Presenting one of the Motor City’s most most diverse and popular car shows: the annual Motor Muster at Greenfield Village. Here’s our report on this year’s event with a big photo gallery.
As we often like to say here at Mac’s Motor City Garage, Greenfield Village in Dearborn, Michigan is the perfect venue for classic car events: dozens of historical buildings and attractions to serve a backdrop, acres of green space ideal for car display, and village streets just made for parading and car watching. Of course, the Village is a world-famous destination in itself, offering first-rate concessions and guest facilities.
Fortunately for us, Henry Ford’s awesome historical theme park hosts a pair major collector car events each year: the Old Car Festival around Labor Day weekend for vehicles built before 1933, and the Motor Muster on Father’s Day weekend for vehicles produced between 1933 and 1976. (For more info, visit The Henry Ford’s Motor Muster page.) The Motor Muster is distinguished by its wide variety of vehicles: cars and trucks, commercial, fire and military vehicles, foreign and domestic, all spanning six decades of production.
Below is a small sample of the vehicles we checked out on Saturday morning, day one of the two-day event. Click on any image to start a slide show.
I was hoping for a slide show on each one. This is a mere teaser slide show…lol
Eh. Unfortunately this is about all the cars there were at the show. This year paled in comparison to previous years. The lawns were empty. I guess they drastically changed the fees and process for applicants this year. I was pretty disappointed with the show this year. It’s not a destination show the quality of previous years.
That’s my understanding, too. I hope the Village management take note and corrects the matter for next year.
awfull turnout lot of empty spaces, had a bike and cycle there for 3rd year they changed area for cycles no one seemed to know where to set up when were there Friday nite had to stand in the rain to register outside the gates when we supposed to be let in at 5 were told had to wait longer they had wedding party coming thru same time, when I was first to set up my cycle a guy drove up with 1 cycle told me I had move he had 2 more cycles coming and he had been coming there for 20 years and that was his spot I was in … I went to lunch Saturday noonish to come back to see my cycle was knocked over and damaged and no one seen a thing , I was also notified by henryford that there was to be no riding of bikes or cycles low and behold when was there sat morn people are riding bikes and cycles around the village, so I let my son take a spin on the short spin to come back to by spot I setup 6 pm fri nite (first bike there) and left my placard on that spot to have some guy put his old rusted junk in my spot, I thought this show was for restored or mint cond vehicles only needless to say this is my last time attending.
This was the first time in 8 years we did not participate in motor muster. Was really disappointed in the the $50 non refundable application fee. If you weren’t selected they wouldn’t even give you passes to the show or anything. Plus they cut all the wonderful perks of being a registered participant. I really hope this wakes them up and they change back to the way the ran this event before. Makes me very worried for the old car festival in September.
Yes, the number of registered vehicles was significantly less than previous years – lots of open green space. Also, less Village staff & volunteers directing and assisting with traffic control as vehicles were parked or pulling out and returning for Pass & Review. Many of the attendees I spoke with this weekend commented that something was missing – the pizazz, the special feeling that’s hard to describe. Additionally missing were the strolling couples dressed in vintage attire. Appreciated the USO Big Band Concert but the team dancers seemed to take over the dance area and intimidated guests from participating like previous years. Overall still a good show but compared to the GREAT shows in the past, quite a bit disappointing.
I was a participant at that show for almost 30 years, from 1986 to 2012. It got less and less “participant friendly” every year. When it first started, they actually used to have a dinner on Saturday night for participants in the museum. There was no entry fee, and you were treated like an honored guest. That slowly but surely started to wain as the years went on. The last year I was there, I watched a nondescript car win the popular choice voting for some strange reason. I found out later that the car owner was an employee of the Village who had entered the car long after the show had been closed to everyone else. Can you say “Inside Job?” I thought the guy next to me in a pristine Boss 302 Mustang was going to have to be sedated he was so angry.
Its a shame. My family spent lots of Father’s day weekends there, and looked forward to it every year. I always liked the fact that it was a car show whose spectators weren’t necessarily “car people.” Lots of young families who appreciated the old iron for its beauty, instead of what it might be worth at Barrett Jackson.
The last time I went, I decided not to go back. There is a lot of competition for car shows that weekend in Southeastern Michigan. Eyes on Design is but one of several shows that I believe is taking in cars that used to show up at the Village. Whoever is in charge at HFMGV these days seems more interested in absorbing dollars from participants than creating an inviting atmosphere. Too bad. I, for one, really miss the great shows of the past. They were easily the best shows I ever attended, and I’ve been to a hell of a lot of car shows.