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Super 'Stang Fest 2007 - Sea HorsesWe Check In As 377 'Stangs Converge On Daytona Beach, Florida, For Days Of Fun In The Sun From the November, 2007 issue of 5.0 Mustang & Super Fords All contributors: Steve Turner
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Hot fun in the summer! Super... Hot fun in the summer! Super 'Stang Fest attracted close to 4,500 spectators and participants throughout its nearly weeklong string of events held June 5-9, 2007, in Daytona Beach, Florida. This group of lovelies participated in the Miss Super 'Stang Fest bikini contest held at Ocean Deck right on Daytona Beach, Florida. The cars next to the girls are from Blow-By Racing (left) and Full Throttle Kustomz (right). Horse Sense: Super 'Stang Fest's Corporate Director Jason Miles was quick to tell us that this inaugural event was never intended as a one-off flash in the pan. He and his crew are already cooking up plans for SSF '08. We'll let you know as soon as we know, but you can always check out www.superstangfest.com. Given our Florida locale, we were intrigued when we heard about a new event called Super 'Stang Fest taking place in Daytona Beach, Florida. While its proximity to our Tampa offices makes it a natural for us to check out, what's most interesting is this event was more than just a car show. Car shows are fun in short bursts, but we enjoy something more dynamic. They're even better when combined with other activities. A show combined with activities was just what Jason and Debbie Miles had in mind when they hatched the plan to create Super 'Stang Fest. Beginning Tuesday, June 5, with a family go-cart night, Super 'Stang Fest stretched until Saturday, June 9, with several events geared toward balancing a Mustang outing with a family vacation. On Wednesday, the crowd caravanned to Sea World, but drag night was rained out. We made it in time for the get-together at Hooters where 105 Mustangs filled the parking lot for a warm-up. Thursday included a cruise-in to Daytona USA, but that had to be rescheduled due to the passing of NASCAR's Bill France Jr. Rescheduled for Friday morning, the Daytona USA cruise-in included a day's worth of activities, including a cruise down Daytona Beach, a post-beach car wash for the 67 participants, then closing with a bikini contest. All this lead to the big show inside Daytona International Speedway, which attracted 377 show 'Stangs and another 55 display-only cars, as well as 25 sponsor display 'Stangs. All totaled, there were more than 450 show cars to ogle and a robust manufacturers' midway to check out parts. The only challenge was surviving the oppressive Florida heat long enough to see everything.  John Temple of Temple Performance...  John Temple of Temple Performance Cars showed off his latest Legend Mustang (www.legendmustangs.com) at Hooters. Packing more than 550 hp, this Series 1 Legend Mustang wears a full Legend body kit and Carroll Shelby CS69 wheels, while a Kenne Bell supercharger pumps up a 5.0 stroker underhood. With 4.10 gears and a six-speed in the tunnel, this car should be a blast, and the full Bassani Xhaust will announce your presence with authority.  We arrived in time to soak...  We arrived in time to soak in the sights and sounds of the Hooters get-together Thursday night. The restaurant is located right across from Daytona International Speedway and played host to more than 100 Mustangs of all descriptions. Holding court in the first parking spot is a white Roush owned by SSF's main man Jason Miles.  Only the second time we've...  Only the second time we've run across a Saleen-Parnelli Jones in the wild, this PJ at the Hooters GTG reminded us how good these things look in person. This car is really cool-if you've only seen the pictures, you didn't get a full appreciation. It's probably too late to grab one of these new, but you can score one of the similarly styled Heritage editions.  Mach 1s are cool, but lately...  Mach 1s are cool, but lately we've seen a few cars that combine the best of both worlds. Brian Benefield's Mineral Gray Mach is one such retro 'Stang that now wears a Terminator nose. This styling homerun is a result of a truck ripping the stock nose off his Mach. The car looks great and sports a JLT induction system, Ford Racing Performance Parts short-tube headers, a Magnaflow after-cat, and pleny of MGW bling. Brian is the proud cofounder of Xtreme Fords of Atlanta (www.xfoa.net).  