Photos: Bob Ayers
50 years of Ford high horsepower and galloping muscle is something surely something to celebrate, and the pony car will be starring in birthday parties all over the country this spring, staring this weekend. But the Charlotte AutoFair hosted by OldRide.com got a jump start on the festivities a few weeks ago with an exhibit of classic Mustangs with exceptional stories.
The Charlotte AutoFair brings folks to Charlotte Motor Speedway when the race cars are tucked safely away so that families and car enthusiasts can explore the vehicles on display from car clubs, browse the cars for sale in the car corral ringing the speedway, check out the thousands of vendors, and all of the other family friendly activities. The Mustang 50th Anniversary display is a perfect example of the combined love of automobiles and family, highlighted by the story of Alan Goodman and his ‘Stang, which was on display.
Goodman’s 1971 Mustang Boss 351 is a classic cat came back tale. Goodman’s dad was a big car fan, a Ford fan in particular, and he passed that love along to his son. So in 1971, Goodman decided to one up his dad and order the Boss 351. The car was everything he could have hoped for: fast, mean, glamorous and able to best all the Chevys around him.
He raced and revved the car until ’83 when he started a family, and was looking to be more responsible, so he sold the Boss. It’s a story many of us have lived, along with the inevitable regret as Goodman continued to miss the speed and the excitement of the Boss. People asked him all the time if he still had the car, it had become such a part of his identity in his town. It was a car he associated with his youth, and with his dad. But the sacrifice was worth it, and he knew that it had been the right decision.
However, in 1999, he got two separate phone calls from high school friends who were at the Speedway checking out the Mustang’s 35th anniversary celebration. "My high school friend called and said, 'Alan, your Boss Mustang is over here.'" said Goodman. "I said 'Steve, how do you know that's my Boss?' He said, 'Do you remember the name tag that said 'this car made especially for Alan Goodman?' It's in the ashtray of the car.'"
Goodman went to see for himself, confirming that it was his former car. He met the owner, and asked if he’d ever be willing to sell. In a stroke of luck, the owner was getting ready to retire the car from the show circuit the next year. A deal was made, and in 2000, the Boss came back home.
"When I saw that Mustang sitting there, I cried," said Goodman. "It was emotional. My dad raised me that there are two kinds of cars, four-door Fords and two-door Fords. To think that I was so blessed to have bought a car in 1971 that turned out to be a limited production car; Ford made 1,806 of them. And to think I was blessed enough to have bought that car and still have it back in one piece, original. It's just about overwhelming to be honest."
The Mustang exhibit was just one of the highlights of the four day AutoFair, held in the Spring, and in the fall. The spring show featured lawnmower racing, a special exhibit of Elvis Presley’s new-preserved Stutz Blackhawk, a history of 85 years with the North Carolina Highway Patrol, and of course, the showcase of great cars. But it’s the stories of the ways in which these cars touch our lives that makes it such an experience. Happy Birthday Mustang! You've brought people happiness all over the world!
This "Playboy Pink" convertible was a barn find three layers of paint deep. The new owners ran across the paint code, and it later became a birthday present for the 16-year old daughter.
Missed this spring’s show? The fall AutoFair is coming up in September 2014 and there will certainly be more stories to share!