Earlier last month, the Los Angeles Shelby American Automobile Club (LASAAC) held its 12th Annual Tony Sousa Memorial car show on the spectacular Santa Monica Pier, which is clearly one of the most picturesque places in all of California. Tony was a much-liked and active member of LASAAC for many years, and was also a Los Angeles County Deputy District Attorney before his untimely passing in early 2005.

Started in the later part of that year, the Tony Sousa Memorial has become LASAAC’s leading annual occasion due in part to its local, and also because it’s a perfectly-sized event that’s not too big or too small. But the main draw is, of course, the cars and this being the 50th anniversary of the 1966 GT350H Hertz rental cars added further significance to the 2016 gathering. This was marked by the show organizers having Hertz bring a ’16 Shelby GT-H to the show.

The view from above on show morning was something to behold as all the cars were in place and the strolling could commence on the beautiful Santa Monica pier. As you can see, there were plenty of vintage cars in the foreground with a good smattering of late-model Mustangs and Shelbys in the background.

One aspect we really like about LASAAC is its willingness to include other Ford cars at its show and in its club mix. You don’t have to own a Shelby to be a club member. As the show flyer says, the Tony Sousa Memorial is, “for Shelby models, Cobras, Mustangs and other Ford-powered and Shelby-inspired cars.”

Our friend Mike Stewart owns this nearly-new 2007 Shelby GT. Mike is fan of both vintage and late-model Mustangs and Shelbys and in addition to this super-sano Vista Blue GT, his daily driver is a Torch Red 2006 Mustang GT. For the vintage side, Mike has a minty fresh 1970 Shelby GT500. With factory A/C and the requisite 428 Cobra Jet engine, it’s a looker with its original Calypso Coral finish.

And that’s for sure, as more than 20 classes are in the mix for the show, including several classes for late-model and vintage Shelby Mustangs and Cobras as well as several for Mustangs and a Special Interest class which allows for all kinds of other vintage Ford cars such as Falcon, Fairlane, Galaxie and Mercury equivalents.

In addition to those all-conquering ’13-’14 Shelby GT500s, there were also all the best of the current S197 and S550 Coyote 5.0s and Shelbys in attendance. That included at least two S550 GT350s and a few S197 Coyotes.

This Ford GT is owned by Camilo Pardo.

We have been attending this event for the better part of a decade and it always has great cars, great people and a beyond-great location. It’s a show definitely worth attending for any late-model or vintage Shelby/Mustang/Ford enthusiast. For club information and future show dates check out the club’s webpage here – and check out the photo gallery for a tasty sample of late-model Shelbys and Mustangs.

Former LASAAC Club president Randy Richardson owns this ’12 Boss 302 and it’s a regular presence at LASAAC open-track events at Willow Springs International Raceway. It has seen more than its fair share of hot laps on both the big track and the twisty turns of the tight Streets of Willow short course. Though not Shelbys, both late-model (’12-’13) and vintage (’69-’70) Boss 302 Mustangs are warmly welcomed in the LASAAC club fold.