Ford Enthusiast Nationals and Shelbyfest returns | Mid-Missouri News [Video]

JEFFERSON CITY — Rows of Mustangs lined High Street in downtown Jefferson City for the 17th annual Ford Enthusiast Nationals and Shelbyfest Rally on Saturday. The festival is a celebration of all things Ford as car owners gather to show off their rides and spend the day downtown.

Festival founder Kyle Caraway said that at first, Shelbyfest focused only on the Shelby brand but expanded to include Mustangs and all Fords. Shelby American is a Las Vegas-based company that manufactures specialized, high-performance editions of Ford vehicles.

The company is named after founder Caroll Shelby, the late Texas chicken farmer-turned-race car driver who helped Ford design the first high-performance Mustang — the Shelby Mustang GT350 — in 1965. 

Shelby attracts a loyal brand of followers, spawning clubs and events around the country dedicated to the company and its history. That includes Caraway, who said he “catapulted” into the world of Shelby after he …