Mustang Owner's Podcast

When Mustang celebrated its 60 th birthday with a special Anniversary Edition model for 2025, John and Mike fielded an email that asked why Ford counted the 60 years from 1965, just the way the company counted it for the 50th anniversary. First, it just seemed logical since first- generation Mustangs were all 1965 models. But when you consider that all previous Mustang Anniversary cars were counted from 1964 – the year that Mustang was introduced to the general public – it begs the question, Why the change? From that first Mustang 20 th Anniversary model back in 1984 all the way through the 45 th Anniversary Edition in 2009, the start date had been 1964. So John and Mike decided to “Get Smart” – as in reaching out to longtime Mustang author and expert Jim Smart – to help figure out which date is correct. Listen in as Jim and the guys explore some possible answers, and reveal Jim’s claim that he may have influenced the whole “Anniversary Car” idea that spawned the 1984 Mustang GT350 20 th Anniversary model.Don’t forget to Like, Subscribe and leave a Comment. Plus, show that you’re a true Mustang insider by wearing Mustang Owner’s Podcast branded apparel, available on TheSVTstore.com!

Whenever someone is known as “The Crazy Mustang Man,” you know there’s a story to tell. So Mike and John tracked down Lyle Sturgis, the famed SVT / Roush / RTR Performance Manager at Tindol Ford in Gastonia, NC for an explanation on just how he earned that name. Since Mike Rey had worked at Roush a while back, you can be sure that he and Lyle will have some insider “remember when?” stuff to share with all of us!

For this special episode, John uses his Cars In Context Media Credential to attend the Press Preview Day of the annual Detroit Auto Show and give you an insider's look at the 2026 Mustang footprint there. After covering the show since 1988 when he was with AutoWeek magazine, John found this year's low-key Ford display to be so Bronco-centric that the iconic Mustang seemed like an afterthought. Check out his photos and hear his views on how much this once-dazzling automotive spectacle has now taken on trade-show vibe.

After a fun-filled podcast interview with Henry Ford III, Mike and John catch up with his father, none other than Edsel Ford II himself – the patriarch of Ford Racing. Edsel shares some favorite memories of Ford’s racing victories at LeMans and the Mustang’s product legacy. Plus, he offers his views on the role that enthusiast clubs play in building brand loyalty.

Mike and John stop in to Perkins Restorations in Juneau, Wisconsin, where the longtime authority on Mustang authenticity, Bob Perkins, offers up real-world stories and close-up looks behind his incredible collection of miniscule-mile, first-generation Mustangs and memorabilia.

What does a T-Bird 70th anniversary, a Mercury Cougar reunion and a Mustang club cruise-in have in common? They all partied at the ‘Birds, Cats & Ponies’ Dearborn Homecoming, as did more than dozen notable Ford designers, engineers and execs – including Henry Ford III.

After John had walked Ford’s Mustang Alley for MustangOwner’s Podcast interviews in 2024, Mike asked photog Joe Deladvitch to give us a photo tour of Mustang Alley 2025 to catch some of the hidden gems that you’ll always uncover there during Detroit’s Woodward Dream Cruise.

Started by retired Ford engineer Dave Glickman, John and Mike take you on a tour of this summer’s Ford employee Research and Innovation Center car show at the Ford World Headquarters campus in Dearborn.