For kids there was a bounce castle and a playground, for dads there were a lot of cars and planes. And for moms, well, they were just happy the kids and dads had somewhere to play.
Ford Netherlands, the official importer of the Netherlands, organised the Family Day for fans across the country. All major Ford car clubs were invited. The location this time was the National Military Museum, a cool museum with tanks, planes and other military stuff from the Dutch and other armies. As the museum is located at a militairy airfield, there was plenty of room for the cars.
Skies were blue, and so was the line-up all Focus-es in front of the building. Ford had asked the Focusclub to form a row of all Focus models, from the first generation to the 3rd generation, all in color blue. The cars stood right under a few missiles, making it even cooler.
The Family Day was also the first introduction of the brandnew Focus, the fourth generation. It was the first time people could see it for real. The crowd certainly did not waste this opportunity, crawling all over the cars and measuring everything. There was a hefty discussion over whether it looked better than the previous one or not.
Rows and rows of cars lined the parking, skattered between a few airplanes. This made for a great view. Some cars were literally parked under the wings of the plane, as a giant duck protecting its offspring. Also it was one of the few places where one could park in the shade.
The Ford Focus and Fiesta are very common in the Netherlands, so it was no surprise a lot of these models were present. Most of them were the sportier models, like the RS and ST.
As rare as it is to see a bright orange Ford ST live on the streets, here they were all around. It was striking to see how many cars were painted in bright colors, especially given the grey mass of cars you see everyday.
Some models have disappeared from the Ford catalog, but this doesn’t mean they are forgotten. Older models like the Sierra, Scorpio and Escort got a lot of attention. These cars once ruled the streets, but the rust bug got most of them. Now they are lovingly restored.
A bright white Sierra RS Cosworth stood shining in the sun. Even with its huge wing and funky white rims it looked quite plain compared to modern-day RS models. It was clearly dreaming about the days it rules the streets in the 80s.
The only American cars present were Mustangs. This is a shame as Ford has made so many more models. However, only the Mustang is officially sold here by Ford, and even only since the 2015 model.
However since the Mustang Club TMCN was invited, all Mustangs were welcome. All models were present: first generations, a gorgious 1972 Mach1, a pristine Mustang II, a few Foxbodies and SN95s and quite a few newer models. A gotta-have-it-green Boss from 2013 really stood out.
As I was walking around, I came across two very happy guys in a pristine 1989 Escort convertible. These cars are increasingly hard to find in good condition, they told me. They however got their hands on an all original Dutch convertible from the first owner. It was a true time machine.
Ford had arranged for a professional photographer to take photo’s of the cars in front of a large Lockheed from the Dutch navy. The brightly colored Fords looked really good in front of the plane. A bit further were some jet planes, including a Russian Mig, waiting to be photographed.
Owners also had the opportunity to show their cars on stage, where the presenter bombarded them with questions. No matter how stock the car was, it was treated like it was a rare model.
The way down from the stage was tricky, especially with low bumpers or splitters. But also the stage itself was not without danger: at one point the wind knocked over the presentor’s cola bottle, pouring cola all over a Mustang Mach1.
There was a large variety of cars. Some completely stock daily drivers, some sporty models and some completely modded cars.
The Pumadrivers Club was also present with an impressive number of Ford Puma’s. This sporty model, based on the Fiesta, was only built from 1997 to 2002. Few people outside the Ford community still remember them, but they have a steady fan base.
In between the Pumas sat a woman in a circle of garden chairs. “I don’t even like cars,” she said. “But I like the atmosphere, just being together hanging out.” Pointing at the empty chairs around her, she laughed: “Me and all my friends!” Everybody from here family drove a Ford: her brother a Puma, her uncle an RS.
Real classics were far and between, but they really stood out. A lovely lowered first-generation Escort looked like it was a blast to drive. The few Sierras and Scorpios that showed up were all Cosworth models. A few old Mustangs also appeared but the oldest car was a Ford Anglia, the one with the tilted rear window.
The turn-out was good and the weather couldn’t have been better. There were so many nice cars out that most people never went inside the museum. It was a great show, where owners of fast cars, old cars, pimped cars and regular cars were able to share their passion for the blue oval.
