Car Club Spotlight: Tara Mustang Club

Car Club Spotlight is back in Georgia to showcase the Tara Mustang Club. Gotta give equal time to the Blue Oval folks.

For many Ford aficionados, driving a vintage Mustang is like blasting off in a four-speed, V8-powered time machine. Just turn the key and you’re a teenager again.

“I’m 66 years old, but I think I’m 18 when I’m riding around in one of my Mustangs,” said Bob Matthews, a member of the Tara Mustang Club. “For plenty of people the Mustang brings back our youth. Back in the ’60s we put on a lot of miles cruising.”

Matthews still owns his first Mustang, a royal maroon 1969 GT350 Shelby he got in a trade for a ’69 Cale Yarborough Special Edition Mercury Cyclone. He said the Cyclone had a 428 engine but no air conditioning. The Shelby had A/C…and the rest is history.

“From that point on I was hooked on Mustangs for sure,” Matthews said. “I’ve owned nine since and have four right now.” As for the Shelby: “That’s the one car I have no intention of ever selling.”

Club officer Les Huffman has met countless Mustang fans in his business travels across the U.S. He said that without fail, whenever he mentions that he drives a Mustang, the response is universal: “They’ll ask, ‘What year?’ and then say, ‘I owned one of those,’ or ‘I know someone who has one!’”

Matthews, Huffman, and 60 members of the Atlanta-based Tara Mustang Club share a passion for restoring, modifying, and driving America’s original ponycar. Members range from those who can vividly recall the unveiling of the 1964 ? Mustang to a new generation of young devotees who wrench and race their fifth- and sixth-gens.

On Saturday, October 8, the Tara Mustang Club will hold its 11th Annual Mustang and All Ford Show at Summit Racing in McDonough, GA. The cruise-in, which runs from 9 am to 3:30 pm, is open to all Mustangs and any Ford bodied and powered vehicle. The show will feature a 50/50 raffle, door prizes, and awards in multiple categories. The rain date is October 15.

Proceeds from the show benefit the Georgia Baptist Children’s Home (GBCH) in Palmetto, GA, an organization the club has supported for nearly 20 years. The GBCH serves troubled children and families through foster care, counseling, residential and group homes, camps for children with disabilities, and other programs.

Along with a full stable of Mustangs, past shows have drawn a good sampling of Ford’s output, including pickups, Model A’s and T’s, Skyliners, Fairlanes, Falcons, Galaxies, Comets, Crown Vics, and Broncos.

A chartered member of the Mustang Club of America, the Tara Mustang Clubwas formed in 1993 by ten friends who owned Mustangs in various stages of restoration. Huffman said today’s club members own well over 100 Mustangs— everything from projects under construction to Concours class vehicles. These include pristine 1965s, ’68 GT convertibles, 1968 “Bullitt” GT 390 fastbacks, Fox-bodies, S197s, and several 2006 40th Anniversary Hertz Shelbys.

In addition to hosting spring and fall shows, going on outings, and helping each other with their cars, club members meet the first Thursday of each month to plan events and just have a good time together, Huffman explained.

Matthews pointed out that most members who own early Mustangs also appreciate the creature comforts of having newer models as their everyday rides.

“There’s a Mustang for everybody,” he said.

For information about joining the Tara Mustang Club or more details on the 11th Annual Mustang and All Ford Show, call 404-502-9032, email lhuffman71@gmail.com, or visit taramustang.club.