Mustang Owners Club of Australia Canberra and Southern NSW Chapter coordinators John Perryman and Dave Burnett with their Mustangs. Photo: James Coleman.
More than 200 pristine examples of the Ford Mustang – spanning more than six decades – are set to fill the carpark at the Erindale Viking Club as owners from across Australia roll into Canberra for the 2026 Canberra Mustang Car Show.
It’s perfect timing for the biennial event, run by the Canberra and Southern NSW chapter of the Mustang Owners Club of Australia, because last year, the V8 sports car recorded its best sales in seven years.
What the show is about
The event, to be held on Sunday, 8 February, is a classic ‘show and shine’ featuring Mustangs from all seven generations from 1964 to 2026. Organisers expect around 200 cars on display – some from as far away as Queensland and Tasmania – and more than 2000 spectators through the gates.
It will be held at Viking Park in Erindale and, as in previous years, the focus will go beyond chrome and horsepower.
“We’re not just putting on a show, we’re putting on an extravaganza in support of Bosom Buddies,” says show coordinator and Mustang owner John Perryman.
Bosom Buddies ACT is a Canberra-based breast cancer support group that has provided help to people across the ACT and surrounding NSW for more than 30 years. The Mustang show is run as a non-profit event, with funds raised through entry fees, sponsorships, donations and a charity raffle.
The club has previously raised money for organisations including Menslink, the Heart Foundation, the Ricky Stuart Foundation and the AFP Veterans Association. Its last show, held in 2023, raised $15,293.
Alongside the cars, Perryman promises food, drinks, and ice cream, as well as ample opportunities for spectators to speak with owners and take photos with the vehicles.
What to expect
If you want a snapshot of the variety on show, look no further than the cars owned by Perryman and fellow organiser Dave Burnett.
Perryman owns a 2019 Ford Mustang 50th Anniversary Bullitt – yep, a limited-run model inspired by the iconic 1968 film starring Steve McQueen.
“They only imported 700 of these,” he says.
“Although I have learnt that there’s one more that’s come from Britain, and two have since been written off.”
Finished in ‘Dark Highland Green’ with chrome trim, the car hails from the third series of special Bullitt editions, with the other runs released in 2001 and 2008.
Perryman came to it after years with a 1966 coupe.
“It’s a wonderful car. It comes with an enhanced engine, racing seats … and that’s a sort of a throwback if you like to the original Bullitt movie in 1968.”
Asked if he’s a fan of the actor, Perryman laughs: “Well, who isn’t? The king of cool.”
Burnett’s Mustang tells a very different story. Bought as an empty shell in the mid-1990s, his car was painstakingly rebuilt piece by piece before finally hitting the road about three years ago. This also involved converting back to left-hand drive, mostly because parts were easier to source from the US.
“It’s a GT replica, but it’s a factory big block [V8], which makes it a little bit special,” he says.
For Burnett, though, the real appeal isn’t just the cars.
“I think the best thing is actually the people with whom we share the love,” he says.
“Down here, we’ve got about 70 people in the club. We have runs about once a month … and we’ve got some really good friends.”
A galloping year for the Mustang
The timing of the show comes after one of the strongest years the Ford Mustang has enjoyed in Australia in nearly a decade.
The latest-generation S650 Mustang returned the nameplate to the top of the national sports-car sales charts in 2025, with 4052 vehicles sold – a 177 per cent increase on 2024.
It was the Mustang’s best result since 2018 and enough to outsell rivals such as the Mazda MX-5, Subaru BRZ, Toyota GR86, Nissan Z and Mini Cooper Convertible combined.
And this is despite a brief pause in sales in November while Ford addressed an issue with water entering the car’s Body Control Module, causing headlights, taillights, and other vehicle lights to fail.
More than 200 Mustangs are expected at the show, from all seven generations. Photo: James Coleman.
Around 90 per cent of buyers opted for the 5.0-litre ‘Coyote’ V8 over the 2.3-litre turbo four-cylinder, underlining a strong appetite for old-school muscle even in a market increasingly dominated by EVs and SUVs.
“They’ve got a great following here in Australia, at a time where these sorts of vehicles are no longer made here,” Perryman adds.
The 2026 Canberra Ford Mustang Show will be held on Sunday, 8 February, from 10 am to 2:30 pm at Viking Park Erindale, 4 Amsinck Street, Wanniassa. Entry is free.
