Rocky Mountain Mustang Roundup
Written by Keith Fudge

Last June, Dennis Gage and the crew from My Classic Car traveled to picturesque Steamboat Springs, Colorado to attend the 19th Annual Rocky Mountain Mustang Roundup.  This year’s show attracted more that 500 custom and vintage ponies and it was truly a “Ford-tastic” celebration!  After Dennis got on the scene he found Lee Nelson, the Vice-President of the event.  Lee told him that were approximately 540 registered Mustangs on site.  The show has always been held in a mountain town in Colorado, but the event had been held here in downtown Steamboat Springs for the last 10 years.  Lee went on to say that this show has something for everyone and is a true family-oriented vacation!  There is a mountain tour, an autocross, and a car show.  He also said that this year’s event featured vintage and custom Mustangs from several states such as New Mexico, California, Texas, and from as far away as Pennsylvania!  With more than 500 of these legendary cars lining the downtown streets of this historic town, Dennis could no longer contain himself and had to hit the streets!

First, Dennis found Eric Castillo and his sweet 1972 Sport Roof Mustang.  Although the car resembles a Mach 1 in design, Eric told Dennis that the sport roof option was basically a “dressed down” Mach 1.  The car is simply stunning in the factory color of Medium Ginger Metallic and has had one repaint and the dash has been replaced.  Other than that, all Eric has done is clean it!  Under the hood there is also a rare combination of a 351 Cleveland engine with a two-barrel carb and functioning Ram Air!  The car has 135,000 miles, and Eric said he has been coming to this show since 1995!  Next, Dennis ran onto Bryan Archer and his awesome 1965 convertible.  Bryan said that he has owned the car for 15 years.  He did a complete restoration that took seven years to complete, because as Bryan said, “it was pretty rusty.”  Restored to the original Wimbledon White with a Silver Blue standard interior, this ‘Stang is incredibly cool from the rally gauges to the luggage rack.  Appropriately enough, affixed to that luggage rack is a pair of skis from the mid-1960s.  By the way, under the hood is a 289 cubic-inch engine that has been rebuilt to original specs.  What a great car!  Soon, Dennis found a true heavyweight Pony and a desirable model among collectors: a 1970 Boss 302!  Painted in Medium Lime Metallic with a stunning white interior, owner Jim Burkey is the second owner of this car he purchased in 1970!  Jim has maintained the car beautifully keeping everything just as it should be as he has restored the interior.  In fact, it even features the original 8-track tape player and the Ford demo tape!  As you would expect, this bad boy is all Boss under the hood with a four-bolt main, 870 Holley carburetor, and solid lifters.  Also, this powerful Pony has the slats and stripes to turn anyone’s head!  Great car, Jim!  Finally, Dennis found Sean Blea and his interesting twist on the resto-mod.  Sean is the owner of a 1967 Shelby GT 500 with some modern upgrades.  When it came to restoring the car, he used newer Ford Cobra parts.  Some of these modifications include ’04 Cobra seats, Cobalt gauges, and a 385 horsepower Ford Performance Crate motor with the added touch of nitrous oxide, “just in case you need it.”  All that power flows through a T-5, five-speed tranny.  As far as the bodywork on the car goes, Sean has had the bumper narrowed and has made the steel front end into a “tilt hood.”  Now that’s a head turner!  What a cool ride, and there is no doubt that it is a beast of the street!

Dennis and the crew had a great time in Steamboat Springs, Colorado.  If you would like information on this year’s Rocky Mountain Mustang Roundup, you can visit them on the web at www.rmmr.org.  That’s it from the Rocky Mountains.  So until our next visit, “Honor the timeless classics.  Happy Motoring!”