GHMA News & Events: 2015 – 2017

 

 

December 18^th 2017 – President’s Holiday Message

 

Happy holidays Mustangers!

2017 was an interesting year for the car enthusiast with a summer that played hide and seek with us well into June! That being said I think we made the most of it starting with a successful spring cruise to open the season.

Once again our 3 big club events were very successful this year. Our Mosport Track Day organized by Ryan Bellamy was well attended and went off without a hitch and no on-track incidents. The Stampede had AMAZING weather and was the biggest we’ve ever had with 427 cars in attendance. And finally, the Woodward Dream Cruise was incredible with many of our members taking advantage of the very reasonable group rate that Norm Smart gets for us every year.

We’ve also had some very good guest speakers across many subjects arranged for by Stan including our very own introduction the 2018 Mustang by the Ford of Canada product manager!

None of these events would have been possible without the help of volunteers. People like Doreen Henchal and Jerry Dunn working the tower at Mosport, or Gary Long and Kellie Paquette and countless others helping to make the Stampede run smoothly.

I’d also like to thank Scotty and Kevin for running their crooked prize table every month and Linda Tulipano for making sure we have coffee and cookies at the meetings.

I’d also like to take this opportunity to thank the club executive, Stan, Norm, Dave Mario and Ed. Without their dedication, the club could not function. I’d also like to recognize two of our outgoing executive members George and Dave Orlando for their contributions over the last few years.

For 2018 I’d like to enthusiastically encourage you all to get involved! Come out to meetings, volunteer, share your knowledge and passion for the hobby and make GHMA membership the best it can be!

Thank you.

Tyrone Fonseca – GHMA President

 

 

September 14^th 2017 – Guest Speaker summary

 

Click here for the pictures and highlights from the meeting: 2018 Mustang Presentation

Shannon & Marco highlighted the many features and innovations included in both the 2018 GT & 2.3 L EcoBoost Mustangs.

Our two guest speakers this month were Shannon White, Product Marketing Manager – Cars & Marco Dodaro Assistant Product Marketing Manager – Cars / EV

Shannon & Marco highlighted the many features and innovations included in both the 2018 GT & 2.3 L EcoBoost Mustangs.

Shannon has been a part of the team at Ford of Canada since 1999. She began her career as a Financial Analyst and has since had positions in sales, distribution, and marketing. Most recently, Shannon was the Marketing Communications Manager for Parts and Service where she was responsible for all customer communications from radio, TV, direct mail, and digital. In her current role, she and Marco are responsible for product marketing for all car lines as well as electrified vehicles.

GHMA Guest Speakers

Professional Bio info:

Shannon White (https://ca.linkedin.com/in/shannon-white-b8330a81)

Product Marketing Manager – Cars / EV Ford Motor Company

&

Marco Dodaro (https://www.linkedin.com/title/assistant-marketing-manager-at-ford-motor-company)

Assistant Product Marketing Manager – Cars / EV Ford Motor Company

 

 

 

August 10^th 2017 – Guest Speaker summary

 

Hello Fellow Mustang Enthusiasts,

Our monthly meeting will take place on Thursday August 10^th at 7:30 PM in the cafeteria of Ford Headquarters in Oakville.

Our Speaker will be Mike Boyle. Mike is a Master Cruise Counselor with Expedia Cruise Ship Centers, Burlington North. In addition, he has spent 38 yrs as a Burlington Firefighter and has been in the Canadian Armed Forces RCAF Reserve for 30 years. Currently Mike is a Governor with The Air Cadet League of Canada Ontario Provincial Committee.

Mike will present the details of an ALL-INCLUSIVE Cuba cruise offering (see attached). It will include the opportunity to see Genuine Havana by Old American Cars plus an exclusive visit to a garage!

This special cruise will depart February 12, 2018 for 7 nights and will be led by Mike who is also a Classic Car Aficionado. This should be of particular interest to club members who normally vacation during this period of time.

Please join us for this meeting to enjoy the fellowship of like minded members, potentially exchange some tall tales and enjoy the presentation by this month’s speaker.

If you wish to contact me please send your emails to bullitt2906@live.ca

Regards

Norm Malisani, GHMA secretary

 

 

 

July 13^th 2017 – Guest Speaker summary

 

Hello Fellow Mustang Enthusiasts,

Our monthly meeting will take place on Thursday July13^th at 7:30 PM in the cafeteria of Ford Headquarters in Oakville..

Our guest speaker will be John Stewart. John’s presentation and video will be about his tour of Scotland with the Pipes and Drums of Canada of which he is  one of the snare drummers. This band is made of band members from across Canada and one of our performances was for Queen Elizabeth and the royal family at Balmoral Castle.

John has been playing the drums since he was a teenager and started playing with a pipes and drums band for the last 10 years. He has played in Scotland, Cuba, Jamaica and Holland and plans to tour Scotland and England next year where the band is scheduled to play for the Royal family again.

John also plays with the Night Train Blues Band, The McLarens Pipes and Drums and have toured with the Midland Legion Pipes and Drums.

Please join us for this meeting to enjoy the fellowship of like minded members, potentially exchange some tall tales and enjoy the presentation by this month’s speaker.

If you wish to contact me please send your emails to bullitt2906@live.ca

Norm Malisani, GHMA Secretary

 

 

 

 

Friday June 2^nd 2017

 

Good Morning Mustangers,

 

I got and email from Jim Hardie to let me know that our past member, Steve Albl with the Black Super Snake Shelby passed away last night after a three year battle with a Brain Tumor. 

 

On behalf of GHMA, I’d like to express our deepest sympathies to the family at this time of great loss.  Steve was a good club supporter and a true car enthusiast.  He will be missed.

 

————————————-

 

Well it’s now June and the car events will ramp up now.  The cruise nights will all resume this weekend if they haven’t already started.

 

This weekend has two awesome events.  The All Ford Nationals in Carlisle Pennsylvania, http://www.carlisleevents.com/carlisle-events/carlisle-ford-nationals/  and the Fleetwood cruise at Steve Plunkett’s Estate in London, http://fleetwoodcountrycruizein.com/2017.html   

 

I’m planning to attend the Fleetwood show, (9282 Elviage Drive, London, Ontario N6K 4N5 for your GPS) and will be cruising down very early Saturday Morning.  If you’ve been in past years, you know you need to arrive early so I will be leaving with anyone that wants to cruise with us at 5:30 AM from the Petrocan/Tim’s at Carlisle Road & Highway 6.  Arrive early enough to get food & fuel if needed so we leave sharp at 5:30.  If you plan to join me, please email at ohearn@cogeco.ca or text at 905-580-4032.

 

My 70 Mustang is ready to pick up today however, I’ll be taking my T Bird to London.  That’s too long a run for its first shakedown.  I will hit some cruise nights with it starting in Miltom on Sunday night and Pier 1 next Wednesday in Hamilton.  My goal is to have the bugs worked out so I can make the run to Woodward with it.  Wish me luck J

 

Cheers,

George O’Hearn, President,
ohearn@cogeco.ca
905-580-4032

 

 

Monday April 3^rd 2017

 

Good Morning Mustangers,

The weather is warning up and April is looking like April. I plan to have my T Bird home shortly and I’m on the hunt for a newer Mustang GT or CS convertible in an Automatic. I prefer 2011 & up if you happen to know of or see one. My 70 Coupe should be on the road in May. 😀 

Our All Ford Stampede is less than four months away and we have good interest already. The link is posted above and here http://fordstampede.ca/ so please get it out to all your Ford owner friends and please pre-register. We want to crack the 500 car barrier this year and add in as many other fords as we can to help do that.

