At one time during it's 26-year history, the annual Mustang Roundup in Bellevue, Washington, was simply a Mustang show. That time has long since passed. The Roundup now qualifies as a true event, and your intrepid scribe hit the full four days full bore on July 13-16, 2006.
Day One of Roundup '06 featured a ride-and-drive open track at nearby Pacific Raceways. Here, Scott Hogue's '65 fastback gets through a corner in a hurry.
Organized and run by the enthusiastic Seattle-area club, Mustangs Northwest, the love-fest for Ford's ponycar offers something for almost every enthusiast-from the concours restorer, to the street-oriented hot-rodder, to those wanting to make fast tracks on the same tarmac as Parnelli Jones once did. Seattle weather is normally stellar, and the area offers plenty of distractions should an out-of-towner tire of the automotive overload.
Check out the images from the '06 show and consider making a future trek to the Pacific Northwest during the third weekend of July.
Day Two was a Pony Trails caravan through the backroads of western Washington.
For more information about the '07 event, check out the Web site at www.mustangsnorthwest.com.
The hour-and-a-half drive brought more than 250 cars to the park at Mud Mountain Dam, just in time for lunch, car browsing, and catching up with friends. The cars on the Pony Trail were a good blend of old and new, including this pair of late-models. | 
Day Three is the judged show, which drew roughly 80 fine steeds for the tough competition. Here, Mustangs NW judge Ned Bellinger takes a quick break after scanning the bottom of Cheryl Martin's '69 Super Cobra Jet. Cheryl and her boyfriend, Doug, took home an MCA Silver. We'll bring a full feature on this red-hot, rare coupe in the near future. | 
One of the great aspects of viewing hundreds of Mustangs in one place is getting ideas for your own ride. We particularly like the look of the 16x8-inch Vintage 48s on Scott Wahl's '69 Boss 302. It's the definition of Trans-Am inspired. |
Throughout the day Sunday, crowds gathered around the latest Shelby products. This was the first in-person viewing of a production '07 GT500, likewise the pair of new Hertz GT-Hs. They are both very different in execution, there were many opinions about which was favored. | 
One of these is not like the other: A pair of Vibrant Red '93 Cobras presented a side-by-side contrast of what is arguably the highwater mark of the Fox era. Clearly in view is an 107 R-model '93, while the other is a street-going sibling. | 
Sunday is the big day of the Mustang Roundup with the People's Choice show. There was a typical turnout in excess of 1,000 cars. All the previous days' judged cars are required to be on display, while hundreds of additional Mustangs of all shapes and sizes show up to enjoy a day in the sun. A stellar row of Mustangs not competing is seen here, including a barely-visible pair of '68-1/2 Cobra Jet fastbacks. |