Wednesday, July 1, 2020

Has Covid-19 Killed off Car Shows as we know them?

Just as the 2020 Car Show season was about to explode, the dreadful Covid 19 (Corona Virus) hit the streets of America and overnight seemed to shut everything down. Six feet social distancing, late night curfews, stay at home mandates, and teleworking became commonly used terms in the blink of an eye. We watched as life as we know it began to shut down and everyone was stuck at home and encouraged to not participate in any activities with more than 10 folks. At first it did not seem like a big deal and we thought that it would blow over and end soon, but as the weeks and months passed, it would get worse before it got better.
Prior to the Covid-19 pandemic, the car show scene was on a fast track and had gained in popularity from 2019. Each of the past few years, the car show circuit had been seeing more and more of the younger crowd starting to discover the passion of cars and they gravitated to the shows to hang out with others who love the car scene as well. 

As the hobby grew, during the peak season for shows (April - September), each weekend had multiple events and makes the choices harder than ever to decide which event you would attend. As someone who hosts and coordinates multiple shows each year, it had also been very difficult to find the perfect weekend to choose a time/date to have a car event. 
Due to many county, city, and state regulations, many of our favorite car shows and events began to postpone or get cancelled. Although it was sad to see so many shows to get cancelled for the 2020 year, it was understandable due to how serious this was and how many folks were being diagnosed with Covid-19. 

However, as the months rolled on, some of the car clubs and groups found creative ways to participate in events. Some clubs had car cruises (driving events) where everyone stayed in their vehicle and drove to a designated area along some amazing roads. If your group or club are not already doing these type events, they are a great way to get out and enjoy driving our cars. Other groups were allowed to have small events by following very specific rules and guidelines, but it did take a bit of creativity to pull it off. 

Cars and Coffee events and Cruise-In's have also been another very popular event because you are only walking around looking at vehicles for a couple of hours.....no judging, no trophies, which allows for more social distancing. 

As we move forward and get back to having some form of typical car shows, will they be different or will the host and organizers have to follow so many rules and guidelines that they drop them all together? Some of the larger events that we all know and love have already cancelled for 2020.
For example, the 2020 Woodward Dream Cruise and all of the spin-off events will not happen. This includes the memories show at the Dearborn, Michigan (World Ford Headquarters) which draws 1000's of Ford Mustangs every year. 


My thoughts are that the damage has been done and some of the 2020 shows that have been cancelled this year may also suffer from the financial standpoint, I know that some events had already spent a lot of money for promotions/advertising and sponsors will not be happy about the loss. Only time will tell if the Covid-19 outbreak will have lasting effects on the car show circuit as we move back into whatever our new normal is. I would hope that the folks who are passionate about their vehicles will find a way to show them off and be creative enough to come out of this in better shape.
I also know this.....there are two things that bring people together and allow for the social, economic, racial, and age barriers to fall, that's Cars and Music. So my recommendation is, let's turn up the tunes and have a car show!!

See you down the road.....Joseph P. Scott

Monday, June 22, 2020

Why is the new 2021 Mach 1 Mustang Not Shaking things up?

If I said Mach 1 what thoughts and images would immediately come to mind for you? Sonic test flights of old experimental planes, Rockets, or a Ford Mustang? Your answer would tell me a lot about your age and maybe even your automobile knowledge. One thing is for sure, for me one image that is burned into my mind would be a Candy Apple Red 1969 Mach 1 Mustang with 428 Cobrajet Engine package, and it also has all the correct flat black scoops, chin spoiler, deck lid wing, rear window louvers, flat black paint trim and stripes, and that Classic Shaker Hood Scoop rumbling under the opening in the hood. All of this would be because that one of my all-time favorite dream cars!

Even though it was released to the world in 1969 is joined a hefty model lineup of Fords, the Mustang GT, BOSS 302 and 429, Shelby GT350 and GT500, however, it immediately made an impact.....why? Cause it set itself apart from the other offerings by being different, it kind of set a new standard for sportiness. These new sport appearance options made it stand out as aggressive even when parked next to the mighty Shelbys. The new Mach 1 was so popular in fact that it booted the GT version of the Mustang and it did not return again until 1982.

50 years later and Ford has once again revealed that they will build a Mach 1 Mustang, the last one being 17 years ago and was offered in some striking new colors, 4.6 liter V8 engine and the shaker hood scoop. So with Ford always holding on to the heritage and history of past models, colors and name badges, why would they NOT offer the shaker hood scoop again? 
Now that it has been seen in photos and in action on the track, let talk about why the all new 2021 Mach 1 Mustang is shaking things up but in a bad way. Numerous articles have already been written in the last week about how its the most spectacular track version of the Mustang and the Ford engineers pulled go fast and track goodies from both the Shelby GT-350 and 2020 GT-500. They boosted about how if purchased with the optional handling package its downforce is over 150% more than a 2020 Mustang GT with Performance Pack 1, how it was a more track ready car than the Bullitt Mustang, it still has the 6-speed manual gearbox, it has upgraded handling mods to make it go faster on track, and even has a Mach 1 appearance package with cool stripe colors.....so why are folks not happy and talking more about the one item it does not come with?? Its simple.....they did not offer a Shaker Hood option!! It is getting more negative press than good, social media posts are blowing up and the purist are saying it is unforgivable. 
Ford's answer to the foul cry for No hood scoop, is that it messed up the aerodynamics of the car and they opted to not use it. Let's wait and see if the car was rushed to production or if the cars MSRP will land it in hot water with buyers or will they opt to buy the Mach 1 over paying such a premium for the 2020 Shelby GT-500 with its dealer markups! 
Maybe some of us like me will just wait and buy a used one with a few miles on the clock and save up to have it painted Candy Apple Red and add on an aftermarket Shaker Hood Scoop...oh yes, you know those are already being manufactured by someone. Someone who is about to make a ton of profit selling those to guys like me who want to the see the rumble of the engine sticking through the hood every time I mash the gas peddle. 

So what are your thoughts......did Ford drop the ball on this return of the Iconic Mach 1 Mustang or is it just a sign of the times? What about the classic saying......Everything Old is New Again? Maybe I'm the one getting old!! 

See Ya Down the Road........Joseph P. Scott