Last issue I asked if anyone could help out and consider sponsoring us for Stampede volunteer T Shirts so we are easier to pick out at the show. I’m happy to say that our friend & member Chris Langlotz and his Law Firm, Simpson Wigle did just that. Thank you Chris for your generous donation. It’s very much appreciated.

**Reminder** This Thursday Gallinger Ford Lincoln, 655 Main St E, Milton (our Stampede sponsor), has been the local family run Milton Ford dealer for 50 years and will be having an anniversary celebration on April 6th. Dave Gallinger would like some Classic Mustangs and other Fords, Mercurys, or Lincolns and their owners to attend as his guests. Please arrive by 5 PM, dinner at 6 and a presentation at 7. Many Ford Canada executives will be in attendance. Please let me know at ohearn@cogeco.ca if you will be attending. I’ve also added this below as an April event.  So far, I only have one classic Mustang confirmed so please do your best and let me know. All other vintage Fords & Lincolns & Mercurys are welcome.  Let’s hope the weather holds.

Dave Orlando, we call him Florida Dave sent lots of interesting links to pass on. Have fun.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8dDnVVwvdlo
http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/canada-drone-regulations-marc-garneau-1.4027486
http://www.automobilemag.com/news/2018-ford-mustang-f-150-add-pedestrian-detection-night-vision/
http://www.carscoops.com/2017/03/door-handle-spring-makes-ford-recall.html
http://www.hotrod.com/articles/found-cobra-jet-mustang-hidden-basement-28-years/
http://www.mustangandfords.com/news/mump-0409-ford-mustang-dearborn-assembly-plant/
http://www.thedrive.com/news/7997/missing-bullitt-mustang-possibly-found-decades-later

Our Speaker for the April 9th meeting is Laura Imrie. Laura is the assistance curator at the National Air Force Museum of Canada. The museum formerly known as the RCAF Memorial Museum is an aviation museum dedicated to preserving the history of the Royal Canadian Air Force and is located on CFB Trenton in Trenton, Ontario. Link to the museum website: http://airforcemuseum.ca/en/

I would like to hear your comments regarding this update. As most of you know, I took this on temporarily and have been trying to find someone to take it over for some time now. No one has come forward so I will be asking for an opinion on Sunday from attending members regarding the value of this update. If the members want it then I will ask once again for someone to step up and take it over otherwise this may well be the last edition. I just don’t have time to do it alo0ng with all my other responsibilities in the club and after all, I’m the founder of this communication and did it myself for the first ten years. It’s time for new blood with new ideas.

I hope to see a lot of you Sunday.

Happy Motoring,

George O’Hearn, President,
ohearn@cogeco.ca
905-580-4032

 

 

Thursday March 2^nd 2017

 

Good Morning Mustangers,

Well, here we are less than three weeks away from spring; and I’m ready. My 70 Mustang is coming along well and I’ve booked it in to Vintage & Performance to get it running for me, fix my mistakes  🙁 and set it up in mid-April. I’m close and looking forward to having a classic Mustang on the road once again.

Our All Ford Stampede web page is up, (Thanks Tyrone) with over 30 Pre-registered cars in a day. The link is pasted above and here http://fordstampede.ca/ so please get it out to all your Ford owner friends. We want to crack the 500 car barrier this year and add in as many other fords as we can to help do that. We have a great Mustang following for our show and I’d like to see other fords make up 25% or more of the attendees over time.

Gallinger Ford Lincoln is back as our Dealer sponsor and Ford Canada will also be on site with some exciting products. We are also looking to add vendors so if you know of an automotive vendor that may like to attend, please let me know. We’re also looking for a corporate sponsor for Volunteer shirts if you know a company that may like to do that for a cost around $500.

**Reminder** Gallinger Ford Lincoln, 655 Main St E, Milton (our Stampede sponsor), has been the local family run Milton Ford dealer for 50 years and will be having an anniversary celebration on April 6th. Dave Gallinger would like some Classic Mustangs and other Fords, Mercurys, or Lincolns and their owners to attend as his guests. Please arrive by 5 PM, dinner at 6 and a presentation at 7. Many Ford Canada executives will be in attendance. Please let me know at ohearn@cogeco.ca if you will be attending. I’ve also added this below as an April event. So far, I only have one classic Mustang confirmed so please do your best and let me know. All other vintage Fords & Lincolns & Mercurys are welcome.

Dave Orlando, we call him Florida Dave sent me an interesting links to pass on. This may be the real Bullitt, http://www.thedrive.com/news/7997/missing-bullitt-mustang-possibly-found-decades-later. He also is reading an interesting book, Lost Muscle Cars about some of the most valuable stolen classics. I’ll attach a picture of the cover as Dave says it’s a short read and very interesting.

Our Speaker for the March meeting is Vic Matkars of Ford Canada. He has a presentation for us that is sure to be interesting and he is a technical expert on Ford products, new & old. A lot of you know Vic as the Carb Doctor so come with your questions for him.

Please see several ***NEW*** Events. I need your cars or parts for sale or wanted so please send them along.

Happy Motoring,

George O’Hearn, President,
ohearn@cogeco.ca
905-580-4032

 

 

Thursday February 9^th 2017

 

Good Morning Mustangers,

Its February already so cruising season is that much closer no matter what groundhog you listen to. 🙂

We have a GHMA members meeting this Sunday at Ford and one of our favorite speakers, Jim Kenzie will be attending. Jim always has some great stories and is sure to be very entertaining. Our friend Jim Dorsey will  also be there and Jim has tickets left for the Rock the Road Raffle for the custom Dodge Hellcat, http://rocktheroadraffle.ca/ I have my tickets and this is your chance to get one; or three like I did. The winners will be drawn during and at the Toronto International AutoShow.

Gallinger Ford Lincoln, 655 Main St E, Milton (our Stampede sponsor), has been the local family run Milton Ford dealer for 50 years and will be having an anniversary celebration on April 6th. Dave Gallinger would like some Classic Mustangs and other Fords, Mercurys, or Lincolns and their owners to attend as his guests. Please arrive by 5 PM, dinner at 6 and a presentation at 7. Many Ford Canada executives will be in attendance. Please let me know at ohearn@cogeco.ca if you will be attending. I’ve also added this below as an April event.

Stan has a great lineup of guest speakers coming up starting with Jim Kenzie this months and Vic Matkars in March. Vic is a Ford Canada employee and is their Technical advisor. Vic will be giving us his insight on new Ford products and he knows them well. Vic is also a former Drag Racer and is a classic carburetor expert so come with your questions. We’ll keep the rest a secret for now. 🙂 

From our friends at DaSilva Racing: ‘Starting February 7th through the 20th, we’re having a save the tax suspension sale on the major manufacturers listed at http://www.dasilvaracing.com/. Prepare your ride for the street & track with these quality products. Please feel free to contact us today about your project.

Please see several ***NEW*** events below and two ***NEW*** Mustangs for sale.

Happy Motoring,

George O’Hearn, President,
ohearn@cogeco.ca
905-580-4032

 

 

Thursday January 19^th 2017

 

Good Morning Mustangers,

Well we got past Blue Monday and the next challenge to see how much winter is left is Groundhog Day on February 2nd. I like this January thaw however; we will have more winter as there is two months left until Spring officially arrives no matter what Wiarton Willie says I just say the word ‘Spring’ and I start thinking about Mustangs. My 70 coupe is coming along well and will be my classic cruiser this year.

