South Texas Mustang Club hosts 17th annual Round Up

 MISSION — Bob Gross will always have something by which to remember his former neighbors, whom he considered his second parents: a baby blue 1966 Ford Mustang with pony interior, still in mint condition.

The Mustang, which Gross inherited about four years ago, is a survivor vehicle, which means it has never been wrecked, repainted or restored in any way.

On Sunday, Gross’ vehicle was a popular attraction at the South Texas Mustang Club’s 17th annual Round Up, which took place at Spikes Ford off of Expressway 83 and Bryan Road in Mission.

Many people made sure to stop by the classic vehicle and take a picture with its owner.

"I enjoy coming and showing it," he said.

More than 130 vehicles, as old at 1964½, when the Mustang first hit the market, and as new as the latest models were on display throughout the car dealership’s front parking lot. Judges were on hand to inspect each vehicle and hand out awards.

McAllen resident Henry Falcon started the club about 18 years ago after he placed an ad in The Monitor looking to find fellow Mustang enthusiasts willing to show off their vehicles at an End of Summer Mustang Bash he was organizing.

Falcon said he expected a few people to respond. Instead, the event drew in 25 Mustangs.

The club, and the annual roundup, blossomed from that event. There are now about 40 members, Falcon said, and other clubs have sprung up since in Brownsville, Matamoros, Reynosa, Monterrey and other parts of the Valley and Mexico.

The Mustang club also hosts two rides to South Padre Island every year, which draws hundreds of vehicles, he said.

"I’m amazed at the quality we keep seeing year after year. There is a big following in Mexico," Falcon said.

Matamoros resident Rafael Gomez showed his blue 2003 Mustang Mach I at the event.

Gomez, who is a member of a Mustang Club in Matamoros said he’s had Mustangs all his life, including a gray 1973 Mach I he owned for almost a decade.

He loves the Ford Mustang "because it’s a muscle car," he said.

Like Gomez, Edinburg resident Sam Ybarra said he’s had Mustangs for as long as he can remember. On Sunday he was showing his silver with black stripe 2009 Shelby Cobra GT 500.

"This is my dream car," Ybarra said.

Ybarra said he likes how Mustangs allow their owners to personalize them and still keep their aggressive look.

As for Gross, his vehicle will always give him a connection to his old neighborhood in Illinois.

The car’s original owner, Barney Barnhorne, purchased the Mustang in 1980 in perfect condition. He died shortly thereafter, leaving his wife Ruth, who couldn’t drive, with the vehicle.

She asked Gross, who had helped her late husband maintain the vehicle, to drive her around on errands in the vehicle.

"I was the only one she’d allowed to drive it," Gross said.

Gross and his wife moved to the Rio Grande Valley in the 1990s, but every time they’d return to Illinois he’d drive his old neighbor around in the Mustang.

About four years ago, Ruth died and left the Mustang to Gross.

Gross said he drives the Mustang to South Padre Island for the club’s semi-annual drives out there and to shows, but most of the time he keeps it covered in the garage to preserve the classic vehicle.

News of the pristine car spread throughout the Mustang enthusiast community, and earlier this year, Gross and his Mustang were featured in a magazine from Monterrey that is devoted to the vehicle’s fans.

"I felt like I died and gone to heaven," Gross said. "Thank you Barney and Ruth."