MUSTANGMANIA INVADES FINLAND 1ST ATTEMPT
The First Mustangmania’s Invasion to FInland, Exploring local cruise nites, getting used to cold, and getting a free knife and a 27 euro debt.
Being an Export Manager, with partners all over Europe, helped me a lot to visit different countries. I always dreamed about how Finland could be, and i had the privilege to drive it all around, and meet some amazing people.
The scandinavian countries have a very tight link to American cars, from the early 70s. Driving around in some cities looks like you are in USA.
Due to high taxation the most common american cars are vintage ones.
Eeverybody always told me that Scandinavian people are extremely cold. Well’let me say it is one of the biggest bullshit ever.
I wrote to the Ford Mustang Owners Club two days before I left Italy.
Teppo Inkinen, the Owner of Tuumacid Oy and the director of the Corral, the Magazine of the Ford Mustang Owners Club of Finland (at that time), quickly replied to me. His Garage, Halfway Between Helsinki and Tampere, in RIIHIMÄKI, became a fundamental stop for my other trips to Finland!
He warmly welcomed me in his shop. Vintage cars, engine and cool stuff, basically placed everywhere. Some lovely cars sat also outside. My eyes directly felt in love for his GT350 replica: a true Beast, with 450 hp and a 5 speed manual transmission.
After a mutual gift exchange, he said: ” Tonight we will have the local cruise night. Leave your car here, we will stop at my house, i will show you my other cars, and we will drive to the meeting point. It is pretty cold tonight, but few of us will still meet.”
The Cruise night location: a gas station just a little bit outside the city. The weather was extremely cold, but the passion who linked this people was very close. 10 cars showned up with this freezing wind. We ended up our night out with few beers and a nice discussion argument: The Foxbosy Mustangs. I met not a lot of people that loved foxbody in Europe more than Teppo (except me, of course). I left him with a promise: “I’ll Be Back”. I felt like Arnold in Terminator 2. and i kept my promise, as he has done!
