November 2015 CRMC P.O. Box 481883 Charlotte, NC 28269 Kona Connection by Michael Shorkey My 2012 GT Convertible is my second Mustang. I previously owned a 2006 silver GT convertible. That car fulfilled a dream of mine dating back to 1967 when I sat in a Mustang while my parents negotiated with the dealer to buy a (sigh) Ranch wagon. While the 2006 was a great car; one that I added several performance goodies to, I had to sell it in 2012. Earlier this year I decided I wanted another one. Convertible GTs are not easy to find, so I had to cast a wide net to find one. The moment I saw that beautiful Kona Blue (only 56 were manufactured in this color of the 4,066 2012 GT Convertibles made) baby on AutoTrader, I knew I had to have it. It didn t hurt that it already featured a SHAKER hood scoop, the kind that actually works! I don t think the dealer in Raleigh really knew how rare (and desirable) that feature was. The light bar also added to the Continued on page 2
muscle look. Those features, in conjunction with the color make this car truly a rare pony indeed! With only 29,000 miles and a clean Carfax, it was a steal! Valentine s Day was sweet for me. Since then, I ve upgraded it with a set of FR500 18x9 wheels from American Muscle and replaced the tires with 255/45/18 Continentals. The exhaust was also upgraded to a Flowmaster cat-back and I added a wind deflector in the back seat (which is great for the ladies hair) and swapped out the stock taillights for RAXIOM ones that truly give the car a more custom look. Rare just became one-of-a-kind. At my very first CRMC meeting in March, a speaker was extolling the virtues of a polymer coating called FlightShield and in May I drove up to Greensboro and had it done. What a finish! A wipe Pony Express with a damp microfiber towel and it looks like you ve just polished the car! With the metallic Kona Blue, the finish pops like no other I ve ever had. With all these goodies going for it, one day a driver in a pick-up leaned out his window and complimented me on the fantastic car, and then asked if it was a FOOSE! Made my day. Maybe my year! Parading Ponys By Michael Shorkey Is there anything more quintessentially American than the Fall Homecoming Game? Held annually all over America typically during the month of October, CRMC has been an essential part of many Homecomings all over the area giving beauty queens and alumni a trusty steed from which to wave at their adoring crowds. Such was two Homecomings at Northside Christian School and Independence High School on consecutive weekends of 10/9 and 10/16. Ray Michue rounded up a dozen convertibles for each homecoming and gave the crowds not only excellent visibility of their queens, but ample views of pridefully polished Mustangs, both crowd favorites! Thanks to all those who participated, your efforts were appreciated (especially at Northside, who even fed us). For all you convertible owners who missed out, there s always next year! Carolina Regional Mustang Club Page 2 November 2015
Continued from page 2 Pony Express Parkway Ponys By Steve Hartung Pictures submitted by Michael Shorkey Well folks, the 2015 CRMC fall wine cruise was October 23 rd -25th. It was definitely one for the history books. We had a record number of members and a record number of Mustangs. For those that couldn't attend here is what happened. Starting Friday afternoon, we had thirteen Mustangs participate in the 'cruise to Sparta'. There is always a special feeling when you are cruising the highway with your fellow CRMC club members knowing that there is another new adventure waiting for you. We departed the Bob Evans restaurant in north Charlotte at 1:45 and arrived at the Alleghany Inn in Sparta, NC. at 3:30. Bob and Michelle Helm arranged with Becca's Backwoods Beans Coffee House and restaurant, which was a short walk from the Inn, for a beer/wine tasting along with dinner items from their menu. This was something new for this year and we had quite a few positive comments about how the night went. Friday night concluded back at the Inn on the back patio for meet and greet with everyone enjoying their favorite adult beverage and playing corn hole. Saturday morning, we rolled out of the parking lot at 10AM and headed to the first winery. Bob Helm was the trail boss leading a pack of 21 Mustangs to the first winery. Of course he took the scenic route and arrived at Sanders Ridge Winery and Restaurant about 11:20. A few more members joined us there and we had 46 CRMC members treated to a delicious hot lunch and a dessert. After lunch there was time for wine tasting and a tour of their facilities by