Kevin Musgrave (Victoria)

Kevin purchased his first Mustang while in the USA in 1972 – a 1967 Dark Moss Green Fastback – which was sent back to Melbourne together with some spare parts for it and in the container he slipped in some high performance engine parts that he knew he could sell. This was the start of his business venture and Boss Auto Parts.

The next Mustang in the stable was a 1970 Grabber Blue Boss 302 which won the Most Improved class at the MOCA VIC State Concours in 1975.

Some of his other cars owned included:
1970 Grabber Green Boss 429 – 1968 Red Shelby GT500 Fastback
1966 White/Blue Shelby GT350 Fastback.

It all started for Kevin in the early 1970’s when with Frank Thomson, Warwick Dowsley and Frank Hayes an ad was placed in the newspaper for interested Mustang owners to attend a meeting, and this resulted in a run being organised to Badger Creek Weir in Healesville in 1974.

As Kevin was a Flight Engineer with TAA (which was Australian Airlines and is now Qantas), he regularly had overnights in capital cities and would meet with Rod and Lorraine Kilvington each time in Adelaide over dinner and a red wine to catch up on happenings. Kevin was also a frequent visitor to Brisbane, Sydney and Perth, often meeting with Mustang enthusiasts to help kick start their State Clubs.

Whilst Kevin had some unique classics over the years, he didn’t enter Concours judging instead preferring to organise and judge at the events, always willing to offer assistance and any technical advice to anyone.

In 1984, Kevin was awarded Life Membership MOCA Victoria in recognition of his outstanding contribution to his beloved Club and the Mustang hobby in general.

His passion for the Mustang led to a successful business career, firstly with “Boss Auto Parts” and later, after his retirement as a TAA (now Qantas) Flight Engineer, with the well known “Mustang World”. He loved attending and judging the Mustang Concours events and as MOCA National President for many years, he enjoyed handing out awards and he kicked into overdrive when he donned his American jacket and conducted the auction of Mustang memorabilia on those Easter Concours weekends. He always seemed to be able to get friendly rivalry going between various State members, often resulting in somewhat higher prices for the items on offer than what they were worth.

An avid Shelby American Automobile Club (SAAC) member, Kevin was the first Australian to become a member of this Club. He attended many of their annual conventions in the US, receiving many “Pacific Long Distance Awards” dating back to Hersey, Pennsylvania in 1977.

One of his highlights when attending a convention was a ride around the Barber Motorsports Park race track near Birmingham Alabama in a Cobra driven by Carroll Shelby. However, he was a little hesitant about doing this at first as Carroll had not long beforehand undergone heart surgery.

He was a member of Mustang Club America since the mid 1970’s, attending conventions and assisted in judging on several occasions, and this was instrumental in enabling our affiliation with the USA.

When attending the 30th Mustang Nationals in Birmingham Alabama in 1994 with other Australian members, a NSW member handed one of our 30th Anniversary MOCA caps to Bill Clinton. A thank you letter dated 31 May 1994 was received from the White House signed by President Bill Clinton and addressed to MOCA, a momento that Kevin always cherished. In 1999, to celebrate the 35th Anniversary of the Mustang, Kevin imported and had converted to RHD a Red GT Convertible Mustang for the National Concours at Bendigo so that people had the earliest to the latest model Mustang on display for the event.

His smiling eyes and friendly demeanour were the first things you noticed about Kevin. He was always quick to lend a hand and his enthusiasm for Mustangs was contagious. A highly respected and well liked individual in both professional and private life, Kevin was a very private person with a unique and dry sense of humour. Kevin will be remembered as the founder of Mustanging in Australia and creating a legacy that we share today and for many years to come.

Kevin passed away on Friday 4 May 2007, aged 67 years and is survived by his wife Josie and son Andrew.

Kevin’s achievements:

Founder of the Mustang movement in Australia 1974
Founder of the Mustang Owners Club of Australia (Victoria) 1974
Inaugural MOCA VIC President 1974-75, 1980-1982
Inaugural MOCA President 1981-1998
MOCA VIC National Delegate 1981-2000
MOCA Head Judge Panel (VIC representative) 1983-2000
Life Member of the MOCA VIC 1984
Inaugural Shelby American Automobile Club (SAAC) representative for Australia
Instrumental in creating Concours rules for Australian Mustang members
Mustang Club America – Director Australia region

It was with great pleasure that the National Body welcomes Kevin Musgrave (VIC) as the 1st inductee into the Mustang Owners Club Australia Hall of Fame at the 2010 Mustang Nationals in Adelaide on Easter Sunday 4th April.