I’m also thinking about selling my T Bird in favor of a later model Mustang this year so we’ll see about that. Anyone interested in a 2003 ‘Bond Bird’, let’s talk. This Saturday, January 21st is the day for our members into classic Mustangs to have a look through Bill Pinto’s collection of Classic Mustang parts etc. and to look at some hobbyist tools you may be interested in buying at good prices. I’ll be at a special ‘Saturday Coffee Club’ in Oakville at Moe’s Family Restaurant, 467 Speers Road at 9 am and at Bill’s house at [Edit – GHMA Members please check your emails for address.]

I hope the coffee club location will attract some members that wouldn’t normally go as far as Mohawk Inn for Breakfast so give that some
thought.

Some of our members are off to Cuba in February and I’m just a little jealous. I’m not sure of the dates or if there is any more room but if you’re interested, please contact Norm Smart at sstang73@yahoo.com Please see some new events below, some significant updates to the MCA events and two new items in for sale or wanted.

Happy Motoring,

George O’Hearn, President,
ohearn@cogeco.ca
905-580-4032

 

 

Friday January 6^th 2017

 

Good Morning Mustangers and Happy New-Year,
 
I hope all of you had a great Christmas and a good start to 2017.  I spent New-Year’s Eve with some of my best friends, (all of whom I met through GHMA) and our first Grandchild, a baby girl is arriving as early as today. Lorna and I are off to a great start indeed! [Congrats to Kim, her hubby and proud grand parents Lorna & George on their new granddaughter! … Maya, 6 Lbs. 15 Ounces.]
 
Here’s a link to a cool story on the Ontario made Ford GT submitted by Florida Dave Orlando: First Ford GT Supercar rolls off the line at Ontario. And another link from Dave to some cool info on Classic Mustangs: MCG Knowledge Base Classic Car Archive Specs, Facts, & History
 
I’ve added some events and one new Mustang Coupe for sale.  I had a good look at a 65 Coupe that’s been on our site for a while and it’s awesome. If you’re looking for a nicely updated and tastefully modified 65 Mustang coupe, look for the ***Re-listed*** ad in our Classifieds section. This is a John Miles Restoration and the owner is motivated with a new car on order.  The ***NEW*** Coupe for sale is one of our members who has had it and loved it for many years. It looks and runs great. This is a true “A” code non GT car with the most popular GT options added.  Two very nice Classic Mustangs to choose from so if Santa didn’t get you what you really want, consider me Santa’s helper .   
 
Here’s some news from Rob Chong who updates and handles all aspects of our website:

“The Mosport, Stampede and Woodward 2017 Events season is fast approaching so keep checking on the Events menu of the GHMA Website for any new updates.

Our Website is continually being tweaked and updated to make it better. Recently we did a big security update to make it more secure and to prevent any automated bot type hacking attempts to gain access to the site. One of these security features is a 2 factor authentication at the member login page.
 
When logging in you might see the new “CAPTCHA” verification pictures. As you normally would, log in with your user name or email and password and then click the “I am not a Robot” and then the Login button. Sometimes the Captcha popup window will open up. Just answer the question by clicking on the correct pictures, then the “verify” button and then click Login and that’s it. (Btw – Captcha stands for Completely Automated Public Turing test to tell Computers and Humans Apart – just in case you are wondering.)”

For those Classic Mustang owners, there will be an open house at Bill Pinto’s Garage hosted by Bill’s son, Bill Junior.  As a club member that knew Bill, you are welcome to have a look through all the many Mustang parts, mostly the very early years and see if there is anything you need… [GHMA Members please check your email for further details and info.]

George O’Hearn, President,  
ohearn@cogeco.ca
905-580-4032

 

 

Friday December 9^th 2016

 

 

Greetings Mustangers,

It’s been awhile since my last update however, there wasn’t a lot of news to update you on. My current Old Autos had a few more events so I thought I’d get one more out before 2017. Until it starts to pick up, these updates will be as I have news to report.

Well; where did 2016 go? It seems like it just started but it will be history in just over three weeks. Our annual GHMA Christmas Dinner follows the meeting this Sunday that starts late at 2:30 at Ford CHQ. I hope to see a lot of you there and if you want to check and see if you can get squeezed into the dinner, please email John Siderius at john.siderius@sympatico.ca . You might be out of luck but worth as try. I look forward to this annual event as it’s a great time to share the joy of the season with friends and fellow car enthusiasts.

I haven’t been given any new cars or parts for sale or required and most will be deleted on my next update unless I’m contacted to re-new the ads. There are a couple 4 post hoists for sale this issue you may be interested in so check that out under ‘Equipment for sale’. I post all ads for two roughly months and will delete them after that time unless you tell me to leave them up or make some changes.

Just in case I don’t see you on Sunday, have a great Christmas and enjoy this wonderful time of year with family & friends. I also wish for all of you a happy, healthy & prosperous 2017.

Happy Motoring,

George O’Hearn, President,
ohearn@cogeco.ca
905-580-4032

 

 

Monday November 14^th 2016

 

Greetings Mustangers,

Today is almost the midpoint of November. Forty one sleeps to Christmas! Bet you didn’t know that 🙂

We had a very well attended GHMA meeting yesterday with a pretty full program. We finally got to view a couple Classic Mustangs and finish the talk we had in August on what to look for when buying a classic Mustang. It was a nice break to have a part of the meeting outside in the sunshine.

Our member, Ezio D’Ignazio, Ezio.DIgnazio@discoveryford.com and I spoke about the Discovery Ford Blog by blogger, Emma Truax, etruax@vapartners.ca . If you want to write a short story on your favorite Mustang and submit it with a few pictures, Emma will add it to the favorite Mustang section. Ezio also had some forms for those at the meeting that wanted to do it manually.

Scottie Davis was at my house on the weekend and finished my headliner and back glass. It’s looking more like a finished car each week and I’m getting excited. It will be ready to crank over soon and be officially on the road by spring. I need to find a shop to do a wet sand & polish to bring up the black so if you know one, let me know.

Next up; our December meeting on the 11th followed by our annual Christmas Dinner. Please email John Siderius at john.siderius@sympatico.ca or Grace Dann at moffatg1@gmail.com to book your spot by November 30th as space is limited and we need to confirm numbers with the Restaurant. John is also a regular at both Wednesday & Saturday Coffee Clubs if you prefer.

The GTA Ford dealers are once again working with CTV and the Salvation Army on Toy Mountain. We ask all our members to buy and donate an unwrapped new toy and bring it to the December meeting, Steve Davidson will have a Toy Mountain truck onsite to take the toys away. If you can’t make the meeting, you can also drop of your toy at WhiteOak on Mavis or any other participating GTA Ford dealer.

Cheers, George O’Hearn, President, ohearn@cogeco.ca 905-580-4032

 

 

Friday October 21^st 2016

 

Greetings Mustangers,
 
Here we are less than two weeks to November.  Where did summer go? Further, where did 2016 go?  
 
Since my last update, we lost our friend and fellow GHMA member, Bill Pinto.  There is a celebration of life being held by his family on November 5, 2016 at 11am in the Reception/Lounge Room of the Glen Oaks Funeral Home & Cemetery located at 3164 Ninth Line, Oakville.  If you can bring your Mustang, that would be special for the family as they believe Bill will be looking down and smiling.   
 
I also sent an email a while ago with an opportunity to do a very short story on your special Mustang for a blog that will appear on social media.  Our member, Ezio D’Ignazio, Ezio.DIgnazio@discoveryford.com  is organizing along with the blogger, Emma Truax, etruax@vapartners.ca. It would be nice to help here and fun to see the stories of what makes your mustang special.  And they are all special Norm, Barry, Peter, Jim and so on, you know who you are.  It can be your current Mustang or one you no longer had but was special to you. Please forward your short story & photos to Emma or Ezio ASAP.  If you have fellow club members that aren’t computer literate but would like to participate, please contact Ezio at 519.732.7478 and he can assist.   
 
