Meet 'N' Greet
According...
Meet 'N' Greet
According to the Mustang Week staff, more than 400 Mustangs and SVTs filled Planet Hollywood's parking lot for the official meet 'n' greet. People were obviously excited about the event, and we met readers from as far away as Florida and New York, so the event's central location obviously helps. This crowd formed to see the unveiling of a project car built as a tribute to Mustang Week staffer Bill Jones, who passed away last year. The car began as a well-worn '95 Mustang GT convertible, owned by Joel Gilchrist, a pastor who is heavily involved in Mustang Week. Joel spent time with Bill's family while he was in the hospital, and spoke at Bill's funeral.
Summer is a hectic season for us at 5.0&SF. From car shows to NMRA events, the calendar is stacked long and deep with potential events to attract our cameras. It's also a busy time for personal vacations, where we actually step away from the Mustang scene for a moment to remember what our families look like. How we've never made the effort to get out to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, for the annual Mustang Week event up until this point, I just don't know.
Certainly, a weeklong event requires a commitment, but it's unlike any other event we've ever attended. Mustang Week organizers take great care to balance the Mustang activities with time for family vacation fun. So you can bring your girl, your whole family, or just a bunch of friends and have plenty of time to goof off at the beach or sleep off a hangover before washing your 'Stang and heading to the next event.
Broadway at the Beach is a...
Broadway at the Beach is a popular spot in Myrtle Beach, and it served as the locale for an unofficial meet 'n' greet on Monday. For the Turner clan, it was a chance to stop into the Hard Rock Café and bolster Mrs. Turner's pin collection. Our '10 GT500 ride was quite an attraction on its own. The red stripes over white paint drew the attention of Mustang enthusiasts, and once they saw it was a new GT500, they always had nice things to say.
This sort of laid-back escapism is a nice change of pace, and with all the possible entertainment, dining, and relaxing opportunities in the Myrtle Beach area, it's an easy sell to convince your lady to sign off on a week's worth of Mustang activities. The Turner clan followed suit and packed up all our gear into a '10 GT500 to make the trek to Mustang Week for a week of fun. You'll see elsewhere in this issue that the car made the experience a lot of fun, but even in a V-6 rental it would have been a blast.
The first thing that struck us upon arriving in Myrtle Beach were the sights and sounds of Mustangs all around. If you're like me and your head turns any time you see a sweet 'Stang, it's hard to get that instinct under control when there are cool Mustangs on every street.
You'll have to bounce over...
You'll have to bounce over to Mustangweek.com to see the before photos of this car, but the crew at Mustang Week, spearheaded by Mike Clay, really turned a mule into a stallion for the Bill Jones Tribute Project. Joel's car started out as a black stocker and blossomed into a bright-orange head-turner thanks to the support and sponsorship of too many companies, clubs, and individuals to list here. The complete list is on the Mustang Week website, but a few of the highlights include paint and bodywork from Choice Collision and BASF; FR500-style wheels from American Muscle; a cold-air kit from JLT Performance; a lightbar from Classic Design Concepts; an audio system from Kicker; upholstery from TMI; a trunk mat from Grand Design Mat; and suspension gear and labor from Fastlane Performance. To say Joel was pleased would be an understatement. He even had Mike Clay sign the dash with "Mike Clay Edition #1."
You can tell that this is an event enthusiasts look forward to as soon as the previous one ends, as there are all manner of unofficial cruises and meet-ups within Mustang Week. It starts with a slow build of unofficial events on Monday, kicks into gear on Tuesday with the official Meet 'N' Greet, and thunders on through the cruise-in on Saturday, where every Mustang in town shows up for one last hurrah. From simple gatherings of old friends to Fox Mustang cruises, the enthusiasm at Mustang Week reminds you how much people love their Mustangs.
Our photos and captions just scratch the surface of the event, but they give you a good idea what it's all about. For a gallery of all our Mustang Week images, point your browser over to our website.
Fun Runs
Day two of Mustang...
Fun Runs
Day two of Mustang Week went from a passive cruise-in to an active event at Myrtle Beach Speedway. I couldn't help but stop and snap a shot of the GT500 before entering the track. Once inside, our sales guy Glen Castle actually talked me into taking her around the autocross. I'm glad I did-it was a blast. The GT500 and its AdvanceTrac Sport mode actually made me seem like a competent driver. While my fun was fleeting, I kept busy snapping shots of the autocross and racetrack fun runs around the oval. According to the Mustang Week crew, 188 cars participated in those events, while another 207 cars just chilled in the pits, and there were 980 spectators in the stands. It was crowded.
We've seen a supercharged...
We've seen a supercharged Lightning 5.4 in a Mustang a handful of times, but every time one appears, we do stop to look at it. The statuesque blower and inlet mean a hole in the hood is a requirement, but this clean New Edge's combo was taken up a notch with the flip-forward hood. The best part of the car is the note on the blower inlet that reads: "It's just a bolt-on."
Joel Gilchrist didn't waste...
Joel Gilchrist didn't waste any time enjoying his Mike Clay Edition #1 Bill Jones Tribute 'Stang. As excited as he was about the car, he didn't think the grin on his face could get bigger-until he got the car up to 70 mph on the oval track.
This Canary Yellow '93 Feature...
This Canary Yellow '93 Feature Mustang was once owned by rock icon Rick Derringer before he sold it on eBay back in 2004. A white or black interior, white or chrome Pony wheels, and numerous other appointments identify these cars. You can learn more than you'll ever need to know about these cars at Triplewhitefox.com.
Silverhorse Racing main man...
Silverhorse Racing main man Marcello Canitano was right at home on the autocross, and had a blast wheeling the company business card around the coned course. Not only did he enjoy showing off the capabilities of his Agent 47 suspension, but he was also afforded the opportunity to drive several other Mustangers around in their own cars, which let those people know just how capable their Ponies really can be with a seasoned driver behind the wheel. Of course, Marcello's real mission, aside from having fun, was moving some of his unique Mustang wares, including billet trim and the company's signature quarter-window louvers, which are now available for the '10 Mustang as well.
There were some sharp GT500s...
There were some sharp GT500s at Mustang Week, and Jim Lamb of Folkston, Georgia, wasn't shy about blasting his "Manowar" Shelby down the dragstrip. Jim's GT500 certainly packs a potent sting with a Kenne Bell Stage III blower setup, a Kook's exhaust, Magnaflow mufflers, a BMR suspension, and some sweet 20-inch True Forged Chicane wheels.