Our first Cover 4 color advertiser...
Our first Cover 4 color advertiser was our competition - Mustang Publications. Florida publisher, Larry Dobbs, put it all on the line to launch Mustang Monthly and challenge the big guns at Petersen, Argus, and McMullen Publishing. In 1999, Dobbs would sell his operation to one of the very companies he competed with for many years - Petersen. This is why Mustang Monthly and Mustang & Fords are published by the same company today.
Our largest advertiser, Ron and Dave Bramlett's Mustangs Plus, was just getting started in Stockton, California 25 years ago - fueled by an interest in classic Mustangs. Ironically, the Bramletts got interested in Mustangs as a result of their interest in Corvettes. At the time, Mustangs Plus operated out of what was little more than a trailer and a small patch of California soil. Today, Mustangs Plus encompasses a lot of square footage along North Wilson Way in Stockton - with thousands of customers around the world. Advertisers like The Paddock, National Parts Depot, and Mustangs Unlimited have several locations around the country - something they couldn't say in 1980.
Most of the advertisers just mentioned remain in business today - proof positive of the timeless passion out there for classic Mustangs and vintage Fords. Other advertisers have faded away - unable to compete in a fiercely competitive marketplace. When you've been in print as long as we have, advertisers become more than just business associates; they become friends and extended family. We're grateful for not only their business, but also their friendships.
Who can forget Carl Sprague of Custom Auto Sound? Carl remains a wonderful friend with the dry wit of the late comedian, Pat Paulson. I greatly admire Fred and Sue Glazier of Glazier's Mustang Barn out of Souderton, Pennsylvania. Fred is the first person I ever ordered Mustang parts from back in 1978. In those days, you got genuine Ford parts because the reproduction parts weren't available. The Glaziers remain treasured friends I've personally known for nearly 30 years. Fred earned his living in the pharmaceutical trade when he came to realize he enjoyed restoring Mustangs more. Glazier's Mustang Barn was born - and on the property where Fred grew up. Whenever I see Fred at Carlisle, it's like coming home.
Our mission has always been...
Our mission has always been showing our readers how to build and modify everyday Mustangs on a wide variety of budgets. MUSTANG always had a little something for everyone, including how to buy a classic Mustang to begin with.
The Bramletts of Mustangs Plus have been extended family for more than a decade. Jon Enyeart of Pony Carburetors remains a drinking buddy and a great storyteller anytime we hook up at a show. Count on a good time anytime you hook up with Mike and Sandy Eaton of Eaton Detroit Spring. Mike has always managed to keep us in stitches scratching his back in a restaurant with a dinner fork or telling jokes we've never heard before. Jerry Choate of Scott Drake Enterprises brings lots of Caecilian Italian character to the table whenever we get together. I've always loved his style - ready to take on anything placed before him. Challenge Jerry - then get out of the way. I've known Lauren Fix of Classic Tube (her father, the late George Jonas, founded Stainless Steel Brakes Corporation) since she was 18. Today, Lauren is a seasoned parent, wife, entrepreneur, and television personality who never lost her love of Fords. She and her husband, Paul, founded Classic Tube many years ago. Her brother, Mike, continues to run Stainless Steel Brakes.
We've watched the more established advertisers, like Holley, Edelbrock, Comp Cams, and Crane Cams, go through abundant changes. Tammy Holland at Comp Cams, for example, has been by our side for most of the past 25 years. We call Tammy when it's time to build an engine. And we e-mail her just to say, "Hey!" in true Tennessee style. We fondly remember Racing Head Service (RHS) when Ivars Smiltnieks was alive, kicking, and building engines for us. And when we're around Memphis, we like to drop in on Steve Davis of Performance Distributors - again just to say hello and swap lies. We remember when we had the good fortune of shaking hands with Steve's father, the late Kelly Davis, a terrific man who founded the company long ago. Kelly was a good man who lost a lengthy battle with lung cancer. We've learned the greatest challenge of long-time friendships isn't staying in touch - it is saying goodbye...