Mustang Owner's Podcast

It may come as a surprise to some Mustang owners and fans, but the idea of celebrating National Mustang Day each year on (or around) the car’s public introduction day of April 17th didn’t originate from Ford Motor Company. Rather, it was the brainchild of the late Steve Hall, originally set up to be an annual fundraiser for his newly founded Mustang Owner’s Museum via the sale of windshield stickers to participating clubs. The museum created a National Mustang Day website to facilitate the sale of the window clings and list all of the participating club activities planned for that day, as well as to register for the museum’s own NMD events beginning in 2018.Much like the creation of the Mustang Owner’s Museum, Steve’s idea of founding an annual National Mustang Day on the anniversary of the car’s public birthday was well-embraced. And after that first one was in the books, the practice of owners and fans gathering on National Mustang Day has grown into a global phenomenon. For 2026, Mischelle Hall invited the podcast to attend both days, to be a guest speaker at the museum show and set up our Meet & Greet tent.Friday night’s Hall of Fame dinner was emceed by MCA past president Steve Prewitt, who introduced the inductee for the Mustang Industry category, Bud Magaldi, chief designer and styling design manager of the Fourth Generation (SN95) 1994 Mustang. Next up was the Mustang Journalism category with fellow Mustang author Brad Bowling, perhaps best known for his unearthing of Steve McQueen’s original Bullitt movie car. John Force was inducted in the Mustang Racing category, but the retired NHRA drag racing legend was unable to attend. The final Hall of Fame category, Mustang Hobby, was posthumously awarded to the late Steve Hall, founder of the Mustang Owner’s Museum and National Mustang Day itself.Smiles were the order of the day on Saturday, as the cars started rolling into the museum lots before 7 a.m. for the National Mustang Day car show. There were easily over 100 Mustangs on display outside, with attendees coming in and out of the museum and filling the presentation tent all afternoon. The first guest speaker was Angela Graham from AutoBarn Classic Cars, who shared insights about the facility, including classic car sales, consignment, storage and memorabilia. The second speaker was Matt Grev from Wheelhouse Performance Racing, formerly the Ford Performance Racing School. Matt discussed the details of the continuation of the school under Wheelhouse and how they can help anyone take their driving expertise to the next level, whether they are beginners or experienced racers.We were able to catch some of the talk given by the third guest speaker, none other than our friend Emeline King, Ford’s first-ever black female transportation designer. Known as the interior designer of the Fourth Generation 1994 SN-95 Mustang under Bud Magaldi, Emeline came down to witness Bud’s induction into the HoF as well as to offer the backstory behind her inspirational book, "What Do You Mean A Black Girl Can't Design Cars? Emeline King, She Did It!"This year’s 9th Annual Mustang Owner’s Museum National Mustang Day event wrapped up with a brief awards ceremony, with each car show award winner chosen by the Hall of Fame Inductees, the Mustang Owner's Museum and by event attendees. They were:Carrie Boschan - Black 1996 SVT Cobra CoupeChosen by Mustang Industry Inductee Bud MagaldiBrian Rosenstein - Grey 1985 GTChosen by Mustang Journalism inductee Brad BowlingMike & Lorie Williams - Bright Yellow 1977 Mustang II Convertible

Jimy Reid - Vapor Blue 2024 Dark HorseChosen by Emeline King on behalf of Mustang Hobby inductee Steve HallEric Hausfeld - Dusk Rose 1967 Coupe Sports SprintChosen by the Mustang Owner's MuseumCJ Carter - Ivy Green

1966 Shelby GT350And finally, the winner of the drawing for the 2009 Shelby GT500 Giveaway Car was Anthony Greene – who was actually in attendance when his name was drawn!

In this episode, recorded in the lounge of the Halderman Mustang Museum in Tipp City, Ohio, John and Mike sit down with a longtime local Mustang owner and fan to hear the story of how she came across a random chance to meet the late Gale Halderman, the principal designer of the original Mustang. Carol Ratermann had shared her “How I Got to Meet Gale Halderman” story with John after Gale’s daughter, Karen, had hosted a Cruise-In event at the Halderman Barn Museum in early May. Carol revealed that years ago, she happened to enjoy a dinner night out with her husband at one of Gale’s favorite local restaurants, the Carriage Inn in nearby Enon, Ohio, at the same time Gale was there dining with a group of friends. Wait until you hear how seeing Halderman’s famed Concept Sketch on display at the eatery had sparked a conversation with the restaurant owner and brought an unexpected introduction. We hope you enjoy hearing Carol’s memorable tale as much as we did – because Everyone Has a Mustang Story. It’s just that not everyone gets the chance to meet a Mustang celebrity as historically significant as Gale Halderman. Our thanks to Karen for inviting Carol out to the Barn Lounge to meet up with us – and our thanks to all of you who click “Like” and “Subscribe” to the Mustang Owner’s Podcast! #mustang #ford #fordmustang