I’m back working on my 70 Project car after taking all summer off and there is a light at the end of the tunnel thanks to my friends, Bruce, Tyrone, Wayne and especially Scottie.  I love the Vinyl roof.  Still lots to do but it will get there.  Our friend Scottie Davis is also working on his next ride, a very cool 69 “S” code Mustang that just got a pretty coat of paint.   
 
Next up, Our November meeting on the 13th.  We do have a speaker and details will follow shortly by email.

Please come and meet our newest executive member Stan-Lee and pick up your tickets for our GHMA Christmas Dinner to follow our December meeting.  The member cost is $35.00 with all the details on the PDF I sent a week or so back.  Please email John Siderius at john.siderius@sympatico.ca or Grace Dann at moffatg1@gmail.com to book your spot.  John is also a regular at both Wednesday & Saturday Coffee Clubs if you prefer.   
 
As I’m not an MCA member, I will need some help to keep up the MCA US events so please contact me if you can help at ohearn@cogeco.ca

Well, not a lot more news so keep the ads and events you know of coming and I’ll try my best to get this out every two weeks.
 
Cheers,

George O’Hearn,
President, ohearn@cogeco.ca  905-580-4032

 

 

Wednesday October 12^th 2016

 

Greetings Mustangers,
 
I trust you all had a great Thanksgiving and had the opportunity to spend some time with Family & friends as that’s what it’s really all about.  A couple of our members, Gert & Mark Glassford took the long weekend to do a 1600 Kilometer Northern road trip in their Mustang before putting it to bed for the season.  Mark & Gert drive their car!  Awesome!   
 
Since our last update, GHMA and our dealer sponsor, WhiteOak Ford Lincoln participated in the Kidney Foundation of Canada’s, Mississauga Walk on September 25th.  GHMA Barbequed food purchased by WhiteOak for all the walkers and three of us, Frank, Norm & I did our walk early as part of Georgina Rose’s team. Tickateeboo Stangs.  Our team raised over $5,000 and our club donated another $500.  It’s a fun event and a great charity.  Thanks to Steve, Mario, Frank & Norm who worked the BBQ and served food with me.   
 
The season is winding down quickly as the nights are getting colder and the days shorter.  Coffee Club starts this Saturday Morning, 8:30 am, October 15th at the Chop House at the Mohawk Inn, 9230 Guelph Line, Campbellville  just north of the 401, west side and just south of the race track at 8:30 am.  I hope to see many of you there.
 
Our next big GHMA event is our annual Christmas Dinner being held on Sunday December 11th at the Restaurant at the Quality Suites in Oakville, south of the QEW on Bronte Road.  Look for your invitation shortly and please save the date.  Our party will follow our December meeting which as you know starts late at 2:30 PM.    
 
Please send me your ads for cars or parts for sale, cars & parts wanted and any other requests that will assist our members and I’ll try to make it happen.
 
Cheers,
 
George O’Hearn,
President, ohearn@cogeco.ca  905-580-4032

 

 

Monday September 19^th 2016

 

Good Morning Mustangers,

Although this is no match for the quality publication Rob Chong has been delivering; here’s my first GHMA update since I retired from doing this publication about six years ago.  I’m on the hunt for a new Update editor so if you have the time and desire to be involved with club communications, please contact me at my cell or email address below/

I will, (with help from Dave Orlando) do my best to get this out every couple weeks until we get a new editor.  I will be sending it through our GHMA Gmail account as a PDF so please let me know if you have any issues with it. [PDF Newsletter copy below]

For this time only as we are near the end of Cruise season, I have attached a copy of the 2016 “Cruise Night” schedule provided by Dave Orlando so hang on to this one until we can produce a 2017 edition. 

I hope to see a lot of you at Boston Pizza Dorval in Oakville tomorrow night for their last cruise night.

Cheers,

George O’Hearn,

President

ohearn@cogeco.ca

www.ghma.on.ca

905-580-4032

PDF Newsletter copy below:

 

 

 

 August 2016 – Our Apologies, there was no Newsletter this month!

 

 

Monday July 18^th 2016

 

President’s Message:

Greetings Fellow Mustangers,

What a summer season so far! Cruise nights have been great and other than my lawn looking like September, I love it. I attended the Milton downtown show last Friday night called ‘Cruising on a Hot Summer Night’ and it was great. Live band, lots of outside patio food with lots of great cars from 1976 & older. There were tons of spectators and all were very ‘car respectful’ from what I saw.  If you’ve never gone, look for this event next year and put it on your calendar.

As I write this report, our Ford Stampede hosted with our friends from GTAMC is a week away. Preparations have been ongoing for some time and we expect a turnout of some 300 cars based on the pre-registrations to date.  Ford Canada is once again attending the show and bringing three cars; the ever popular GT350, the Focus RS and the all new 325 HP Fusion Sport. We will also have some posters donated by Ford to hand out. If you’re planning to attend the show and can spare an hour or two to help out as a volunteer, please contact Kellie at kelliepaquette@hotmail.com and let her know.

Our next big GHMA event, (after Woodward of course – please see the Woodard Cruise sign up page,) is the return of the GHMA Fall Car Rally on September 10^th.  Our Carol Splett with help from a few other members is organizing the day. If you’re thinking about attending; believe me, this is a fun event with a nice BBQ at the end. Please contact either Carol at csplett@sympatico.ca or Jerry Dunn at dunn.jerry@hotmail.com and let us know you’re coming and how many in your car so we have a handle on food etc. 

If you haven’t seen it yet, go have a look at the new website designed by Rob Chong. It’s awesome! www.ghma.on.ca You should also send Rob some pictures rac2068@gmail.com of your car and other car related interesting shots and he’ll get them on the site.

Thank you for being a part of your club,

George O’Hearn,
President
ohearn@cogeco.ca
905-580-4032

 

Club News and How to Update your Email / Contact Details:

1. Our apologies for the delay in getting you updated on what’s going on in the club.
We were swamped getting ready for Mosport and now Stampede is less than a week away!

Speaking of Mosport – have you checked out the official GHMA Video of the event? If you haven’t then here it is on our Youtube page: Mosport 2016 Video

It’s been a while since I was at Mosport and it was just as much fun as I remembered. It was a great day indeed. Thanks to Rob Gracie for his terrific in car footage.

Thanks to Ryan Bellamy, all organizers, volunteers for their hard work as well as the participants and track officials for making it a great day indeed.

2. If you ever need to change your Email or Contact details, you can update this information from a link at the bottom of this Newsletter. Just click on the “Update your Profile” link and it will take you where you can do so. Always remember to scroll to the bottom otherwise you won’t see our other sections such as the Buy n Sell.

If you have older email accounts you no longer use, then click on the “Unsubscribe” link to unsubscribe them.

For those of you not wishing to receive these emails anymore – then you can also click on “Unsubscribe.”

GHMA Events:

July 2016: Our biggest show of the year is almost here: Stampede 2016 !

News:

One of our member’s Kevin Kerridge, sent me some info on a company called Revology. They make official licensed 65-73 Mustang and Shelby reproductions using modern technology. They also modify existing older mustangs with newer technology. Have a look at some of the incredible work they are doing: http://revologycars.com/ as well check out their Youtube page: Revology Youtube

Have fun out there everyone and don’t hesitate to contact any one of us if you have any comments, queries or updates.

