REPORT - 2024 Mustang Round Up
Words and Photos: MOCA Victoria and Mike Ryan
For Mustang owners and enthusiasts in Victoria, the annual Mustang Round Up presented by the Mustang Owner’s Club of Australia’s Victorian chapter (MOCA Vic) is always a special day. In 2024, it was extra special, celebrating 60 years since the Mustang’s launch, as well as the 50th birthday for MOCA Vic.
Held at the Dandenong Showgrounds on Sunday, 27 October, the dual themes for the 2024 Round Up saw a healthy number of Mustangs attend, with cars rolling in from 7:00AM. Ultimately, more than 370 examples of Ford’s famous pony car – from the oldest to the newest - would fill the outdoor netball courts at the Showgrounds and extend into the grassed area beyond.
A handful of cars from the AC Cobra club joined the Mustangs, which may seem an odd addition, but given the Shelby connection to both vehicles, Cobras have always been welcome at the Round Up.
Melbourne-based modern Mustang specialists, Mustang Motorsport, are longtime supporters of the Round Up and once again presented a selection of the latest Shelby and Roush Mustangs from their range. For something different, Mustang Motorsport had a genuine 1966 Shelby GT 350H (complete with Carroll Shelby’s signature on the dash), in their display area, too.
Shannons Insurance were also in attendance, along with trade stalls offering scale models, Mustang collectables and other goodies for the man cave, while food trucks and a coffee van kept everyone fuelled and caffeinated.
Celebrating 60
In recognition of 60 years since the original Mustang’s launch in 1964, MOCA Vic. organised a display at the 2024 Round Up that featured one Mustang from each of the six decades of the car’s production to date, which was great to see.
Beyond this lineup, further exploration of the Show ‘n’ Shine found there was at least one example of every Mustang generation at the 2024 Round Up, too. That means the popular first generation, the current S650 (Gen 7), recently superseded S550 (Gen 6), S197 (Gen 5) and SN-95 (Gen 4) cars you’d expect to see, but also the Mustang II (Gen 2) and Fox Body (Gen 3) cars. While neither of the latter two are unicorns, Fox Body Mustangs are rarely seen these days, with the underappreciated Mustang II even rarer, even at an all-Mustang event like this.
Two Times the Show
As in past years, the 2024 Round Up combined the MOCA Vic State Concours and Shelby Nationals for club members with a Show ‘n’ Shine open to all Mustang owners. Judging for both kicked off soon after 8:00AM, with MOCA’s head judge, Tony Fable, directing the judging team in this important activity.
Nine vehicles were entered into Showroom and Driven Concours judged classes, which sees them subjected to a very thorough examination, including underbody, interior and engine bay.
Peter Mason, Mustang Round Up & State Concours Director, reported that the standard of both Concours and Show ‘n’ Shine vehicles in 2024 was very high, with many Show ‘n’ Shine vehicles ready to step up to Concours judging.
After a great job by all the judges, as well as the team working in the judges’ tally room, presentation of the Show ‘n’ Shine trophies got underway at 1:30PM.
Winners are Grinners
In the Show ’n’ Shine, Phillip Borg’s 2008 black coupe was awarded the Garnet Judd Memorial Award for Most Outstanding Mustang, Phil’s vehicle will be elevated to Concours judging in 2025. Runner-up was the 1967 red fastback of Paul Griffiths.
The Steve Lond Memorial Award (MOCA Vic’s encouragement award) went to Joe Piastrino for his 1964 ½ blue convertible, while the President’s Award went to the gold 1970 Boss 302 of Garry Anderson. Another 1970 Boss 302, this one in Grabber Blue and entered by Bruce Roscrow, won the Ford Australia Best Presented Award. Roscrow received his trophy from Ford Australia President, Andrew Birkic, who was a special guest at the 2024 Round Up.
Additional Show ‘n’ Shine awards included Best Convertible, Best Hardtop, Best Fastback and Best Restomod, as well as Best Late Model Shelby.
Following the Round Up, MOCA Vic’s Annual Concours Presentation dinner was held at the Aroma Hotel in Richmond. Attendees were welcomed by club president, Ian Collins, with the evening devoted to the gold, silver and bronze award winners in judged Concours Original, Modified and Shelby National categories.
In the Original Class – Driven, there were three Gold Award recipients and one Silver Award winner. Modified Class – Driven saw two cars receive Gold Awards, while the Kevin Muscat Award for Concours Excellence went to the Black Jade 1969 Mach 1 of Con Makris.
For the Shelby Nationals, there were two Gold Awards and one Silver Award presented, with the Graham Bell Perpetual Award for Concours Excellence in this section going to Norm Mills’s stunning Silver Jade 1970 GT500.
Another Great Round Up
MOCA Vic. extended their congratulations to all Mustang owners who entered the 2024 Mustang Round Up, especially those who put the additional hard work in to reach the club’s high Concours standards.
MOCA Vic. also extended a huge thank you to the many club volunteers who make the Round Up one of the best-run car events of its type in Australia.
If you’re a Victorian-based Mustang owner and would like to join people who love their cars as much as you do, MOCA Vic. will welcome you. For details on the benefits of MOCA membership, go to: vic.mustang.org.au
