Foxtoberfest event attracts more than 700 Fox-bodied Mustangs

Our weekly roundup of car museum news and notes

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Foxtoberfest 2021
Foxtoberfest attracted 718 Fox-bodied Ford Mustangs at Charlotte Motor Speedway | Museum photos

Porsche fanatics will recognize the number 718 as the series of sports-racing cars, and even a few single-seater formula racers, produced in the late 1950s and early ‘60s. Porsche revived the 718 label in 2016 for its newest generation of Boxster and Cayman sports cars.

But 718 took on another automotive significance October 30 when 718 Fox-body Ford Mustangs turned out for the 10th annual Foxtoberfest staged by the Mustang Owner’s Museum at Charlotte Motor Speedway. 

The inaugural show drew 60 of the 1979-1993 Ford pony cars and has grown steadily since with as many as 400 of the cars in attendance. The museum was hoping for at least 500 this year but was able to handle the turnout of more than 700. 

During the event, a Chocolate Fox gathering was announced for May 14, 2022, at the AACA Museum in Hershey, Pennsylvania.

The day after Foxtoberfest, and in the tradition of Carroll Shelby, the Mustang museum hosted a Chili & Cornbread Cook-off

Special events this weekend

The Tunnels to Towers Foundation’s 9/11 Never Forget mobile exhibit will be at the National Corvette Museum in Bowling Green, Kentucky, November 3-9. The exhibit is an 83-foot tractor-trailer that transforms into a 1,100-square-foot memorial exhibit with 9/11 artifacts and videos.

Inspired by the trio of Tuckers at the AACA Museum in Hershey, Pennsylvania, local brewer Snitz Creek Brewery will debut a sour ale called Tucker Pucker Torpedo at the museum’s 11th annual Auto & Ales event November 5. More than 40 breweries will participate in the event, which will include “country-style” food and live music from Smooth Like Clyde. 

The Newport Car Museum in Rhode Island hosts the Lambo Bull Run at noon November 6 in the museum parking lot.

“The Car Detective” is the theme for Demo Day at the Simeone Foundation Automotive Museum in Philadelphia on November 6. At the event, Dr. Simeone will talk about the research involved in finding special vehicles and will demonstrate by exercising the 1933 Squire roadster, 1948 Talbot-Lago T25 Grand Sport coupe and 1958 Ferrari 250 Testa Rossa. That program runs from 11 a.m. until 2 p.m. At 3 p.m., the museum welcomes former racer Willy T. Ribbs to share the story of an American history maker.

The North East Motor Sports Museum in Loudon, New Hampshire, stages its Legends Day on November 7, this year honoring New England midget racing.

Mark your calendar

With the Forza Horizon 5 video game launching November 9, the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles has assembled a special exhibit of vehicles featured, including a 2021 Ford Bronco, 2020 C8 Chevrolet Corvette, 1989 Porsche 911 race car, 2017 Ford Bronco RTR, 2019 McLaren Senna and 2020 Saleen S1 GT4. 

Bombers on the Willow Run assembly line | Museum photo

Matt Anderson, curator of transportation at The Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn, Michigan, will present a talk on “Ford’s Willow Run Bomber Plant” at 1:30 p.m. November 10 at the Studebaker National Museum in South Bend, Indiana.

The Harley-Davidson Museum in Milwaukee and the Studebaker National Museum will offer free admission on November 11 to veterans and to those currently serving in the Armed Forces, and to their families. Featured is a joint exhibit with the adjacent History Museum, Manufacturing Victory, which displays the South Bend, Indiana, region’s contribution to the war efforts, from horse-drawn Studebaker wagons to AM General’s Humvee.

LeMay – Americas Car Museum in Tacoma,Washington, stages a Pinewood Derby intensive workshop from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on November 11. The program is designed for those in grades 3 to 6 to build a derby racer from scratch. The registration fee includes all materials, lunch and a snack.

“The Future of Motorsports” will be the subject of a special presentation from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. November 12 at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca in a partnership between the Petersen Automotive Museum and Velocity International.

