DEARBORN, Mich. – Mustang’s 60th anniversary has been celebrated all over the world so far this year, but there’s really no better place to host a 60-year homecoming party for Ford’s iconic car than its birthplace in Dearborn, Michigan. Despite a venue change for this year’s third-annual Mustang Homecoming in Dearborn, some fresh ideas and new participants helped to make the 2024 Homecoming a show worthy enough to mark Mustang’s 60 years of automotive success.
The idea of creating an annual Mustang “homecoming” event in Ford’s own backyard was the brainchild of Mike Rey, longtime president of the Mustang Owners Club of SouthEastern Michigan – perhaps better known as MOCSEM. Three years ago, Rey decided to put together the first annual Dearborn gathering event in late August, just a few days before The Motor City’s Woodward Dream Cruise weekend, capped off by MOCSEM’s own Mustang Memories show at Ford World Headquarters. Held at the Automotive Hall of Fame across the parking lot of Dearborn’s Henry Ford Museum – and just across the street from the main entrance to the Ford Product Development Center campus – the inaugural Mustang Homecoming featured a cruise-in at the Hall (with discounted admission), plus a Mustang Heroes Meet & Greet / Autograph Session in the lobby with nearly a dozen past and current Mustang engineers and designers on hand.
Rey followed that up by featuring the SVT 30th Anniversary Reunion at the Mustang Homecoming event last year, which included a special presentation in the Hall of Fame’s theater recapping the history of the Ford Special Vehicle Team. The videos were followed by a panel discussion with SVT co-founder and retired Ford Engineering VP Neil Ressler, along with SVT’s Chief Engineer John Coletti and SVT Marketing Manager Tim Boyd, just to name a few of the original SVT team in attendance. Afterward, Ressler and Coletti cut an SVT birthday cake during a Meet & Greet that was made even more special by having some rare SVT prototypes in the atrium for all to see.
The challenge for Rey was to figure out how to top those back-to-back home-run shows for 2024’s Mustang’s anniversary year – especially given that the Automotive Hall of Fame had shut down large events this summer because of road replacement work between the Hall and the Ford PDC campus. So Rey asked Gateway Classic Cars, the national consignment company who has a showroom in Dearborn, if the Mustang 60th Homecoming could be held at Gateway’s Dearborn complex – the same place that MOCSEM holds its monthly membership meetings. Showroom manager Linda Bastow agreed, making sure there was room for up to 300 cars in the showroom’s back lot.
And to make this year’s homecoming memorable for owners and club members from all across the region, Rey extended an invite for both the event planning and participation to some of the biggest and most active Mustang clubs in Michigan. The event committee was made up of Mike Rey and John Clor of MOCSEM; Ken Kruska and Tom Welsh of the Mustang Club of Mid-Michigan; Marty Mieras of the West Michigan Mustang Club; and Brian Buck of the Michigan S550+ Mustang Club. That’s when it was decided to have the attending club presidents engage in some friendly competition – head-to-head racing in adult “big-wheel” trikes for bragging rights and a huge Mustang Homecoming trophy donated by Ford Performance!
The sun was shining, music was playing and a line was already forming at the food truck when Mustangs of all years began pouring into the Gateway lot just before noontime on the Thursday before Woodward. Notably more Mustang IIs were in attendance than you’d see at most Ford car shows, certainly due to the upcoming national reunion event being held at the Mustang Memories show a scant three days away. Owners, club members and fans from across the area kept pulling in, including those piloted by a few recognized Ford “influencers.” All generations were represented at the homecoming, among them a very recognizable Grabber Green Cobra and even a couple of new S650 Mustangs -- a well-followed Yellow Splash Metallic Performance Pack GT and a Dark Horse, both of which drew a crowd. There was even a privately owned race-driven S197 Pace Car that was used at the 52nd annual Daytona 500 back in 2010. We also saw a few custom Broncos both new and old at the event, towering over all the Mustangs in the lot.
But there was even more in store for attendees here. Kicking things off with a big throwback to the ’60s was Elvis – yes, Elvis had entered the building! Instead of the typical DJ, Rey had hired a quite entertaining Elvis impersonator (known as “Elvis Kelly”) that had the ladies hooting and hollering to plenty of classic Elvis tunes and gyrations. This got the crowd jazzed up to say the least, dancing around and having a swingin’ time. Then it came time for the first-ever Mustang Homecoming Trike Race, with a series of standing start, down-to-a-cone-and-back heats that after much cheering (and even some fellow club-member jeering) determined the winner -- Brian Buck of the Michigan S550+ Mustang Club. Before Elvis left the building, he said he wanted to get in on the trike-racing action and take on the newly crowned champion. But the S550+ club leader proved too much for even Elvis.
After a photo op with the admittedly recycled trophy from a many years-old Thunderbird Club cart race now covered with Ford Performance Club Connect stickers, everyone was invited inside Gateway’s clubroom area for panel discussion-style introductions from each club president before the big-draw show finale – the Mustang Heroes Meet & Greet and Autograph Session. The line formed down the back entrance area and extended outside the building with owners and fans hoping to meet and get a signature or two from a star-studded lineup that featured none other than Dave Pericak (former Mustang Chief Engineer for S550 and now Ford Global Platform Chief); Laurie Transou (chief program engineer for Mustang S650); Rob Gelardi (former S197-S550 Mustang Designer and now Bronco Design Chief); Art Hyde (former Mustang Chief Engineer for SN95 and S197); Bob Aikins (former Mustang SVO designer); Bud Magaldi (former SN-95 Chief Designer); Mark Kelly (former lead designer for the 1967-94 Ford Mustang (and Ford Probe); Ara Ekizian (former Ford Interior Design Manager w-Mustang II, Fox Mustang & 96 Taurus); and Buck Mook (former Mustang II & Ford Probe exterior designer).
From great cars, friends and food to seeing Elvis and some engaging big-trike racing, this was a homecoming to remember. But what most enthusiasts were anticipating on this day was hearing from the panel of celebrity Ford guests to tell some of their insider Mustang stories. Both Pericak and Transou had to skip out on Ford meetings to attend – which just goes to show their dedication to Mustangs owners. And for Laurie Transou, it was nearly impossible for her to get back to work as fans even followed her out to her car to get a photo with her. She told us that this homecoming was her first club event that she’s been able to attend since becoming the chief engineer for Mustang.
We’re not sure what the next Mustang Homecoming in Dearborn might be all about, but we are sure that the Michigan Mustang 60th Anniversary edition will be tough to beat. For those who couldn’t make it, check out our gallery below to catch some of the high-octane moments throughout that day:
FORD PERFORMANCE PHOTOS / COURTESY JOE DELADVITCH