was a real shock to me when I’d read Ashley Hall's news about Steve’s passing away at the end of October 2023.

“No later than early July of 2023, I had been visiting with Steve at the Mustang Owner’s Museum in Concord during a trip with my Mustang chaps to the Quaker State 400, and afterwards visiting with race teams in Mooresville. It was Steve, whom I got to know at the 55th Anniversary celebration back in 2019, who had the idea to invite all of us to the Museum for a genuine BBQ. We spent a fantastic evening together with him, Mischelle and Ashley, along with the Harris family, on July 13 at the Museum. We brought the wine from our wine-tasting event at Childress Vineyards, and they supplied great food).

“As a supporter of the Museum since Day One – both in-person and with my club, the Vintage Mustang Club of Luxembourg (of which I’ve been the secretary since 1990) – it was such a pleasure to see how much energy Steve pumped into his achievement of establishing the museum. His being able to keep this piece of Mustang history alive for all of us despite the challenges is a testament to all enthusiasts who cherish the story behind the life of the Ford Mustang.

Hall deserves the biggest brick to be placed in front of the museum -- and much more. I just hope that Ford, along with all of the members of the MOM and the MCA will do their utmost to support Mischelle and Ashley to keep the Mustang Owner’s Museum alive and ongoing.

“As the owner of five Mustangs – a 1965 Coupe that’s a vintage race car, a 1966 Coupe, a 1967 GT (K-Code) Convertible (a 1-of-1), plus a 1970 Mach 1 and 2010 Shelby GT500 – I've been in this Mustang world for close to 50 years (I'm 64). All of my 125 club members and I will do everything we can on this side of the ocean to keep this horse running forever. (You can follow the VMCL on www.vintagemustang.lu.)

“In the words of Jim Farley (whom I've been racing against at the Classic 6-Hours of Spa-Francorchamps): ‘We're going to continue to invest. And if we're the only one on the planet making a V8 affordable sports car for everyone in the world, so be it,” which gives me confidence that we are on the right track. Thank you Jim, and thank you Ford Performance for your work defending all of our interests for the sake of the Blue Oval and the beloved Mustang. Cheers from Luxembourg!”

Here’s How YOU Can Get In The Spotlight: For some 20 years now, one of the most popular features on FordPerformance.com and in our weekly Fast News e-newsletter continues to be "Ford Fan Spotlight," where readers can send in their own reasons why they're fans of Ford Motor Company and its vehicles. You know who they are: Ford "superfans;" grassroots Ford racers; unique Ford vehicle owners; loyal Ford enthusiasts; notable Ford club people; special Ford families; and/or any avid supporter of Ford, Ford vehicles, Ford motorsports or Ford Performance who deserves a little bit of special recognition.

All you need to do to get you, your car or candidate considered is to send in a brief description (200-500 words or less) and a few photos (in .jpeg format, preferably around 1 mb in size) with the owner’s full name and hometown, please. Just tell us about the vehicle(s) and why you think Ford Performance should feature it (them) in the "Ford Fan Spotlight" for an upcoming installment of Fast News as well as for posting on FordPerformance.com. Then email it to: ClubHub@Ford.com with your contact info. Your submission allows us the rights to use your words and images (along with any edits) for editorial purposes; we’ll choose one submission in random order to post online. We hope to see YOU and your Ford in our Spotlight soon!