Dana Keethler has always wanted a Saleen Mustang.
That’s a Ford Mustang customized by a legendary California company.
On Saturday, April 18, at Ford’s Flat Rock Assembly Plant, Keethler got what she’s long dreamed of owning when she took possession of a new set of wheels, a 500 horsepower 2026 302 White Label Mustang in Adriatic Blue.
Mustangs have long been part of her life.
“I’ve always had one. I started out with an ‘87 four banger and worked my way up to this gorgeous thing right now,” said Keethler, 50, of Flat Rock.
It wasn’t just a standard car delivery, however.
It was part of a celebration for National Mustang Day, which is officially April 17, hosted by the Mustang Owners Club of Southeastern Michigan. The day marks the public introduction of the Mustang in 1964 at the New York World’s Fair.
Keethler is the club’s social director and her husband is part of the launch team at the plant that builds Ford’s iconic pony car.
Steve Saleen, founder and CEO of Saleen Automotive, was on hand to unveil Keethler’s new car, following its trip from the plant in Flat Rock to California and back.
Despite the rainy weather, the parking lot was full of Mustangs in many colors for the event, which would also include a caravan of Mustangs leaving the plant.
Matthew Pride, 54, of Plymouth Township, with his yellow 2016 Mustang GT convertible, looked around the lot and noted that it was nice to see “quite a handful of yellow ones.”
He’s had his car since 2017 and it fulfilled one of his life goals, to own a convertible. His family’s got a long history with Ford. His dad worked at the company’s truck plant in Wayne, but he said he got the Mustang bug from an uncle who worked in powertrains and always had a new Mustang every two years.
“That’s my therapy,” Pride said of his Mustang. “When I get in the car, it’s pure enjoyment.”
For Ryan Hoffman, the enjoyment is in the expression of his style and creating a look that’s not like any other Mustangs nearby.
What started as a 2009 Mustang in white now sports a gray exterior with flames, “rivets” and a stenciled dragon on the door breathing fire. This was his first Mustang event and he wasn’t sure how his car would be received. He was pleasantly surprised.
“I thought people would reject it. I thought they’d be like, ‘What did you do to that car?’ but … it makes people happy to see something unique,” said Hoffman 58, of Dearborn.
Because of the weather, it took Art Scafe about two hours to make the trip from his home in Metamora to the plant. He got rewarded with a Best In Show Award for his blue 1968 Ford Mustang GT Fastback. It was the same type of car he had when he was a teenager, same color, same body style, same engine, although that was a four-speed manual and this one is an automatic.
“It means a lot. A lot of memories. I was 19 when I had the first one, and when I saw this, I had to get it,” said Scafe, 76.
He had surgery on his left foot in October and sold his 5-speed manual 1967 Chevrolet Chevelle so his foot will get a rest.
Eric D. Lawrence is the senior car culture reporter at the Detroit Free Press. Send your tips and suggestions about cool automotive stuff to elawrence@freepress.com. Become a subscriber. Submit a letter to the editor at freep.com/letters.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Mustang fans in Flat Rock to cheer National Mustang Day. See the pics
Reporting by Eric D. Lawrence, Detroit Free Press / Detroit Free Press
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