Mustang enthusiasts “in the know” already know that the annual Ponies In The Smokies show is one of the top must-see events in the country. (To see why, check out our Podcast Playlist to see John and Mike’s own coverage from last year’s Ponies show.) With its assortment of fun activities, spectacular venue at the Sevierville Convention Center and close proximity to the famed “Tail Of The Dragon” driving route, PITS has become a bucket-list event. So it should be no surprise that Show Me Mustang Club President Jerry Watkins and club co-founder Mitch Mitchell decided to jump in Jerry’s Shelby GT350 and head for Pigeon Forge, TN, to join in the fun. But while heading out to take on the Tail Of The Dragon before the show, catastrophestruck: They got broadsided by a Kia! They both survived the crash but the GT350 was totaled. How would they get back to their hotel from the hospital? What’s going to happen to the car? How will they get home so far away from their home in St. Louis? Listen in as Jerry explains how some fellow club members and the Mustang Brotherhood and Sisterhood stepped in – not only to help them get around and experience the show, but also to even find a replacement ride for the smashed GT350. Listen in as Jerry reveals this incredible story (plus his new car) while John and Mike confirm what great friends we all have in the Mustang enthusiast community!Don’t forget to Like, Subscribe and leave a Comment. Plus, show that you’re a true Mustang insider by wearing Mustang Owner’s Podcast branded apparel, available on TheSVTstore.com!

The greatest Ford festival party on the planet – the annual Carlisle Ford Nationals – is all about Blue Oval camaraderie and vehicle clubs and celebrating the myriad of Fords produced over the past century. After John created the Ford Performance Club Connect program for Ford Racing more than a decade ago, the Carlilse Ford Nats became his “Super Bowl” of car shows as he could meet up with dozens and dozens of Ford clubs all in one place over a single weekend.

John even got to choose Carlisle’s “Coolest Club Hangout” award each year as he and Mike visited as many of the club tents on the show field as they possibly could. But a few years ago, something big happened: Frank Spinellla’s Venom Outlaws Mustang Club showed up and turned the club hangout experience into a themed happening with a massive tent and custom-decorated footprint that dwarfed everything else that clubs gad set up on the Carlisle

Fairgrounds. In this episode, Mike and John visit with Frank to get the inside story of his club, and how being founded on family fun has powered the annual “Venom Invasion” at Carlisle.

Don’t forget to Like, Subscribe and leave a Comment. Plus, show that you’re a true Mustang insider by wearing Mustang Owner’s Podcast branded apparel, available on TheSVTstore.com!

When Mustang celebrated its 60 th birthday with a special Anniversary Edition model for 2025, John and Mike fielded an email that asked why Ford counted the 60 years from 1965, just the way the company counted it for the 50th anniversary. First, it just seemed logical since first- generation Mustangs were all 1965 models. But when you consider that all previous Mustang Anniversary cars were counted from 1964 – the year that Mustang was introduced to the general public – it begs the question, Why the change? From that first Mustang 20 th Anniversary model back in 1984 all the way through the 45 th Anniversary Edition in 2009, the start date had been 1964. So John and Mike decided to “Get Smart” – as in reaching out to longtime Mustang author and expert Jim Smart – to help figure out which date is correct. Listen in as Jim and the guys explore some possible answers, and reveal Jim’s claim that he may have influenced the whole “Anniversary Car” idea that spawned the 1984 Mustang GT350 20 th Anniversary model.

Don’t forget to Like, Subscribe and leave a Comment. Plus, show that you’re a true Mustang insider by wearing Mustang Owner’s Podcast branded apparel, available on TheSVTstore.com!