Since our in-house auteur...  Since our in-house auteur Patrick Hill was busy washing his purple Camaro, we had to take up the task of grabbing a few shots of Hooters girls posing with Mustangs. It looks as though the lovely ladies of Hooters have posed with one or two cars before.  At the Daytona USA cruise-in,...  At the Daytona USA cruise-in, we spotted this wild '96 Cobra featuring paint by Kingpin Customs, so it really stands out in the crowd. SN-95s don't often get the flashy paint jobs, but Greg Rape-that's really his last name-digs his snake. It currently gets a boost from a Novi 1000 supercharger, just like Edtior Turner's old '98 Cobra.  The crew from Granatelli Motorsports...  The crew from Granatelli Motorsports made the trip from California to SSF, and they did it in style by renting a Shelby GT-H. Driving on the beach doesn't happen in California, so the beach cruise was one to remember for the boys.  To make it easier for Mustang...  To make it easier for Mustang owners to take their precious rides on the beach, a sponsored car wash allowed them to clean off their cars before heading to Ocean Deck for the bikini contest.  After a hard-fought competition,...  After a hard-fought competition, the lovely winner took home the big bikini contest cash put up by Blow-by Racing (www.blowbyracing.com) main man Chris Douglas.  The Full Throttle Kustomz...  The Full Throttle Kustomz (www.ftkustomz.com) bright orange, twin-turbo S197 was a a magnet at every step of SSF. Ray McClelland of FTK says the car lays down 1,200 hp at the tires, but they're still working on the tuning.  The car was a magnet for magazine...  The car was a magnet for magazine guys, too, so you can look forward to seeing more of it on these pages.  Flying the Shelby flag high...  Flying the Shelby flag high on the midway at Daytona International Speedway was Tampa Bay Shelby (www.tampabayshelby.com), an authorized Shelby dealer from Pinellas Park, Florida. Its Grabber Orange offer really caught our eye, but beyond the color the car was sporting a Paxton supercharger, several Shelby stylings, and those drop-dead-gorgeous CS69s from Carroll Shelby wheels. Did we mention how much we love these wheels on the new Mustang?  VMP Tuning (www.vmptuning.com),...  VMP Tuning (www.vmptuning.com), home of 5.0&SF Babe of the Year Rebecca Starkey, was on hand with its portable Dynojet. There's nothing quite like the sound of a car screaming on the dyno to liven up a car show. We're fairly sure several people had "that can't be right" moments with the dyno numbers, as the oppressive Florida midday heat and humidity can tame even the most powerful combination.  Squaring off like rivals in...  Squaring off like rivals in West Side Story, the contingents from the Black Mustang Club (www.bmcforums.com) and the Yellow Mustang Registry (www.yellowmustangregistry.com) had strong showings inside the speedway.  We have to give the edge to...  We have to give the edge to BMC for this round of the competition, as they brought a club-logo'd trailer. We're sure the battle isn't over yet.  We had to keep from drooling...  We had to keep from drooling on Fox Mustang Restoration (www.foxmustangrestoration.com) main man Matt Highley's drop-dead-stock '85 Mustang GT with T-tops. Sure the wheels aren't stock, but Matt says he's getting the stock wheels and tires from the car's previous owner. Describing this clean hatch as his dream car, Matt is out there fighting the good fight to get more Foxes back into shape through his business.  Speaking of clean Foxes, we...  Speaking of clean Foxes, we really dug Chris Crescenzo's '93 GT. While the car still has the stock engine, Chris proudly told us he added all the bolt-ons himself. They include a Cobra intake, Paxton supercharger, Cobra brakes, Hotchkis control arms, Dugan/Trick 1 sway bars, and Koni dampers. Chris' speed hobby of choice is road racing, and the Georgia resident gets his kicks taking this sweet Fox to 130 mph on the big straight at Road Atlanta.
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