Rob Chong – Website / News & Events

 

 

Monday June 6^th 2016

 

President’s Message:

Well the season has started and none too soon for this car guy.  I’m working away on my 70 Mustang Coupe project with the help of my friends and I’m still hoping to have it mobile this season.  A few parts are yet to arrive.  My target is Woodward if I have it on the road with enough time to shake it down first. Some things will fail; I’d just prefer if they happen close to home to go easy on CAA J

GHMA is alive and well as we approach the Summer and switch our meetings to the 2^nd Thursday evening each of the four months starting with June and going through September.  It looks like we have speakers for all four if all goes well.  If you have a suggestion for a topic or speaker, please email John Siderius at john.siderius@sympatico.ca.  We have a great team right now and a very active membership so please help to keep that going with your enthusiasm for the hobby and support of our regular meetings and our events.

Plans are underway for another active season with a team working on the Ford Stampede, Carol Splett csplett@sympatico.ca & Crew working on the September 10^th Rally and Norm Smart, sstang73@yahoo.com working on Woodward.  Jerry Dunn, dunn.jerry@hotmail.com is the local “New Events” guy and recently did a tour for the Wednesday Coffee Club Members and others to Port Dover on a Wednesday for lunch.  It was great.  Jerry has lots of irons in the fire and if you have any suggestions please drop him a line.

It would be nice to know how many GHMA members plan to attend all these events so I’ll work with Rob Chong and see if there is a way to have people sign up.  Knowing who’s going to events like Woodward and when; allows those that want to organize some formal tours or outings the knowledge to make that happen. (Note: Please check our new Woodward page on our website. Sign up details and more info will be posted there shortly – Rob)

Stan-Lee Elsdon, srelsdon@look.ca (who is always active behind the scenes) is great for advance planning of optional extras to entertain us at events such as Woodward. If you have suggestions for Woodward tours, Stan is the man.

If you haven’t seen it yet, go have a look at the new website designed by Rob Chong.  It’s awesome! www.ghma.on.ca

Thank you for being a part of your club!

George O’Hearn,

President

ohearn@cogeco.ca

905-580-4032

 

It’s time to get those cars out of storage and on the road – Summer is finally here!

(And don’t forget to send in those pics and details for the Members Gallery)

Just a quick Events update to help keep track of what’s going on. As always the website will have the most up to date events listing so make sure to also check there.

Club News:

Our Summer meetings date / times have changed. They are now on Thursday Nights. Next meeting is this Thursday June 9^th at 7:30pm at the Ford HQ. A directions link for new members or those interested in our club can be found on the first page of our Website.

Also the Saturday morning Coffee Club is now over until the Fall in October 2016.

Important – Changes to Auto Insurance:

Our guest speaker this month will be Justin James. “An insurance and financial advisor as well as a franchise owner for The Co-operators. Justin’s presentation will describe the recent changes to the Ontario Auto Insurance Act as well as be able to answer questions about our Co-Operators GHMA insurance.” – Norm Malisani

Update – News & Events / Newsletter & Website:

As some of you are aware, we are doing a bit of transitioning in terms of the communications emails such as this News / Events one. To prevent information overload this will be a 3 to 4 week email aiming for the beginning of each month to summarize and give a heads up for the upcoming events for that month. As always any important last minute changes and updates will also be emailed from the GHMA executive as they occur. (Such as date / time changes, newer events, any cancellations and so on.)

In addition, the new Website will also mirror these changes. You may also have noticed that the website has a “News” page. This page will be used to summarize and highlight the happenings that have occurred for any of our past events; as well as anything of interesting for our members.

There will also be a “Newsletter” link under the main News page to hold these News & Events emails so you can find them in the future.

So check back often during the Summer months as we ramp up our Show season. Lots of things going on, so use these emails and the Website to keep on top of things – Rob

GHMA Events for June:

June 21^st – If you are going to the Mosport / Canadian Tire track day, this is the mandatory Driver’s Meeting at Ford HQ in Oakville.

June 25^th – together with Discovery Ford who is hosting a Charity Event at their dealership.

Have fun out there everyone and don’t hesitate to contact any one of us if you have any comments, queries or updates.

Rob Chong – Website / News & Events

 

 

Monday May 9^th 2016

 

Club News:

This month we have two GHMA events to look forward to:

After our meeting on May 15th we will have a Cruise and on May 23rd the inaugural Victoria Day Celebrations at WhiteOak Ford in Mississauga. For more details see below.

Want to have great time, meet people and get a behind the scenes look while enjoying our events?

We need volunteers to help out with this year’s upcoming events! Have a look below and join in the fun.

Inaugural Victoria Day event at Whiteoak – help to move cars, assist in parking and the BBQ
Henry Ford’s Dreams on Saturday June 18 th at Country Heritage Park
Mustangs at Mosport Monday July 4th. One of our premier events at the world famous track.
Stampede on Sunday July 24th – another premier club event that has even been a feature televised
event with over 400 Fords registered.

In the News:

1. Alert – Stolen Shelbys! – be on the lookout for these brand new 2016 Shelby GT350s. Seven of these were stolen recently in Detroit, one has already been found totally engulfed in flames. There is a US$10 000 reward for any news leading to the return of the rest and or capture of the persons involved. Here is a video link to the news story: 7 Shelby GT350 Mustangs Stolen  (Thanks to Dave Wilson for the heads up.)

2. Car Insurance changes: There are new Insurance changes coming to Ontario on June 1st 2016. I am sure by now you have been hearing about more “choices” being offered by the Auto Insurance Companies.

Some may jokingly know this as “cutting benefits and increasing costs to the insured … again.” Reading over the fine print, some of the current benefits have been reduced, combined or eliminated. Some benefits can only be retained if extra premiums are paid. See more here: June 2016 Ontario Auto Insurance changes

But it’s not all bad – other highlights include Minor collisions which will not increase your premiums (certain stipulations apply,) interest on monthly payments will decrease from 3% to 1.3%, benefits payments to workers who are unemployed are now paid out in 4 weeks instead of 6 weeks and so on. A more in depth overview here: Ibc.ca – Auto-insurancereforms and here: Kanetix.ca – Ontario auto insurance changing soon

All the above changes will take effect the next time your Auto Insurance comes up for renewal. So contact your insurance provider if you have any questions or wish to keep the ones that are being reduced / eliminated.

3. And just for fun: Quiz Time! – How well do you know your older cars? Take this and find out: Classic Car Quiz

(I surprised myself – 7 out of 10 on my first try. Of course there was “some” guessing involved.)

Rob Chong – Website / News & Events

 

 

Monday April 25^th 2016

 

Club News:

There were two GHMA events to start off the car season for us: The first day – National Mustang Day at WhiteOak on April 16^th – a GHMA video of this event is posted on our GHMA Youtube channel and the second day was the April 17^th Mustang Birthday cruise.

For those of you who attended, this is what it’s all about. I met a few friends I haven’t seen in a while and listening to those engines and smelling the oil and exhaust was something that was sorely missed.

New GHMA May 15^th – Cruise after our Club meeting. Barangas is on the Beach strip in Burlington-Hamilton and we plan to travel along the Lakeshore through Oakville, Bronte and Burlington with a left turn on Lakeshore just before the Joseph Brant Hospital and work our way down to Barangas. We are booked to arrive between 4:00 – 4:30 PM. Maps will be available at the meeting. Contact Jerry Dunn for more info: dunn.jerry@hotmail.com

New GHMA event on June 25^th in Burlington ON with Discovery Ford. Charity Event: Mustang All Years – Total number approx. 20.  Discovery will make this a charity event with proceeds going to the charity of their choice. Website: http://www.discoveryford.com/?lang=en  More Info to follow so stay tuned!

