I just received the August issue of Mustang Monthly and it rekindled my disgust at Ford Motor Company's attempt at protecting its trademarked names of Mustang, Falcon, etc, at the expense of the collector car market. I just performed a Google search on Mustang and returned 48,000,000 hits and returned 17,700,000 hits on Ford Mustang.  Are they going after all of these?  I have been a Mustang enthusiast since October 1964 when my father purchased a new coupe. To this day I remember the ride home in that car and it is still part of the family. I am the second owner and the car will soon undergo a complete restoration and I hope to pass it down to my son. I currently own 5 classic Mustangs and am very interested in the 2006.  But Ford's treatment of parts suppliers, restoration shops and magazines that cater to the Mustang marque really disturbs ***



I also noticed in the August issue the MCA's 30th anniversary meet, will Ford have a tent there?? If so I suggest all Mustang fans converge on it and express their disgust for this ill conceived notion.  And if you cannot make it to the MCA, do it at any other show where Ford has a tent.



I will be writing a letter to Ford.

Gene Lightfoot  

Gene,

I hear ya. It seems to a very confusing policy.

Let's hope that a favorable solution appears soon. Before a lot of good people and businesses lose their livelihood.  

Using the mailing address supplied by the August issue of MM, my letter went out to Ford this morning.  

What was that address?  I have the magazine, but not at work, and I keep forgetting to write down the details for here.  Is there an email address?  What about phone numbers?  

E-mail the following addresses:
crcredir@ford.com (Customer Relationship Center)
fordir@ford.com (Ford Investor Relations)
WFord@ford.com (William Clay Ford, Jr.)
Phone Numbers:
(313) 322-3000
(800) 392-3673
Fax Number:
(313) 845-6073

Ken  

Hi, Im new here but what a bad taste it is to me that ford is doing this to all those companies that keep the mustang owners so happy...  GM will do the same to their car owmners????  

I WAITED 17 YRS. LAST APRIL TO BE ABLE TO GET ANOTHER MUSTANG. DAD SOLD MINE IN 1984, 2 WKS BEFORE I GOT MY LICENSE. I NOW HAVE A 70 FASTBACK THAT I AM RESTORING. I DIDN'T WAIT THIS LONG TO HEAR THAT FORD WANTS TO SHUT OFF MUSTANG USAGE BY ANYBODY BUT THEM. I AM TRYING MY BEST NOT TO BLAME ANYONE, BUT IF I CAN'T GET PARTS FROM MAILORDER COMPANIES OR SALVAGE YARDS ETC., THEN SOMEONE TELL ME WHY EVEN BOTHER TRYING TO FIX UP AN OLD STANG? I KNOW FORD IS TRYING TO PROTECT THEIR INTEREST (YEAH RIGHT) BUT IF THIS KEEPS GOING ON, WHO KNOWS, BOWTIE BOYS MIGHT BE NEXT. WHO CARES, I'M STILL GONNA BE WORKING ON THE OLD MUSTANG AND STILL GONNA BUY MUSTANG MONTHLY NO MATTER WHAT PRICES DO OR WHAT CLAY FORD DOES OR SAYS. I CAN HONESTLY SAY I STAND BEHIND MUSTANG MONTHLY & ALL THOSE MUSTANG VENDORS AND SUPPLIERS WHO ARE MAKING MY DREAMS COME TRUE AGAIN, 17 YRS. LATER!  

Perhaps GM is lurking in the background to see what reaction Ford will generate in the collector car market.  I can certainly appreciate Ford's efforts to protect trademarks. But come on, attacking classic Mustang parts suppliers?!?!? Just open any parts suppliers catalog and look at all of the Ford authorized parts. Don't tell me Ford does not have an interest in all of this. Seems it is a win/win for Ford to encourage the use of the Mustang name for companies dealing in Mustang parts. I for one have lost a lot of respect for this company.  

Rented a Hertz Shelby.  It sounded great, looked great, but anytime I really got on it, I mean HARD on it, the car would shut me down hard instead of responding.  Tried to shut off the traction control--TCH--and it was a no go.  As rented, the TCH OFF button does nothing and I found out Hertz disabled the off function.  The new Motortrend magazine confirms that fact.  You can't shut off the TCH on a rented Shelby.......or can you?  

The answer, is, well, yes you can.  It takes less than a minute and just undoes what they did to temporarily disable the switch. The full write up and how to is found at: http://hertzshelbytchon.blogstream.com/
Pass it on.  

haha  

Now that William Clay Ford has stepped down do you think this poliicy will change? Or do you think it'll even be on the radar of the new CEO?  

I agree! If it wasnt for all of us (mustang Enthusiasts) The mustang would never have been so popular. Ford should rethink their position.  

I hope Ford does not come after me at a car show. Since I bought their product and paid for the right to do whatever I want to it, I removed the "Ford" And "Mustang" emblems. If they want them back on my car the advertising space is for sale. I will be happy to help futher the names if they will pay for the privledge.
I am at a loss as to how Ford thinks that specialty vendors have hurt their branding when half the parts I have bought were according to my Ford dealer "dinosaurs and not available for the last 20 years".