If you’ve been in the Mustang hobby for a while, then you’ve likely heard about extensive Mustang collections that some fortunate fellows have been able to put together over the years. But it’s not too common to come across women with personal Mustang collections that they’ve grown well into the double digits. That’s precisely why John and Mike decided to catch up with Mustang enthusiast-turned-collector Amy Rebecca, whose eclectic stable of Ford pony cars is both notable and remarkable. Listen in as Amy traces the story behind each and every Mustang she owns – and why she loves them. While John knew Amy from her Mustang II Ghia’s appearance at a show, Mike’s interest stems from Amy’s favorite Fox Bodies, including the super-rare early-80’s Cobras. And just wait until you hear what’s next!

In this month’s mailbag episode, John and Mike own up to how they misidentified a 60th Anniversary Edition in Brittany Blue during the New Ford WHQ Grand Opening episode (well, more like they give an excuse), and then unsuccessfully field a question about how many of those were produced in that color. The guys then handlea request to discuss a publishedcomment about the latest Ford LED headlamp assembly and module replacement costs (about $600 for some new Mustangs but up to $3,000 on other Fords) vs. just replacing a $10 bulb. John also discovers a years-old email from his Spam file asking about the Ford Performance Pick Car show award cling. If you’veever received one of these ultra-rare Recognition Award window clings at a car show, you cannow get the full story on what thse were all about. Finally, John and Mike reveal some photos that Podcast followers have shared – one from across the country and another from across The Pond. You’re encouraged to get mentioned inthe next Mailbag session by posting in each the YouTube episode Comments section or sending us an email to [email protected].

Yes, it’s true that the Mustang Owner’s Podcast was previously able to sit down for a long interview with Chuck Cantwell, the legendary project engineer for the original Shelby GT350, back in the spring of 2002. That’s when our podcast’s founder, the late Steve Hall, steered Cantwell through a load of questions with Chuck offering up story after story on this historically significant Mustang. But that was also when we were only on Spotify, and didn’t have the video to witness Chuck’s smile as he fondly recalled what went on behind the scenes introducing the Shelby GT350 to the motoring public. This time around John and Mike were able to get Cantwell join us for a recording session where we were able to ask his views on things we’ve never heard others ask him before. Listen in as we celebrated Chuck’s 92 nd birthday with more great stories behind the development of the Shelby GT350 that you won’t want to miss.

We discovered Robert Kennedy a few years ago, thanks to his rather unique ability to put the Ford Mustang’s generational history into the context of the times when each version was introduced and sold in the marketplace, rather than the all-too-common apples-to-oranges comparisons of models that came before or after. Kennedy’s self-produced “Adapt Or Die” YouTube video about the significant impact that the 1974-78 Mustang II had on the successful lineage of Mustang’s product history was the kind of perspective put in context that helped the Mustang II shed those “Worst Mustang” and “Pinto Stang” labels that today’s internet wannabe historians incorrectly regurgitate ad nauseum. John reached out to enlist Kennedy in a growing Mustang II movement that John and Mike founded in August of 2016. That’s when Mike’s “MOCSEM Mustang Memories & All Ford Show” at Ford World Headquarters hosted nearly 100 Mustang II’s from across the country for the first-ever national second-gen reunion. In this podcast interview, Kennedy reveals how that involvement had inspired him to pen a massive self-published Mustang history book he called “Unbridled,” whose success has now led to an updated remake published by Motorbooks International alled “Mustang Unbridled” Listen in as Kennedy explains what makes his new hardbound Mustang history book so unique, while John commends him for some other children’s books he’s created and Mike salutes him for taking charge of the Mustang II Reunions that will mark their 10th anniversary event this summer.

If you’ve had any experience in the Mustang club world and have been following the collector car hobby of late, then you’ve likely already heard that traditional, dues-paying Mustang clubs have been suffering substantial losses in membership over the past decade. Some say it’s just natural attrition based on an aging club member population, while others think it’s due to an irreversible downward spiral in the number of young people who are interested in cars. As the hobby is seeing a shift toward social-media based clubs and Cars & Coffee events, is this just a temporary trend or is it indicating a tragic end to the Mustang club universe? We ask two experienced former presidents of large, established Midwest clubs – Mark Bedel of the Greater Pittsburgh Mustang Club and our own co-host, Mike Rey of the Mustang Owner’s Club of SouthEastern Michigan – for some real-world insight on the future facing Mustang clus and young people in

the hobby. Listen right to the end to hear their surprising predictions!