Only a few car models have withstood the test of time quite like the Ford Mustang; its design cues, power that you can feel and customizable body all making up the sporty American icon of the auto industry.
Sometimes the words needed to explain the dedicated fandom supporting the Mustang are best kept short, sweet and to the point.
“Boom! Because they’re awesome!”
That was the reason given by Susan Stadshaug with the Kitsap Mustang Club for her love of the series of cars, which just celebrated its 60th anniversary earlier in 2024. She talked of the Mustang with grand appreciation, holding a dear love for the classics but unable to help fawning over the newest creations.
“I met a Mach 1 yesterday, a 2022, and it was amazing,” she said. “You can make…all these different settings and sounds like a stereo. It’s crazy, and it’s fun.”
Stadshaug was certainly in her element July 28 for the 36th annual participants’ choice car show known as Mustangs on the Waterfront, where hundreds of downtown Port Orchard visitors saw around 195 entries that showcased the six decades of the Mustang series.
The show continues to uphold quality over quantity while remaining, according to Stadshaug, the largest Mustang-only show in Washington state. Activities featured at the event included the popular valve cover races, and several Mustangs left the show with awards in their respective classes.
“Not that we don’t like other cars, but this is a great exclusive thing for us. We don’t want to mess with closing the street out there either,” she said.
There was still plenty of variety to see from the most common models to the 1 of 1 special makes, but a consistent throughout the show was a dedication to the upkeep of each respective vehicle. Pete Freeman has had his 1993 Mustang for over two decades. The waxed exterior and shiny engine compartment may not show it, but the car’s odometer boasts a whopping 309,000 miles.
Part of the secret: simply learning when to not gun it. “They’re just fun to drive, and there’s plenty of shows to go to, but some guys can’t stand to go the speed limit,” he chuckled.
The Kitsap Mustang Club put together a bracket for an afternoon of valve cover races down a small track.
The body on this car says it all about its small piece in racing history.
