Ford Thunderbird owners know well that their cars are “Unique In All the World!” as the classic Ford catchphrase proudly points out. That’s why each May, the three major Thunderbird enthusiast clubs promote a global “Thunderbird Appreciation Day” – which this year falls on Sunday, May 16. Ford produced more than 4 million Thunderbirds over the years but they are still a rare sight on the road. Join other Thunderbird owners around the world as well as members of the Classic Thunderbird Club International, Vintage Thunderbird Club International, and the International Thunderbird Club as they celebrate these iconic cars on their 5^th annual Appreciation Day. The clubs simply ask that you attend a cars-n-coffee, picnic in the park, drop-in at a diner, join in on a cruise, or simply just take your Thunderbird out into the public. Any place you go, people will surely want to talk to you about your Thunderbird, no matter what year it was built! Thunderbird Appreciation Day is the day to show other T-Bird fans that they, too, can be part of the Thunderbird family by joining a T-Bird club. And don’t forget to share some photos of what you did on Thunderbird Appreciation Day on the various Thunderbird clubs’ websites and social media group pages! So get your T-Birds ready to soar on Thunderbird Appreciation Day, May 16, 2021, and show the world how unique these iconic Fords really are!

14^th Annual ShelbyFest and All-Mustang Rally Gears Up to Fill Up Downtown Jefferson City, Missouri, May 6-8

One big Ford enthusiast event set for the second weekend in May is the 14^th annual ShelbyFest All-Mustang Rally in Downtown Jefferson City, Missouri. The show runs from May 6-8, 2021, and Ford Performance will be there! Stop by our Ford Performance Club Connect Meet & Greet Tent to chat or just to say Hi and pick up a FREE, full-color Shelby Mustang poster. All Mustangs are welcome ShelbyFest weekend, which includes a Cinco De Mayo Party, two full days of AutoCross, a charity cruise-in, plus scenic countryside cruises. You can expect hundreds of fine Mustangs at the Saturday Show & Shine, plus good food and fun at the Evening Banquet. Check out the ShelbyFest website for full details.

Mustang Owners Museum Moves National Mustang Day Show to July 29-31, Announces Upcoming May Event Schedule

We hope you were able to take part in one of the hundreds of events that took place on April 17 to commemorate Global Mustang Day. Look for our coverage of a few notable gatherings in the Enthusiasts Newsroom of www.FordPerformance.com. Ever since the Ford Mustang had turned 50, the idea of owners and fans getting out on April 17^th to celebrate Ford’s famed Pony Car has grown into an annual global phenomenon. Some six years ago, the Mustang Owners Museum had set up “National Mustang Day” as an annual fundraiser for museum via the sale of windshield stickers to participating clubs. The museum, which is located in suburban Charlotte, North Carolina, was forced to postpone its own big event this year until July 29-31, 2021, due to gathering size restrictions, but they have announced a series of smaller upcoming events that meet local health and safety guidelines. The event lineup includes: May 1, National California Mustang Day / May 7-8, Mustang Club of America Show / May 15, Mustang First Generation Mustang Show / May 22, Spring Ford Garage Sale / May 29, Mustang Pace Car Day / and May 31, Memorial Day Cruise, hosted by Wrecking Crew Mustangs. The museum’s website has full details.

Time to Register your Club or Ford Fan Facebook Group with Ford Performance Club Connect

By now you should have heard about a cool Ford Performance initiative called “Club Connect” that can help all Ford and Mustang enthusiasts get connected with both Ford Motor Company and each other. Only those clubs who register with the program are eligible for no-cost promotion and support from Ford Performance, so you owe it to members of your Mustang or Ford vehicle club or online forum to register and appear on our Ford enthusiast club map. All it takes is a visit to www.FordPerformanceClubConnect.com and a single click on the “Register Your Club” link. Once you fill out the form and hit “Submit,” you’ll be notified within just a few days of your acceptance in Ford Performance Club Connect -- it’s that simple, and it’s FREE!

The primary goal of our Ford Performance Club Connect program is to get everyone to register their club – at no cost – and get themselves on our Ford enthusiast group map so that we can all connect with each other. Once there, you’ll be able to see all of the other clubs and groups who have registered in your region – not just Mustang clubs, but ALL Ford vehicle organizations. And now we’d like to invite all of you who are part of any Ford vehicle Facebook Group to register with Club Connect, too. Why? Because connecting your Facebook Group with more owners and fans makes your group more worthwhile – and registering with Club Connect will link your online group with participants who may never have known that your group exists.

