Rain could not stop these mustangs from revving their engines at the fifth annual Mustangs of Massachusetts car show.

The event was co-sponsored by Empire Ford of New Bedford and had over 20 cars turn out for the June 24 meet-up. In past years the event has had to increase venue size to accommodate more vehicles. This year, that was not necessary. 

Linda Ferreira, marketing director at Empire Ford who coordinated the event, explained that in the past the event had bad luck switching to the rain date. 

Two years ago, the forecasted weather misled the show’s organizers, causing them to push the show onto a rainy day, while the original date had unexpectedly clear skies. 

This year, the forecast was similar so, “we kept it on Saturday to avoid confusion,” Ferreira said. However, their calculations this year were misguided, as Sunday was clear while Saturday held steady showers. 

Ferreira was excited about the event despite the rain.

“It’s amazing that we have the turnout we have on a rainy day,” she said. 

The weather did stop Chet Westgate of Lakeville from bringing his Mustang. For some car enthusiasts, the efforts to undo the impacts of rain under the hood are not worth the inconvenience.

“Driving [and] parking in the rain is not a big deal,” Westgate said. “Once the rain stops, you can towel dry nice and clean, but when everything under the hood gets dirty that's a big deal. Detailing under the hood is very time-consuming, very involved.” 

Wayne Mullin from New Bedford brought a tent to cover the hood of his 2011 GT Mustang. This was his first year attending and he came to show off his car and talk with other gearheads. 

“I came to check out everyone's cars and talk with people who are enthusiasts,” said Mullin.

This was the first year the car show was open to all makes and models, but most cars in the show were still mustangs.