Update:

Our NEW Website is now live. GHMA Website – brand New Design

Liz Skorski our web host / designer did a fantastic job for us. Head on over and have a look.

Some of the changes will take a few moments to get used to but everything is there. There are still some ongoing tweaks and other touches to be done. So go ahead and click on everything and see where it takes you…

(Note: We are currently testing the new Members Gallery and it should also be up and running later this week.)

News:

Bill Pinto, a long time and very knowledgeable member, came across this link from Hagerty that has some interesting reading on the early Mustangs: Hagerty Mustang Link

And here is a great summary – with pictures, of all the Mustang Body types ever produced. A very handy reference: Mustangattitude.com Link

Dave Orlando sent over this cautionary link: Why-Do-Mustangs-Always-Seem-To-Crash-At-Cars-Coffee-Events?. Now that the weather is getting better please drive carefully!

There are quite a few new events added to the Events list below so check them out and see if there is anything in your area you are interested in attending.

Stay safe and have fun out there!

Rob Chong – Website / News & Events

 

 

Monday April 4^th 2016

 

The long awaited Spring car show season is here!

April 17^th is the 52^nd year of the Mustang and there are quite a few birthday celebrations planned.

Mustang Birthday Celebrations:

April 16^th – National Mustang Day – at Whiteoak Ford in Mississauga. The GHMA will be on hand to help out and to participate. Full details below in the Events Listing.

April 17^th – Mustang 52^nd Birthday Cruise – at Ford Canada HQ in Oakville. The GHMA will be there to help celebrate and participate in this birthday cruise. Full details below in the Events Listing.

Club News:

A couple reminders:

1. Remember to send in pictures of your Mustang with descriptions for inclusion in our new Mustang Gallery. You work long and hard to keep your beauty on the road so here is a place to show it off. The new Gallery will be live in the next few weeks. More details here: Your Mustang pictures and info needed!

Also it’s Spring cleaning time!

2. Send in your Car Parts / Items so it can be listed in the Buy n Sell section.

New May 23rd Mississauga ON. Inaugural – Victoria Day Celebrations – GHMA & Whiteoak Ford. Whiteoak Lincoln Ford. Address: 3285 Mavis Road, Mississauga. Website: https://www.whiteoaklincoln.ca

Update:

September 10^th 2016 – GHMA Fall Rally / Scavenger hunt – Carol now has the time, place and rules for this year’s fun event. Grab the family and friends and come along. Sign up form will be available on the website shortly.

Contact Carol, csplett@sympatico.ca. 905-399-9362.  Carol will also be at the weekly Saturday Morning Coffee Club if you have anymore questions. Full details below in the Events Listing.

News:

GHMA member, Peter Pickering, alerted me to the following: The Hert Rent a Racer is back! For 2016 about 140 brand new Shelby GT-H can be rented from select Hertz airport locations.

“Half a century after the legendary rent-a-racer 1966 Shelby GT350-H, Ford, Hertz and Shelby are joining forces again to celebrate the anniversary with a special edition based on the 2016 Mustang GT named the Shelby GT-H.”

Read more here: Ford 2016 Shelby GT-H

Rob Chong – Website / News & Events

 

 

Monday March 18^th 2016

 

Hi everyone,

We have quite a few important club updates and new events added this month … Enjoy.

Club News:

1. Indoor Go Karting – This Sunday March 20^th Scott Davis 905-407-6569 has arranged for GHMA and all our friends to have a great Go Carting event at the Hamilton Indoor Go Carts in, guess where, Hamilton.  The address is 193 Cavell Ave, Hamilton, ON L8L 8C9.  The date is Sunday, March 20^th.  Please arrive at approximately 10:45 AM. Website: Hamilton Indoor Go-Karts

“What you get is a 5 lap warm-up, two 20 minute race sessions and if you qualify, a 12 minute trophy run.  The cost is approximately $45.00 per person.  It’s a fun event and one that will put you in the mood to consider Mosport. If you have any questions about age or who can compete, please contact the track at 905-545-0055.  Bring your driver’s license as the quickest way to check in.”   – George O’ Hearn

The GHMA’s Fall Car Rally has been booked and is Saturday September 10^th2016 – this year’s fun event is being organized by Carol Splett. More details to follow later on.

2. Mosport Track Day Update:

 Important: There will be a Drivers Meeting Tuesday, June 21 at 7:30 PM – 9:30 PM at the Ford Oakville HQ where we keep our Monthly GHMA meetings. All drivers and participants please make sure to attend!

This “Pre-Event” drivers meeting is mandatory for all rookies. This meeting is recommended as a good review for all drivers. If you are a primary or secondary driver new to this event & miss this meeting, you will not be allowed to drive.

Sign up forms and safety info are now available on our website: GHMA – Canadian Tire (Mosport) Track Day – Monday July 4th 2016Ryan Bellamy is doing a great job of getting things organized and here is a direct link to the Facebook page: Facebook – Mustangs at Mosport

3. Introducing our official GHMA Youtube Channel: Link – GHMA YouTube Channel

We host and go to a lot of Events throughout the year like Stampede, Woodward and Mosport. Since we are a very socially active club, I think it is about time we had somewhere to show our GHMA related videos.

Those of you who have Go-Pros or sport body cams, cellphones and video cameras rolling – if you have a finished video you have put together and edited and like a place to show off the event then this is the place for it!

4. GHMA Website Update:

We are pleased to announce that we are in the process of giving our Website a refresh and redesign. In the coming weeks / months there will on going behind the scenes changes. More details will be released (and shown) once we are fully underway. Currently there are already some re-design cues that you may have already noticed.

One of the things that will be updated is the link: Mustang Gallery

Right now all we have are pictures of Members Mustangs. I would like to add a bit more detail to bring out the features of the Mustang and the personalities of their owners. The New Mustang Gallery will be categorized into various years / generations and some details like the engine, colour options and so on which will be shown with your Mustang pictures.

So I will need your help with the following:

Updating your Mustang Pictures and Information:

If you would like to have your Mustang in the New Gallery, please submit the best picture(s) of your Mustang (owners with more than one Mustang are welcome to submit a different picture for each Mustang.)

Also please make sure to email me the following details (along with the picture of your Mustang(s):

1. Name of Owner(s) – (names can be omitted if you prefer)
2. Mustang Colour
3. Mustang Year and Type – (Year it was built. Type such as Boss, Shelby and so on)
4. Type of Engine – (V8, V6, 4.6L or 5.0L, 302, 428, and so on)
5. Type of Transmission – (Std or Auto, 3spd, 6 spd and so on)
6. (Optional) Any special options ordered with the Mustang or modifications done to the vehicle before or after you bought it.
7. (Optional) – Any personal story you would like to share with others about your vehicle and how you got into the Mustang hobby.

NOTE: The following Mustang Categories will be used:

Category 1: Includes Gen 1 1964 – 1973 and Gen 2 1974 – 1978

Category 2: Includes Gen 3 1979 – 1993 and Gen 4 1994 -2004

Category 3: Includes Gen 5 2005 – 2014 and Gen 6 2015 – Present

The Older Galleries will still be kept for archival purposes.

Rob Chong – Website / News & Events

 

 

Sunday February 28^th 2016

 

Greetings all,

Club News:

We have a date for this year’s Canadian Tire (Mosport) Track day! – Monday July 4^th 2016.

For those of you who have not been – it’s worth taking the day off work. Call in sick, tell the boss the dog ate all your work clothes and get yourself over to the track. It’s the most fun you can legally have behind the wheel of your Mustang without the “man” (do they even use this term anymore?) turning on the flashing lights and blearing sirens at you to pull you over.

