Dearborn, MI – Last weekend, the city of Dearborn, Michigan, played host to the Motor City FoxFest event.
Held on the grounds of the Ford Experience Center near The Henry Ford Museum, this gathering aimed to bring together as many Fox-platform Mustangs as possible. In other words, any Mustang produced between 1979 and 2004 was welcome. Unsurprisingly, the majority of the cars present covered the 1979-to-1993 period.
Auto123 checked out the event; here are a few of our favourites from the show.
A Mustang powered by a Godzilla engine
Among the most spectacular cars on site was a Mustang displayed under Ford’s official tent. This particular example received the resto-mod treatment. In other words, apart from its overall silhouette, there’s nothing period-correct left about it; it has been thoroughly modernized.
In addition to its widened track and oversized wheels, this Mustang is powered by an impressive 7.3L V8 engine dubbed Godzilla, a crate engine good for 430 hp.
Inside, the cabin was completely redesigned to showcase a more contemporary style, a higher-quality fit and finish, and more upscale materials than in its day. Registered in Ontario, the car wore a vanity licence plate reading FOXILLA, a portmanteau of Fox and Godzilla.
Not Just Mustangs on Site!
Although the event was dedicated to the Ford Mustang, organizers showed true inclusivity. Any model derived from the 1979-to-2004 Mustang and built on the Fox chassis was invited to take part in the gathering. We were thus able to get an up-close look at Mercury Capris, Ford Fairmonts, a Tiffany Classic based on a Mercury Cougar, several Ford LTDs, a few Ford Thunderbirds and a Lincoln Continental Mark VII.
A special perk of wandering the grounds of such a specialized event is the inevitability that you’re going to come across rare or forgotten variations of the featured model. On this day, as we tiptoed through the Mustangs and related models, we met a 1979 Mustang Official Indy Pace Car edition, a Mustang SVT Cobra Mystichrome, a New York State Police Trooper Mustang, a 1984 Mustang GT350 and several Mercury Capri ASC McLarens.