Car buffs and community members alike strolled down Fourth Avenue this past Sunday and took in the view: Two rows of Ford vehicles lined either side of the street for four blocks. They varied from classic models, new releases and sports cars — the only requirement being that they were Fords.
The event, called “Fords on Fourth”, celebrated its seventh year. It’s the biggest all-Ford show in Southern Arizona.
The Southern Arizona Mustang Club puts it on each year. The club is the “world’s oldest Mustang club,” according to David Carroll, one of the club’s earliest members and co-coordinator of Fords on Fourth. Though other Mustang clubs exist, none have been around as long as the Mustang itself.
This year’s show marked the Mustang’s 50th anniversary and the club’s as well. To celebrate the milestone, the event featured a red 1964 1/2 Mustang and a red 2014 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500, which Carroll said were meant to “represent the beginning and the end.”
Carroll said Fords on Fourth was created because of a need for an all-Ford exhibit. Since its first show, the event has continued to increase in popularity. This year was the first time that over 200 people pre-registered to show their cars.
Carroll thinks most collectors that display their cars do it because “it’s who they are” and because “they love cars.”
Beyond providing eye candy for car enthusiasts, Carroll said SAMC always aims to “bring out the community” to Fords on Fourth. One of the reasons the event is located on Fourth Avenue is to attract some of the foot traffic that passes through it.
As another tie to the community, the funds raised through the registration fees and donations are given to the Blake Foundation and Wings for Women. Carroll believes it’s important for SAMC to support causes that “address Southern Arizona needs.”
Stemming from the idea that the event is made for the community as opposed to a specific group of people, Carroll said Fords on Fourth welcomes people of all ages and interest levels.
Mustang owners Linda Moon and James Moon showed two cars. They bought a 2014 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500, the last make of the Shelby to be produced, last April and then became collectors when they bought the first make of the model ever to be produced, the 1967 version. Around that time, they decided to join SAMC and get more involved in car culture and Mustang appreciation specifically.
Fords on Fourth was the first car show they attended where they displayed their own vehicles.
“It’s an avenue for people who enjoy cars to share their interest,” Moon said.
Toward the end of the event, the panel of judges — comprised of a few members from SAMC — announced the four cars that will get a premium spot in next year’s show: a 1995 Lincoln, a 1969 Mustang Fastback, a 1932 Ford Pickup and a 1936 Ford 5-Window Coupe.
“There’s not really a best in show,” Carroll said. “There’s a story behind each car.”
The event also had numerous other judging categories. Registered attendees voted for the cars that they believe represented each class, and many “winners” were selected.
This attitude reinforces SAMC’s mentality that they “not take anything too seriously,” according to Carroll. “We just do all this for fun.”