Of course Safety First. For those of you are returning to this yearly event and those who are new, please always attend the Mosport Track day meetings before hand. You will be brought up to speed on what the colour of the flags mean, how to get your road / track car ready and so on.

More details to follow as we get closer to the event. GHMA – Canadian Tire (Mosport) Track Day

Club member Dave Orlando just sent over a heads up on neat documentary on Netflix and Vimeo.

 Click here: “A Faster Horse” to have a look inside at what it takes to design and make a Mustang. Interviewees include Hau Thai-Tang who served as the chief engineer for the Mustang program that launched the 2005 model year Mustang. (Mr. Tang was also at our Stampede that year giving the GHMA a presentation of the then brand new 2005 model redesign.)

Money saving tip: Hotel Fees, restaurant bills – beware

Club members travel a lot to different destinations whether car related, vacation, business and so on. One thing you should always look at are your hotel bills, meal bills and any entertainment tours while traveling.

In the Niagara region for example, there is a T.I. or DMF or DPF or TIFF that is added to the hotel and meal bills and depending on where you stay – sometimes an additional $ 3 Eco fee is also added per day.

T.I. – stands for Tourism Improvement fee

DMF – Destination Marketing Fee

DMP – Destination Marketing Programs

TIFF – Tourism Infrastructure Funding Fees

These fees are “voluntary” and should not be paid! So if you see them on your bill challenge them and get them taken off. (At one Niagara hotel the TI was 6.69% + HST on the hotel bill which resulted in a little over $10 added to the total bill for a one night stay.)

Here are a couple news stories explaining this issue which is estimated to pull in over $15+ million per year since 2004:

CBC – Niagara Falls Tourist Fees 2012 article

DMP – Govt. Ontario explanation

Niagara Falls Hilton Eco fee

(The above Eco fee not to be confused with the Ontario Eco Fee implemented and scrapped in 2010 even though it does have some similarities.)

And speaking of an Eco fee …

In the News: Cap and Trade – Ontario

“Cap and trade – also called emissions trading – is a market based approach to reducing pollution and combating climate change by providing economic incentives for industries to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions.”

This system is being considered for Ontario by its Premiere which will result in higher gasoline, home heating bills and possibly an overall increase in the price of all goods shipped and manufactured.

It is estimated to add about 4.3 cents + HST (4.85 cents) to the price per liter of gasoline and an extra $5 per month ($60 per year) to home heating bills. Businesses will be able to buy and trade “carbon credits” based on their greenhouse gas emissions.

For a link with graphic to show how this works see here: How Cap and Trade Works

Some may consider this just another tax grab and others will welcome this news as doing something for the environment. Wherever you stand on this issue it is sure to be a controversial one.

Rob Chong – Website / News & Events

 

 

Tuesday February 9^th 2016

 

Club News:

Did you know that the GHMA actually has an Online Forum on the MCA website? Neither did I until I stumbled across it recently. See link here: MCA – Golden Horseshoe Mustang Association Forum

At this past Sunday’s monthly meeting we had guest Speaker Ron Gibbs.

“Ron is an accomplished custom painter, pin-stripper and air brush artist with experience in anything motorized. He was recently featured in the Toronto Star Wheels section as well as many other automotive publications. His commonly used moniker is the Canadian “Rat Fink”. Ron has done work around the world and has collaborated with many famous name such as Chip Foose, Danny from Counts Customs, Ryan his painter, Joe Gibbs and Rick Hendricks from NASCAR fame, Jack Roush and many more.”

Which is quite an accomplishment since Mr. Gibbs is a self-thought artist who now gets to travel the world meeting people, touching lives and doing what he loves.

 By the way- for those of you who don’t know: The term “Rat Fink” is actually a term of endearment and refers to the one and only, the late great Ed “Big Daddy” Roth. Who is the original Rat Fink. Ed Roth is a very well known artist and pioneer of incredible iconic designs. See his website for more details on this very fascinating originator and all his terrific accomplishments: http://www.ratfink.com/

Clearance Sale: Special Interest Cars:

Special Interest Cars has been in business for a long time. It has been one of the go to places to look for in stock or to order parts for those of us with older cars. They have been having a retirement clearance sale on all their inventory for the last little while. So swing by and see if there is something they have that you are interested in.

Location: 2410 Speers Rd Oakville ON L6L 5M2. Ford NOS parts at 50% off, Original car sales literature, shop manuals etc. Repro parts 30% off. Email: sic@bellnet.ca Phone: 905-844-8063 & fax 905-338-8063.

Auto News:

Let’s talk about plastic for a bit. You know the type that new car manufacturers insist on hiding the engine of a car with. Now don’t get me wrong- I like a nice clean looking engine bay like most people. Until I have to check the car’s fluids, change a fuse or do some mechanical work. Then I am not liking this whole plasticky look one bit.

Of course my wife disagrees… but she isn’t the one with both arms in the engine bay trying to figure out where those gosh darn engineers (and I am using a euphemism here,) hide all the clips and screws to undo all the plastic bits to get at the engine. And no I do not want to take the car to the dealership just to check my oil!

So it’s with great glee I had a look at the new 2016 Shelby GT350 – one of the most powerful naturally aspirated Mustangs ever produced.

Click on this link:  First drive 2016 Ford Shelby GT350 Mustang for a really good write up by Brian Harper and ogle that raw uncovered engine bay! Glorious, no plastic hiding the internals as it should be. Look at those pipes, wires and “thingies” that you can actually see and touch without downloading a schematic to try and figure out where everything is. This is the way it should be.

Rob Chong – Website / News & Events

 

 

Monday January  18^th 2016

Club News:

Our new GHMA Apparel online ordering is now ready! Please go to the GHMA website and log in with your member id to see the great Shirts, Jackets and hats you can get for yourself or as gifts. https://ghma.on.ca/

Please note: the GHMA logo is included on the apparel even though the current pictures do not show it. Future updates to the pictures will show the logo.

Update: Auto Insurance Winter Tire Discount

As mentioned in an earlier email- you can now get a discount on your auto insurance if you call them and let them know you have Winter tires on your vehicle. I called my car insurance recently and got the discount put on my daily driver. It will automatically be applied every year from now on. The only caveat is that it will be applied at the time of my insurance renewal, and for the months between November 1^st to April 1^st.

(Note: Your insurance company may have variations of the above so verify the details and fine print.)

Also make sure to ask about any other discounts they offer. If you are retired, work from home, no longer drive to work call them and let them know. If your vehicle is a pleasure only vehicle also let them know. They do offer additional discounts for multi-car vehicle families if you insure all the vehicles under a single insurance company.

Check this link for a good site that Compares Insurance Rates: https://www.kanetix.ca/

Important:

2016 Road Rule Changes:

1. Higher Licensing Fees

“A number of fees across government will increase slightly, including those to license trailers, buy commercial fishing licenses, validate farm vehicles or make certain changes under the building code.” See link for more info: Driver and Vehicle licensing fees going up

2. Out-of-province offenders will have to pay traffic fines

Ontario will now be able to send those outstanding bills to other provinces. See link for more info: Traffic Tickets to out of province drivers

3. New Crosswalk Rules

In Ontario: “Drivers will now have to wait until pedestrians have crossed the road before going through crosswalks or school crossings. The changes also bar pedestrians from stepping ‘into the path of a vehicle or street car that is so close the driver cannot stop.’ And it will allow cities and the province to try out new pedestrian safety features, like new styles of crosswalks.” See link for more info: New Crosswalk Rules

Rob Chong – Website / News & Events

 

 

Friday January 1^st 2016

 

Greetings everyone,

A New Year is upon us and as we wait for dry roads and blue skies, some of you are busy doing maintenance, upgrades and planning for the upcoming cruise season. There is always just one more thing to get done, one more thing to check, one more bolt that needs tightening.

