With a personal invitation from Ford, Indiana Wesleyan University senior Bradley Belcher attended the unveiling of the new Mustang on Sunday, Nov. 17 in Los Angeles, California.
The new product launch, an exclusive event for media and influencers, featured the newest Mustang model—Mustang Mach-E—and the history behind it. The car will not appear on showroom floors until late 2020.
“It was an honor to be invited to this event and have the opportunity to be on the front end of a product launch,” said Belcher, an Athletic Training major. “The Mustang family is an amazing group of people that I am proud to be a part of.”
Belcher was born into a family that is passionate about the Ford brand. He and his father, Michael, started restoring a 1965 Mustang Fastback GT when he was just 13 years old. When the car was finished four and a half years later, Belcher took it to his first Mustang Club of America (MCA) national show in Buffalo, New York, where he had the opportunity to make some impressive—and lasting—connections with Ford representatives.
As a result, Belcher has been invited to attend some memorable events, including Carlisle Ford Nationals and the Woodward Dream Cruise. In early November, he attended the 2019 Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) Show in Las Vegas where he had the chance to connect with his friend, Gary Patterson, president of Shelby American (a partner of Ford’s). At SEMA, Belcher witnessed the unveiling of Shelby’s new truck and saw an exclusive prescreening of the “Ford v Ferrari” movie.
Belcher is the founder of the Millennial Mustang Registry (MMR), a club designed to encourage more millennials to get involved in the car hobby. Founded in March of 2018, MMR currently has 381 members in 39 states, 7 countries and 3 continents.
Belcher plans to graduate from IWU in April of 2020.
“I am hopeful that I am able to find a way to blend both my passion for the Ford Mustang and my passion for athletic training together in whatever career path I am called to,” he said.