DEARBORN, MI – If you’ve been following the Ford collector car world over the past few years then you already know that the “Fox Body” third-generation Mustangs are among the hottest vehicles in the market. So it was no surprise that a group of Fox Body enthusiasts got together last summer to put together what they’d hoped would be the largest one-day gathering of Fox-platform based Fords in the country. Despite rain on show day, the inaugural Motor City FoxFest was a hit, topping 500 cars. So it was a no-brainer that it would be back for 2024 – and this time around abundant sunshine would replace last year’s rain, albeit with plenty of heat and humidity as well.
Yes, there are older and bigger Fox shows – but none of those have been at Ford World Headquarters. With Detroit being a hotbed of Mustang culture, this year’s Motor City FoxFest not only pulled in plenty of the local faithful, but also enjoyed a draw of Fox Body owners and enthusiasts from across the Midwest. Word was the 2^nd annual FoxFest attracted some 600 show cars and more than 50 Fox-centric vendors at the Ford WHQ back lot in Dearborn, Michigan, on Saturday, July 13.
Ford’s “Fox Bodies” are generally described as 1979 to 1993 third-generation Mustangs, but 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 helps the event pull in many fine SN95’s, including the SVT’s, Mach 1’s and Bullitt’s -- and all of the fandom and aftermarket that goes with them.
Our own roving Ford Performance photographer, Ford Marketing retiree and super-enthusiast Bill Cook, attended FoxFest 2024 and took nearly 300 photos while filing this report. “The show had strong attendance,” Cook said. “The Mustang turnout was massive and the quality impressive. There were also lots of cool Non-Mustangs: 2^nd gen Mercury Capris (with a strong showing); Aero-era Thunderbirds; 5^th and 6^th gen Cougars; as well as Fairmonts, Zephyrs and even 4^th gen Mercury Marquis and Lincoln Mark VIIs. Great stuff!”
Show co-founder Bill Butler, who had started an OEM parts business and now works for Ford Performance, came up with the event idea with MOCSEM Board Member Glynn Robitaille a while back. This year they got sponsor NPD to bring its 1993 Mustang GT convertible (which was the last of the gen-3 Fox Mustangs built that it actually purchased new in August of 1993), plus they convinced Ford Performance Parts to display its trio of serial number 001 Cobra R models from 1993, 1995 and 2000, as well as 1993 SVT Mustang Cobra pre-production prototypes #7 and #9 that are rarely if ever seen. The Ford Special Vehicle Registry team even had a tent on the show field, where owners could sign up on the spot and get a free gift.
Lots of other rare Foxes were also on display, including several Saleen Mustangs, some Comp Prep SVOs, and milestone Fox race cars, as well as a contingent of Mustang SSPs (Special Service Package) police cars. Add that to a huge, colorful array of stock, modded and custom owner-Foxxes, and you have a big reason to plan on attending FoxFest 2025 next summer. Go ahead and bookmark https://motorcityfoxfest.com/ now, and then check out some of Bill Cook’s photos from this year’s show below:

FORD PERFORMANCE PHOTOS / COURTESY BILL COOK