This is one of my favourite times of year, since behind the scenes there is so much going on.

Auto News:

Every year, a preview of the future takes place at the CES – Consumer Electronics Show.

“This is the world’s largest hands-on showcase of emerging innovation and is scheduled for Jan. 6-9, 2016, in Las Vegas, Nevada.”

Ford will be there since the: “Ultra-high-performance Ford GT supercar is the Official Vehicle of CES 2016” See link: https://www.automotiveworld.com/news-releases/ford-returns-ces-2016-ford-gt-official-show-vehicle/ (Ford announced last year that they will build the new 2017 GT in Markham, Ont.)

Earlier in 2015 Ford also opened up their technologies patent portfolio to help accelerate electrified vehicle development with other manufacturers. (Tesla has already opened up their patents, and it is great seeing this sort of action being taken by the some in auto industry.) See link: https://media.ford.com/content/fordmedia/fna/us/en/news/2015/05/28/ford-opens-portfolio-of-patented-technologies-to-competitors-to-.html 

There is also strong indication that Google and Ford are teaming up to work on self driving vehicles. See link: https://www.yahoo.com/autos/google-pairs-with-ford-to-1326344237400118.html

But the really cool (or quirky,) news is Ford’s “Unicycle” patent. I am not sure what to think of this one, but it’s a fun patent. Earlier this year Ford filed for the patent and it looks like they have just received it. “…a system where one of a car’s four wheels can be removed and then attached to a trunk-mounted unicycle..” See link: Ford Unicycle Patent Pics and Info

Of course the two of the largest dedicated auto shows:

1. US Detroit / NAIAS Autoshow from January 11^th to the 24^th http://naias.com/ and,

2. Toronto Autoshow from February 12^th to 21^st are coming up really fast! http://autoshow.ca/

Rob Chong – Website / News & Events

 

 

Monday December 18^th 2015

 

Hello Everyone,

Thanks to Carol Splett for the spiffy new pic and help with our new letterhead phrase: “Discover what’s up and places to go.” Thanks Carol!

Money Saving Tip: Here is an Insurance Tip for you to save some money on your daily driver rates: “Ontario is moving forward with its plan to help lower auto insurance rates by requiring all insurance companies in the province to provide a discount for drivers who buy and install winter tires, starting January 1, 2016.”

See this link for more info: https://news.ontario.ca/mof/en/2015/10/drivers-with-winter-tires-eligible-for-insurance-discount.html

So make sure to put those Winter Tires on and contact your Auto Insurance!

We just heard from one of our sister MCA clubs in Florida, Suncoast Mustang Club of the passing of Walt Lockwood. “Walt was a past President of Suncoast Mustang Club. Walt and his wife Gloria were active members for years. Memorial Service on December 21st at 11:00 AM at the Gulf Coast Church, 13301 Walsingham Rd, Largo, FL.  They will have a private military burial at Bay Pines National Cemetary afterwards.”

On behalf of the GHMA, our heart-felt condolences to the family and friends of Mr. Lockwood.

Auto News:

Right now oil per barrel is around US$30-35. Yet currently I am looking at the cost of gas per liter and still wondering why it is so high! Our Provincial and Federal taxes add to the base cost and there are other taxes. It breaks down to the following:

Base Price + Federal Excise Tax + GST/PST + Carbon Tax (if any) + Transit Tax (if any) + Provincial Sales Tax + Provincial Fuel tax

See this link to show you visually what this looks like: http://retail.petro-canada.ca/en/fuelsavings/2139.aspx

Currently, in Ontario the tax rate is 14.7c per liter of unleaded and 17.7c per liter of leaded. See link: http://www.fin.gov.on.ca/en/tax/gt/index.html

In the last few years every auto maker has been coming out with their own hybrid / electric or even hydrogen powered vehicles. (In addition to existing diesel, propane vehicles and even vegetable oil believe it or not.) Google and Tesla are currently testing autonomous self driving vehicles.

Well right now Ford is also testing Self Driving Autonomous vehicles. See the following link for more info:

https://media.ford.com/content/fordmedia/fna/us/en/news/2015/12/15/ford-to-begin-autonomous-vehicle-testing-on-california-roads.html

Whatever we may think of self-driving and electric vehicles, it’s only a matter of time.

Thought of the Day: Can a self-driving electric / hybrid Mustang be far off? Would it still be the pony car we all know and love?

How will this all play out- what are the rules for these vehicles? Well “California has proposed rules that would require drivers in the state to apply for a special driver’s license before being allowed to use an autonomous car. The self-driving vehicles would also have to pass a test administered by a third party before being leased (as they cannot yet be sold). Who’s at fault in the case of accidents? Motorists would be held responsible for obeying traffic laws, regardless of whether they are at the wheel, but where insurance liability will fall is still being hashed out.”

 For more in depth info read here:

https://www.dmv.ca.gov/portal/dmv/detail/vr/autonomous/auto and here:

http://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/news/2015/12/16/google-disappointed-by-proposed-rules-from-california-dmv/77447672/

GHMA Charitable Events: Cars may be our passion, but social responsibility, volunteering and giving back have always been a big part of our club. Members throughout the years have been helping out with different charities.

Kidney Walk foundation – for the past few years members of the GHMA have been walking, collection donations and volunteering to run the BBQ at Erindale Park in Mississauga, Ontario. See link:

https://kidney.akaraisin.com/Pledge/Event/GroupHome.aspx?seid=10159&mid=82&sgid=385

In memory of past GHMA member Wilson Rose, his wife Georgina Rose and her group Tikateeboo Stangs raised $4400 in 2015. (The term Tikateeboo was one of Wilson’s favourite sayings. Whenever certain things were going well or something was just right he’d say: “It’s Tikateeboo!”

(Personally – Wilson Rose was the first person I met before joining the GHMA so many years ago. He was an incredible individual. Rob.)

In addition see George O’ Hearn’s page where he helped to raise $1550: https://kidney.akaraisin.com/pledge/Participant/Home.aspx?seid=10159&mid=9&pid=2377041 and Georgina Wilson’s page where she helped to raise $1425: https://kidney.akaraisin.com/pledge/Participant/Home.aspx?seid=10159&mid=9&pid=972660

Toy Mountain Drive – On Thursday December 17^th George O’ Hearn and Steve Davidson and a few other members attended the Toy Mountain Drive broadcast on CTV news at 6 PM from Ford in Oakville. The GHMA officially presented the toys we collected from you our members at this past Sunday’s meeting.

The “GHMA has been donating toys from our members for about 5 years. This year we collected over 50 toys …  and are donating $500 from the club to buy some more. At about 20 each, that’s another 25 toys.”

We also received a wonderful letter from Trillium Health Partners November 2015 sent to Steve Davidson, here is an excerpt:

“Thank you – two small words that don’t come close to expressing how we at Trillium Health Partners Foundation feel to once again be the recipient of the proceeds of the Golden Horseshoe Mustang Associations’s Car Show in conjunction with Ford. Your incredible support over the years had ensured that the residents of this community have the best resources available to them and have allowed us to achieve our common vision of providing the best in specialized care for our patients.

 The incredible $8000 that you helped raise this year has been directed towards our hospital’s most pressing needs and is greatly appreciated because it gives us the ability to respond quickly and effectively to emerging priorities ….”  Kathleen Cymek, Development Officer, Community Initiatives – Trillium Health Partners Foundation.

Rob Chong – Website / News & Events