The value in all of this is that whenever you plan a club or group activity, you can see what other clubs and groups are in your area that you may wish to contact and ask to join you at a show or event. It also allows Ford Performance to see all the clubs and groups in a certain area, so that when we are coming to town or planning a special Ford event in your city or state, you and your club members can be contacted to participate.

It takes only a few minutes for a club principal or board member to register your club and establish a direct link for your members to Ford Performance. And now, you can also register your group and logo with Ford Brand Licensing all in the same process. Have a product or parts question that you want answered? Wish you could get some free club event promotion in our weekly “Fast News” e-blast that goes out to more than a quarter-million Ford fans each Thursday? Looking for event coverage for your show in the Enthusiasts section of FordPerformance.com? Hoping you could find a cool Ford goodie-bag or door-prize item, or a banquet guest speaker? How about requesting on-site show support with an appearance by our Ford Performance Meet & Greet tent, along with FREE Mustang poster giveaways for all show attendees? Individual requests are reviewed on a case-by-case basis, but they can ONLY be awarded to clubs who are registered.

So go to www.FordPerformanceClubConnect.com and click on the “Find Your Club” link to see if you are on the map. If not, then act now to register your Ford-based club or Facebook Group so that you can join this special program -- all backed and supported by a real enthusiast staff managed by Ford Performance. If you have questions or want more info, you and your members can always email us at ClubHub@Ford.com, or can simply call our Ford Performance Info Center, toll-free during regular business hours, at 1-800-FORD-788 (800-367-3788).

So what are you waiting for? Get online and make sure you’re connected. Then plan to enjoy your performance Ford later this year so that you can discover the fun and all of the friendly people involved in the world of Ford Performance. We’re sure that being connected with each other and with Ford will make your ownership experience even more enjoyable!

Here's How Easy It Is to Get You and Your Car(s) Featured in Our Weekly ‘Ford Fan Spotlight’

For the past decade, one of the most popular features on FordPerformance.com and in our Fast News e-newsletter continues to be "Ford Fan Spotlight," where readers can send in their own reasons why they're fans of Ford Motor Company. You know who they are: Ford "superfans;" grassroots Ford racers; unique Ford vehicle owners; loyal Ford enthusiasts; notable Ford club people; special Ford families; and/or any avid supporter of Ford, Ford vehicles, Ford motorsports or Ford Performance who deserves a little bit of special recognition.

All you need to do to get you, your car or candidate considered is to send in a brief description (200-500 words or less) and a few photos (in .jpeg format, preferably 1 mb) of a person (full name and hometown, please) and vehicle that you think Ford Performance should feature (and why) in the "Ford Fan Spotlight" for an upcoming installment of Fast News and posting on FordPerformance.com. Then email it to: ClubHub@Ford.com. (Your submission grants us your permission for us to use your copy and photos on our website and other Ford media outlets, edited as necessary.) We'll choose one submission to be featured each week. We hope to see YOU and your collectible Ford in our Fan Spotlight soon!

Now Read Our Enthusiasts News Each Week on Ford Performance Club Connect

One race – one win – was all it took for Henry Ford to generate enough buzz and belief in his engineering among investors to secure funding and launch the Ford Motor Company. At Ford Performance, we have never forgotten where it all began. So we’ve been honoring our heritage, our products and our relentless competitive spirit by shining a light on motorsports and the Ford enthusiast world each week with our Fast News e-newsletter.

From news on our hottest cars and trucks or performance parts to the latest scoop on all the must-see Ford enthusiast events and shows, our weekly Fast News email has been your ticket to stay connected to the company that put the world on wheels. But trying to keep up with emails has left some of you in the dust. So that’s why Ford Performance is now posting our weekly Enthusiast News directly on www.FordPerformanceClubConnect.com -- so you can check it out the next time you’re online without sorting through your email inbox. So put our FordPerformanceClubConnect.com website on your Favorites list, and then hop-in, buckle-up and hang-on each and every week for our Enthusiast News, because like you and all of us in the Ford enthusiast world, we’ll be driving Ford passion!