the owner Neil Sanders. Neil also offered to take a group photo while precariously standing on a ladder to get a better angle. Andy Cotton and Mark Hunter took photos and videos of all the members and their Mustangs. Those pictures should end up on our new web site soon. We departed for the second winery, which was about an hour away, and part of the route was on the Blue Ridge Parkway and with all of the fall colors at their peak, it was a beautiful sight. Thistle Meadow was our second winery and the owner Tom, who is 83 years young and his staff treated us like family and kept us entertained with stories and jokes. They had a long list of wines for us to choose from, all of them cleverly named and very tasty, which made it hard to decide which ones to buy. The group departed there about 5:15 and headed back to the Inn. Continued on page 4 Carolina Regional Mustang Club Page 3 November 2015
We barely had time to unwind because the caterer, Box Car Grille had dinner ready for us about 30 minutes sooner than we had planned. We were treated to another fine meal from this caterer, whom we plan on using again in the future. The highlight of the evening was CRMC s first ever 'Murder Mystery' written by Steve Hartung with help from his wife Dawn, Mike and Carlene Berg and Bob and Michelle Helm. I had asked for volunteers to be characters for the script and WOW did I get 'characters'. Everyone who had a part did so with lots of energy and emotion. There is not enough space here to describe the entire experience except to say that it will be talked about for a long time to come. To my surprise, no one guessed the 'murderer', so it was either well written or poorly written, I'm going with the well written choice. The Oscars, from here on referred to as 'The Shelbys, were awarded to Norm Demers and Lorie Williams for best actor/actress. We already have next year s fall wine cruise booked for October 21 st -23rd, at the Alleghany Inn so stayed tuned for updates Carolina Regional Mustang Club Page 4 November 2015
CRMC Officers President Mark Young Vice President Woody Woodruff Secretary Vicci Brown Treasurer Steve Hartung Regional Director Mike Williams Past President Karen Demers BOD at Large Mark Hunter Ray Michue Jim Brooks Gary Travis Barry Stone CRMC is a Regional Club of Mustang Club of America www.mustang.org CRMC Charter Date August 24, 1978 The Power of the Pony by Brett Smith Sadly, for the most part, the Car season is now over for the year but what a run we have had here lately. October was a full month of activity though. The CRMC Performance Driving School: CHECK. What a blast that was. The weather could not have been any better. Attendance was great, the BBQ lunch was outstanding and as always the CRMC fellowship was excellent. The Good Guys Rod & Custom show: CHECK. Also perfect weather and tons of nice cars that come from hundreds (or even thousands) of miles away to participate in the show and autocross events. That show never fails to deliver. It really would take two days to see everything out there. It is also refreshing to see the wide variety of vehicles at that show. There is no book, rules or standard of what a hot rod should be. It is whatever the owner s tastes and his or her ability is and only limited by their budget. Mustangs will always be my favorite ride but once you have seen so many Mustangs, they sort of all start to look alike. The Foxtoberfest show: CHECK. Again, totally perfect weather and over 300 Foxbody era Mustangs in attendance. Even if you don t have a Foxbody, this show is worth going to if you even only appreciate them. They kept the Mustang name alive for 14 years directly and there was still quite a bit of Fox left in the SN95 models that followed. They are also solely responsible for an entire aftermarket performance industry catered specifically for those models. This show has the added bonus of being held in a very rural setting so the drive through the country in October with the T tops out is usually very relaxing. CRMC also hosted a Fall Wine Cruise in October. It conflicted with other events and I was not able to attend but read about it elsewhere in this month s newsletter in an article written by Steve Hartung. I have gone on the wine cruise outings before and they are always a lot of fun. So now is the time to plan your winter projects and get any parts purchased and a schedule made out. Especially larger projects that will require your favorite pony be in any significant state of disassembly, like a heater core replacement in a Foxbody with AC for example sigh. Carolina Regional Mustang Club Page 5 November 2015