It all started in Columbus, Ohio, in the mid '70s when the Performance Ford Club of America held its Ford Expo show on Labor Day weekend. Originally, the show was held at Ricart Ford, with drag racing just down I-70 at National Trail Raceway. Later, everything moved to National Trail for the newly named U.S. Ford Nationals. Today, the NMRA has joined forces with the track to produce the Nitto Tire Ford Expo. As in years past, it's two days of action with drag racing on the National Trail quarter-mile, an all-Ford car show, and a 10-acre swap meet.
The NMRA's involvement with the show began in 2005, and with it came sponsorship from Laurel Mountain Mustang. This year's Laurel Mountain All-Ford Auto Show & Shine attracted many of the best Mustangs from Ohio's traditional hotbed of hot Ford cars. Hosted by the Stangbangerz car club of Cincinnati, the show featured everything Ford, including the usual assortment of vintage Mustang musclecars and restomods.
Editor's Choice
Steve Mattless transported his '69 Shelby GT500 all the way from Peterborough, Ontario, Canada, to enter it in the Laurel Mountain Mustang All-Ford Auto Show & Shine car show at Columbus. With its immaculate detailing and down-to-the-smog-equipment originality, the Acapulco Blue Shelby was an easy choice for the Mustang Monthly Editor's Choice award.
Steve purchased the Shelby three years ago from Kelly's Musclecars in Follett, Texas. "It was one of Kelly Schulz's personal cars," he says. "It had already been restored by Kenny Bramlett using a lot of N.O.S. components."
Steve says he primarily uses the GT500 for shows, including Mustang Club of America national shows in the U.S where the car always takes a Gold award. "I'm looking forward to the MCA National Show in Canada next year," Steve says. "It will be nice to drive 1 hour instead of 17."
Sitting side-by-side on the...
Sitting side-by-side on the Laurel Mountain Mustang show field, this pair of new and old California Specials offers a 40-year perspective.
Charlie Smith drove to Columbus...
Charlie Smith drove to Columbus from Fairborn, Ohio, to enter his '68-1/2 Cobra Jet fastback in the Laurel Mountain show. The 428 CJ was built by famed Ford racer Ohio George Montgomery.
Ohio is a hotbed for nice...
Ohio is a hotbed for nice Mustangs. You gotta love a black '65 GT fastback with vintage-style Torq-Thrust wheels.
It was good to see Herb Gordon's...
It was good to see Herb Gordon's '65 Hi-Po fastback again. Featured in the Oct. '03 Mustang Monthly ("Untitled Masterpiece," p. 20), the Vintage Burgundy Mustang was originally purchased by Herb's father...
...who added Cobra dual-quad...
...who added Cobra dual-quad induction, then drove the car only 2,800 miles before parking it after receiving two speeding tickets. Herb has restored the low-mileage fastback to like-new condition.
Cleaning and polishing was...
Cleaning and polishing was the chore at hand for the owners of this '71 Mach 1.
In case you haven't noticed,...
In case you haven't noticed, there's an under-ground movement of owners who prefer modified inline-sixes to V-8s. This '65 hardtop was labeled as a "6 H.O."