COLUMBUS, Ohio. – Second-generation Mustang fans made history last year when 82 Mustang II’s descended upon the big “Mustang Memories” show at Ford World Headquarters as part of the first-ever national Mustang II Reunion, setting a record for the most Mustang II’s to appear at any single event. Ford Performance, who spearheaded the 2016 reunion show effort to celebrate the 40^th anniversary of the Mustang II Cobra II, won praise in the Mustang enthusiast community for organizing what it thought would be an once-in-a-lifetime event. But it seems that show-within-a-show idea has stirred renewed interest in the once overlooked Mustang II. This past summer, the Mustang Club of Ohio kept the second-gen Mustang momentum going with “Mustang II Reunion II” headlining the club’s “Annual All-Mustang Show” back in late August.

“The Mustang Club of Ohio (MCO) has been interested in finding ways to increase the attendance by owners of Mustang II’s at it shows,” 2017 show chairman David Rose said in an email to Ford Performance early this show season. “Year after year, we have no -- or just a few – Mustang II’s at our shows. We feel that the Mustang II is just as important as any other Mustang, and we want to show our support to the Mustang II community. So that’s why the MCO is experimenting with an idea for this year’s show. We want to extend an invitation to the owners of Mustang II’s to attend our show on Sunday August 27, 2017. The Mustang II’s will compete for the normal trophies in their class and, additionally, we want to have a special trophies for the II’s and want Ford Performance at our show to select the Mustang II awards.”

How could we say no to that? So we went to Columbus to help Mustang II Reunion II commemorate the 40th Anniversary of the first T-Top Mustang, giving out commemorative window clings and special Ford Performance “Certificates of Appreciation” for II attendees. While we performed a Ford Performance Meet & Greet and Mustang poster giveaway at the Mustang Club of Ohio’s All Mustang show held at Krieger Ford that day, we also snuck away to the Mustang II Reunion II display area to choose some special Mustang II awards that the club had provided. While we were at it, we took pics of some of our favorite second-generation Stangs in attendance at the show so that we could share the “Mustang II Reunion II’ experience with you in the photos below:

FORD PERFORMANCE PHOTOS / COURTESY JOHN M. CLOR