DEARBORN, MI – Yes, this is going to be one of those “The rain didn’t dampen their spirits” stories. Spirits weren’t dampened. Engines, interiors, lawn chairs and Mustangs were soaked. But showgoers at the inaugural Motor City Foxfest were all smiles despite the rain.

At least the first part of the show was dry…

The first of what is hoped to be an annual event, the 2023 Motor City Foxfest took place on Saturday, July 14^th, on the grounds of Ford World Headquarters. Despite a certain wet weather forecast the event drew more than 500 cars -- a very strong showing for a rain-or-shine premier of any car show.

If you’ve been following the Ford collector car world of late then you already know that the “Fox Body” third-generation Mustangs are among the hottest vehicles in the market these days. So that’s why a team of Fox Body Ford enthusiasts decided to put together what they’d hoped will be the largest one-day gathering of Fox-platform based Fords on the planet. Had it not rained, they just might have made it. Yes, there’ve been bigger Fox shows to date – but none before at Ford WHQ. Detroit being a hotbed of Mustang culture  delivered a big chunk of the local faithful, but make no mistake: The 2023 Motor City Foxfest enjoyed a nationwide draw of Foxbody owners and enthusiasts.

Although “Fox Bodies” are generally described as the 1979 to 1993 third-generation Mustangs, Motor City Foxfest covered all Ford cars based on the Fox platform from 1978 through 2004 including all sorts of other Ford nameplates that had rolled on the Fox underpinnings over the years. The show also included the “Fox-4” chassis of the fourth-generation SN-95 Mustangs produced from 1994-2004. Casting that wider net helped the event pull in many fine Foxes from all over the Midwest -- from mild, like an original survivor 1981 Mustang Ghia hatchback, to wild, including a contingent of forced-induction, ground-shaking wild customs. And just about everything in-between.

Mark and Eileen Foreman drove their pristine 1990 Mustang 5.0 convertible from South Bend, Indiana, to the big employee lot behind Ford World Headquarters to be part of Foxfest. “Our car drives so well and is such a comfortable highway car, we have to fight the temptation to pile on the miles.” Eileen said. “We’ve only got 38,000 miles on her,” Mark added, “and if we want to tell people she’s low-mileage, we have to avoid temptation.” How do the Foremans avoid that temptation? There’s a 2019 Shelby GT350 that shares the garage with their Fox Body to help scratch their travel itch.

Jerry Sobieski of suburban Eastpointe, Michigan, whispered to his girlfriend, Amanda Clark: “Please don’t open the umbrella. You’ll curse the show and summon the rain gods.” Amanda raised her umbrella by the handle and responded, “You’ve got to be prepared . . . Because even if the rain starts falling, we’re going to see every car here.” Our guess is that Amanda opened her umbrella at about 12:30 p.m., when the rain began to fall at a steady and often heavy rate for much of the afternoon.

As the skies opened up, an older couple hustled to raise the top of their gleaming True Blue-adorned 2002 SVT Mustang Cobra convertible. But 22-year-old Timothy “call me Timmy” Kurtz of Toledo, Ohio, was less concerned about the imminent rain on his car’s finish. Much less concerned. Posing for a sarcastic in-the-rain picture for a friend, Kurtz moved a fine polishing cloth across a flat, flaking and sun-baked 1992 Mustang LX 5.0 notchback. “I haven’t put a penny into the (exterior) looks.” Kurtz said, “Can you tell?”

Kurtz's story is a familiar one in the Fox Body world: He rescued his “Five-oh” from inside of a garage in Cleveland. The long-since-departed silver finish on the coupe was acting as a shelf for paint cans. He got the Mustang running and has been building the drivetrain on a shoestring budget, putting speed first over esthetics. But this was one of the common themes for several show participants on this day – no paint, no problem. Also in some cases, no interior. Apparently Fox patina is becoming the new black.

As previously noted, Mustang was not the only Ford to benefit from the Fox configuration. A variety of Fox-family Ford Thunderbirds, Fairmonts, Mercury Capris and even a bright-red Mercury Zephyr attended the show. They intermingled nicely among the hatch, notch and convertible ‘Stangs, SVOs and SVTs.

“It’s a familiar tale with Fairmont owners,” said Phil Tan of nearby Livonia, Michigan, as he unpacked a folding chair and small cooler from the trunk of his extremely clean 1982 two-toned Ford Fairmont. “My grandmother-in-law was the original owner, and when she stopped driving it, the family kept it. Too many good memories to let it go!” Tan’s decision to come to Foxfest was a last-minute one: “To be honest, I was worried I would be turned away,” he said, “but the people couldn’t be more welcoming.

Making a delayed and somewhat alarming entry onto the show field was a contingent of Mustang SSPs (Special Service Package) police cars with sirens and lights ablaze. There were many fine examples of these pursuit-duty Foxes, restored and painted for the cities and states they once patrolled. Cars from Michigan, Missouri, Florida and others sat door-to-door revealing the colorful graphics and lighting packages that made them fearsome on America’s highways for several years.

It was hard not to notice the wide array of vendors at this first Foxfest – many of them Fox-centric. Also noticeable was support from Ford Motor Company. Ford Performance brought a big display rig, showcasing parts and cars – and even a Bronco. Ford Performance Parts unveiled new custom-fit car covers – two of them for Foxes and one for the 2024 S650 Mustang – and yes, they brought one of those to show off the new cover. Ford Performance Club Connect was also there with its famed Meet & Greet display and free Mustang poster giveaway – with some 500 handed out in vinyl sleeves to protect them from raindrops. And the Ford Special Vehicle Registry team had a tent on-site as well, where owners could sign up on the spot and get a free gift.

With food trucks and attractions, there was plenty to see and do for fans of all ages. When the sky opened up around lunchtime, attendees opened their umbrellas or just got soaked -- very few left until the awards were handed out around 2 p.m.

One showgoer who chose to remain unidentified (“supposed to be going” to the supermarket) stood sizing up a 1990 Mustang GT with a “For Sale” sign in the window. With his brown hair slick with water, T-shirt soaking quickly, and rain drops running off the tip of his nose, I asked him why he was standing out in the rain with no umbrella.

“What rain?” he said with a wink, as he moved to the next car in the row.

It’s that kind of Fox Body spirit that has organizers thinking that Motor City Foxfest should be an annual thing. After all, it can’t rain on show day every year, can it? To that end, it might be wise to bookmark https://motorcityfoxfest.com/ just in case.

FORD PERFORMANCE PHOTOS / COURTESY DAN BROCHSTEIN