DEARBORN, MI – After we saw the flyer promoting the 2024 Fairlane Club of America’s National Meet in Dearborn, Michigan, we knew we just had to attend. It started off with: “Just imagine the beautiful show field, filled with 1962-79 Intermediate Fairlanes, Torinos, Cyclones, LTD II's, Cougars (1974-79), Thunderbolts, Talladegas, Wagons, Hi-pos, Sport Coupes, Sedans and Hardtops, Concours restorations and Diamonds in the Rough – roaring reds, glorious yellows, brilliant blues, sparkling whites, and all the golds, greens, burgundies and blacks shining in the July sun! How could you miss this?”

Exactly. We couldn’t – especially with the show being held in Ford’s own backyard.
So we contacted our friends in the FCA to see if there would be room on their show field at the host hotel’s lot for us to set up our Ford Performance Club Connect Meet & Greet display to chat with Fairlane owners and fans, hand out some giveaways (and some cool Ford GT posters) and check out all the classic rides that came from all over the country to attend. When we were told “Yes,” we threw in a few door prizes to sweeten the pot and headed out to the show on a rainy, muggy Saturday morning.
The forecast said the skies would clear well before lunchtime, so we went inside the hotel’s banquet hall where the FCA had set up a “Club Room” with info exhibits, raffle prize and mech tables and a couple of special cars on display as well. After lots of great conversations we were told the rain had stopped so it was time to get the show started outside. We set up our display in a flash and met with scores of owners who were as colorful as their cars. Before participant voting shut down in the afternoon and our camera lens got too steamy to stay clear, we were able to walk the show field and snap photos of some of the fine Fords in the Fairlane family that made it to this year’s Nationals.
The FCA pulled out all the stops to make this a memorable meet, including a Friday Cars & Coffee and a cruise out to the Roush Museum in nearby Livonia, Michigan, before coming back for “Movie Night” in one of the hotel’s club rooms. The Saturday show day featured a judges meeting and an all-day swap, plus a club store, raffles, displays, door prizes, a food tent and a kids Hot Wheels mini-drags contest – all ending with an evening awards banquet. Speaking of the kids, the show included a Youth Judging Team sponsored by the Hagerty Insurance Company that drew more than a dozen young people ages 6-14 who got a T-shirt, hat, badge, score card and pen to judge 5-6 vehicles and present their own awards at the Saturday night dinner.Take a look at some of our favorite shots from this year’s meet below and then go check out the Fairlane Club of America’s website (https://fca.clubexpress.com) for info on next year’s event so that you can get to see these sweet classic Fords in person.

FORD PERFORMANCE PHOTOS / COURTESY DAN BROCHSTEIN