From 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. on November 13, Autobooks-Aerobooks in Burbank, California, hosts author Dave Wolin and his book, Riverside, a 484-page Volume 1 history — in words, photos and with a DVD included — of the famous Southern California road racing circuit.

It’s a Hoods-Up Weekend on November 13-14 at the Newport Car Museum in Rhode Island.

The Simeone Foundation Automotive Museum and Main Line Cars and Coffee will host a cruise-in with concours-style judging from 9 a.m. until 3 p.m. November 14 at the museum in Philadelphia. In addition to hosting the event, the museum will be open without admission fees to all participants.

BritWeek, a celebration of British culture and innovation, is scheduled for November 14 with 75 of the “most iconic British automobiles” parading from the Petersen Automotive Museum through Los Angeles and Beverly Hills. The cars can be viewed on the museum’s rooftop parking deck before the tour begins at 10 a.m.

LeMay – America’s Car Museum in Tacoma, Washington,  launches its book club at 6 p.m. (Pacific) November 16 via Zoom. Its first selection is The Brown Bullet: Rajo Jack’s Drive to Integrate Auto Racing by Bill Poehler.

The Canadian Automobile Museum in Oshawa, Ontario, will feature Canada’s first automobile at its Third Thursday presentation November 18 at 7 p.m. The subject is “Father Belcourt’s Automobile Untangled,” with historian Rudy Croken sharing facts and legends behind the automobile imported to Prince Edward Island in 1866.

Two new exhibits open November 18 at the AACA Museum in Hershey, Pennsylvania — “Survivors: Unrestored Classic Cars, Trucks & Motorcycles,” antique vehicles that retain most of their original components, typically paint, interior and other major parts, and “Packard Showroom,” featuring, of course, Packards of various models.

The Gilmore Car Museum in Hickory Corners, Michigan, opens its “Winter Wonderland” holiday lights show from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. on November 24, featuring classic cars in snow globes, rides in vintage vehicles, a maze of holiday inflatables, a visit to Santa’s Garage, outdoor artwork, a vintage Christmas tree lot with Shasta camper trailer, and more.

Brian Redman will be presented the 2021 Spirit of Competition award December 1 at the Simeone Foundation Automotive Museum in Philadelphia. The annual award goes to someone who has made significant contributions to motorsports. Redman is a nine-time sports car racing champion and continues to be an ambassador for the sport and for vintage racing.

Former General Motors design director Ed Welburn will present “The Golden Age of American Automotive Design” from noon until 3 p.m. December 4 at the Simeone Foundation Automotive Museum in Philadelphia. 

The new Savoy Automobile Museum in Cartersville, Georgia, midway between Chattanooga and Atlanta, has announced December 8 as its opening day for visitors. The museum is on a 35-acre site and includes three buildings with 65,000-square-feet of display space and a cafe. It is part of the Georgia Museums Inc., which includes the Booth Western Art Museum, Bartow History Museum and Tellus Science Museum.

The National Corvette Museum Motorsports Park in Bowling Green, Kentucky, hosts the “Run, Run Rudolph 5K” at 5 p.m. December 11. The run travels through 3.2-miles of holiday lights and supports Toys for Tots.

The Motor bar and restaurant at the Harley-Davidson Museum in Milwaukee will host ugly sweater parties from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. on December 11 and 18. It will feature Breakfast with Santa events on December 12 and 19 from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m.

The Canadian Automobile Museum in Oshawa, Ontario, offers its Third Thursday lecture at 7 p.m. December 16 on Zoom with Dumaresq de Pencier featuring “Early Electric Cars of Canada: 1897-1927.” The museum also is working on its next exhibtion, “Wires to Wheels: Electric Vehicles in Canada and Beyond,” scheduled to open in July 2022.

The Montagu family Palace House, which shares its grounds with the National Motor Museum at Beaulieu, England, offers a trip back to 1889 with its Victorian Christmas event from December 18 to January 2. 

The grand opening of the Segerstrom Shelby museum and event center has been rescheduled for January 20, 2022, in Irvine, California.

Does your local car museum have special events or exhibitions planned? Let us know. Email [email protected] .

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