Hoopers' beloved Mustangs to be displayed at car show

Those in Bob Hooper's wide circle of friends and acquaintances know he had a passion for old cars — Ford Mustangs in particular.

Hooper, of Hooper's Garden Center local fame, was a big supporter of the Evergreen Show 'N Shine Car Show and typically could be seen spending time at the popular gathering the first Saturday in August. Hooper died May 29 at age 97, but his memory will live on in style at this year's show on Aug. 7 as his family plans to have a variety of vintage and newer Mustangs on display.

In fact, Mustangs will be a must-see display at this year's Show 'N Shine, and everyone who owns a Mustang and wants to display it for the day is invited to participate.

"Anyone who wants to bring their Mustangs, we'll put them in line with ours," said Hooper's son Bob, who is carrying on the Mustang tradition for the Hooper family.

"Dad's love of cars first started in the '30s, and I came up in the '60s generation," the younger Bob Hooper said. "I loved Mustangs and Ford Falcons, and we started to appreciate Mustangs more and more."

Bob noted his father was still driving just three months before he passed away. He had just renewed his driver's license, which was valid until he turned 100.

"We always said if we ever retired from the nursery we were going to buy and sell low-mileage Mustangs," Bob recalled.

Bob restored a 1967 Mustang coupe and gave it to his dad for a wedding anniversary present. The elder Bob and his wife Carrie were married for 74 years before she passed in 2017.

"After my mother died, dad bought a red 2011 Mustang GT," Bob said. "The next year we found a 2009 Shelby GT500, and in 2019 he bought a blue 2011 GT."

The elder Bob also bought a 1973 Mustang convertible that's still in his family; he gave it to his daughter-in-law.

"I'll have Dad's four [Mustangs] at the show," Bob said, adding that he'll likely bring another half-dozen Mustangs.

"This is my hobby," he said. "In the winter we'd restore them."

Bob also will be bringing his 1963 Ford Falcon Sprint to display at the Show 'N Shine.

Mustangs, in particular, have never lost their charm since the first ones rolled off the assembly line in the mid-1960s. According to MotorTrend, in the early 1960s, Lee Iacocca, the vice president and general manager of Ford, envisioned a sporty youth-market car based on the compact Falcon.

"Developed in record time on a shoestring budget, Ford introduced the Mustang at the World's Fair on April 17, 1964, to instant acclaim," MotorTrend reported. "Ford planned for 100,000 first-year sales, but dealers sold 22,000 on the first day. The Ford Mustang launched a whole new genre of automobiles, known as pony cars."

News editor Lynnette Hintze may be reached at 406-758-4421 or lhintze@dailyinterlake.com