ADK Shelby-Mustang Club Cars & Coffee

On a warm Sunday morning in August in Upstate NY, Saratoga Automobile Museum in partnership with ADK Shelby-Mustang Regional Club hosted a beautiful Cars and Coffee! The event brought a predominantly Mustang crowd along with a much broader selection of interesting cars.

For Capital Motor Club, the morning represented something slightly different.

We started this club recently and look to these type of events to see what is possible for the club. The club started small with my father and I and in a short time has grown to about 10 members! It’s a small number now but its a glimpse for what is possible for the club.

A museum built for the OCCASION

The Saratoga Automobile Museum provided the ideal setting.

Nestled within the Saratoga Spa State Park, the museums grounds offered a background of mature trees, some open grass, and contrasted nicely with the beautiful cars on display.

The weather couldn’t have cooperated any better! Under sunny skies, and temps in the mid 70’s for much of the morning, attendees spent the morning wandering between cars, chatting with owners, and grabbing coffee from a local coffee truck on site.

While mustangs made up much of the field, the variety extended well past just that of pony cars. The diversity in the capital region of different cars, is what makes these events so cool to attend. You can attend these events and regularly see cars that you’d never see out on the road and if you did, you wouldn’t get the opportunity to see them so close and speak with the owners who love these cars the most.

For Capital Motor Club, that idea is core to the club.

CMC is not intended to be a single make or model group. The club focuses on speciality and enthusiasts vehicles across manufactures and eras. Bringing people together who appreciate the automobiles themselves, not just the particular badge of the car they own.

The Cars that stood out

Among the many cars that caught attention was a beautiful Ford GT, finished in yellow with black racing stripes.

The modern interpretation of the legendary GT40 has always had a presence that you can feel when you see it in person. It was my first time seeing it in person and pictures don’t do it justice. It’s exposed mechanical feel, minimalist interior compared to modern day cars, and mid 2000s appearance was a reminder of how dramatically vehicle design has changed over the years and will continue to progress as time continues on.

If the Ford GT represented the cutting edge of American performance, the Cobra represented something more raw.

It’s undeniably American muscle appearance was difficult to ignore. Its silver bodywork, exposed cockpit, and unmistakable proportions immediately drew attention. With this vehicle there is little separating the driver from the most mechanical experience that you can have in a car. Just like the GT, it was immediately apparent how much automotive styling has changed over the decades, but we love seeing these cars from these older times when things felt more…intentional and raw.

Looking ahead

Capital Motor Club is still in its infancy.

The club isn’t trying to become the largest automotive organization in the Capital Region overnight. Instead it’s goal is to gradually build with members that want to partake in these events with us, and share our passion. This is built through community, enjoyable cruises and hopefully some worthwhile experiences along the way.

Future plans include members cruises at some scenic spots around the capital district, attending existing events, and as we look into the next year hosting some events of our own.

For a club still in it’s infancy and beginning to establish itself, I believe there is great potential in the Capital District to build a incredibly large community that can compete with the likes of any of the large cities in the US.

Capital Motor Club is based in Albany/Capital Region and is building that community and we’d appreciate if you’d join us in accomplishing these goals. We are a community for enthusiasts of specialty vehicles across all makes and models.

Check out our Facebook and Instagram for a full lineup of photo’s from the event

-Zach