22nd-Annual AACA Wilson Bank Spring Meet in Mt. Juliet

The Spring Meet of the Middle Tennessee Region AACA at the Wilson County Bank in Mt. Juliet is one of my favorite shows of the year. As a whole, the quality of vehicles they get at this one is way up there. They’re not just neat cars; they’re exceptionally nice cars as well. This is not really a hot rod show. Factory-correct presentation dominates this field. And there are things here that you normally don’t get to see. They have 53 classes, so if you can’t find something you like in this bunch, you probably don’t like old cars.

Ponies for Patriots honors veterans with Mustangs at Kansas City's Liberty Memorial

The Liberty Memorial is Kansas City’s monument to honor those who fought in World War I.  That’s a pretty good place to turn our attention on Veteran’s Day, and it even makes more sense here because the festivities were car-related.  The Mustang Club of Greater Kansas City hosted “Ponies for Patriots,” where club members and the Wounded Warriors High-Five Mustang all came out to show their support.  There were Mustangs in and out of here for two days, so this club was obviously very committed to this display.

Keeping the flame lit at the Fritz's Cruise in Shawnee

The opportunities to attend a cruise night in Kansas City are just about over, but Dick and Judy Rule are doing their best to extend the season as long as possible.  They organize these gatherings at restaurants all over Johnson County, and usually work in some kind of food discount to participants.  Last Sunday, the action took place at Fritz’s hamburger joint in Shawnee.  So while the cars were gleaming in the late-day sun outside, folks were getting their food delivered with a model railroad train within.  Now that’s an unbeatable combination.

Nearly 200 fine Fords occupy parking spots at the Bass Pro Shops in Olathe

Kansas City has a lot of great automotive traditions.  From our auto assembly plants to our local car racing, this cowtown keeps the wheels turning.

We also have several significant, long-running car shows here.  And for 28 years, one of those shows has been the Mustang and Ford Show, presented by the Mustang Club of Kansas City.  Held at the Bass Pro Shops in Olathe, this is the show where all the high-interest Blue Ovals, both old and new, gather each and every year.

Carroll Shelby dead at 89

One of the most colorful and revered figures in automotive history has passed away.  Carroll Shelby died on May 10 at Baylor Hospital in Dallas, Texas.  He was 89.  The cause of death was not disclosed.

For more than 50 years, Shelby's influence has been clear on race tracks, in the performance car world, and more recently in the realm of classic cars.  Let's take a quick look at the career of this giant of the automotive industry.

History of the Ford Mustang ... because I never write about Fords

I asked a friend, who happens to be a regular reader of this blog, what he thought a good car-related topic would be to write about. He said, “You never write anything about Fords, why don’t you do something on, say, the history of the Mustang for a change.”

Never mind that I just this year I drove the new Focus and F-150, posted about the all-Ford show in Olathe, did a history of Carroll Shelby, and lamented the passing of the Crown Victoria; I never write anything about Fords.

Well here it is, brother, the story you’ve been waiting for—the history of the Ford Mustang.

Why are all those Shelby Mustangs and Cobras worth so much at Barrett-Jackson? The story of Carroll Shelby

For the better part of the weekend, I’ll have my TV glued to the Barrett-Jackson Collector Car Auction in Scottsdale, Ariz. This is a similar to the Mecum auction held in Kansas City’s Bartle Hall earlier this month, but the eyes of the collector car world tend to focus on this big dollar dog & pony show.

One name that pops up regularly, both at our auction and the event in Scottsdale, is “Shelby”. It’s almost like every other car is either a Shelby Mustang, a Shelby Cobra, or some kind of fake Shelby (the experts like to call these “tributes”, “clones”, or “recreations”, but let’s just call a spade a spade here). And one thing you quickly realize when watching these events is that tacking that word to a car is similar to selling it with a briefcase full of money in the trunk. Shelby cars tend to bring the big bucks. But why? What makes a Shelby Mustang, for example, worth exponentially more than a basic Mustang? What is the appeal?