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2009 Mustang Week - Marque WeekA Whole Week Dedicated To Our Favorite Pony Car, And We Finally Joined The Party From the January, 2010 issue of 5.0 Mustang & Super Fords
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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.  Closing out the evening at...  Closing out the evening at the speedway was the popular burnout contest. Much to the delight of the crowd, this quickly transformed from a simple static burnout contest into an amateur fusion of John Force burnouts and Vaughn Gittin Jr. drifting.  Drag Night
Local horsepower...  Drag Night
Local horsepower heroes Fastlane Performance had plenty of cars represented at Mustang Week. Caleb Skinner wowed the drag-night crowd in his 8-second '95 Saleen. The flamed racer features a 360ci Dart block, Edelbrock Super Victor intake, Twisted Wedge heads, a Garrett 98mm turbo, and more. Caleb seemed to be one of the few drivers with a big-power car to get a handle on the starting line at Darlington Dragway.  This blacked out New Edge...  This blacked out New Edge featured Roush bodywork and wheels, and its driver was obviously experienced, as he drifted around the autocross. Apparently that NASA sticker on the window wasn't just for decoration  Drag night was a big success,...  Drag night was a big success, with 189 cars making runs down the track and 1,400 spectators soaking in the action in test 'n' tune, Street Car (Naturally Aspirated), Street Car (Power Adder), Weekend Warrior, and All-Out classes. A familiar face in the Weekend Warrior class was King of the Street alum Alan Hurley in his twin-turbo, Three-Valve S197, which features a billet-bolstered 281ci short-block, Fastlane Stage 3 ported heads, twin 67mm turbos, and a Logan intake. It puts down more than 800 hp to the rear wheels.  Car Show
Rolling into the...  Car Show
Rolling into the Colonial Mall parking lot on Friday morning, I was blown away by the Mustangs filling the show field and crowding the rest of the parking lot for unsuspecting mall shoppers. According to the Mustang Week staff, the show was a sellout at 600 cars and 500 additional Mustangs on the property. All told, they said there were 5,000 people participating in and checking out the show. After perusing the massive row of 40-plus vendors, the first "car" that stopped me in my tracks was this '79 Pace Car pedal car. I've never seen one of these. Owner Bill Puck says he has a matching full-size Pace Car back home in Colorado.  I first spied this clean '87...  I first spied this clean '87 GT with T-tops in the hotel parking lot. Boy, did it make me yearn for the Fox 500. Jason Froelich's ride is mildly modified, but the mods are tasteful, the presentation is clean, and it has T-tops! All that was enough for Jason to take home an Award of Excellence from the show.  Trisha Newberry's son is pretty...  Trisha Newberry's son is pretty lucky. Not only does his mom have a sweet '05 GT, but he won this Cervini's Power Wheels, which looks a lot like mom's ride. I sure hope mom shared her Award of Excellence, because I bet the sweet Power Wheels helped the cause.  Pure Power Motorsports showed...  Pure Power Motorsports showed off its Signature Editions commemorating Super Stock drag racing legends Hubert Platt and Randy Payne. These wild rides are powered by either a twin-turbo 4.6 or a monstrous, old-school FE big-block. PPM has big plans for these cars-to build at least 70 of these tribute cars, as the first 70 will be painted Vista Blue with "The Going Thing" stripes. You can learn more about these Shadrachmustang.com.  Most true-blue Mustang fans...  Most true-blue Mustang fans love Ford's Special Vehicle Team, but to have the outfit's logo tattooed on the back of your neck shows the sort of dedication that most car companies can only dream of.  Carrying off the convincing...  Carrying off the convincing visage of a GT500KR, Robert Orzescu's '06 GT looked sweet in red with the black Saleen-style wheels. The hood was down, so we assume Robert's car sports a stock or mildly modified drivetrain, but his appearance mods are slick.  I don't have the patience...  I don't have the patience to maintain a black car, but they sure look great when they are clean. Brad Wilson's '91 LX coupe turns heads with the contrast of chrome GT500-style wheels against an all-black background. The 5.0 engine is augmented with a Trick Flow Street intake and a Paxton Novi 2000 supercharger.  IPut a Sharpie in Steve Saleen's...  IPut a Sharpie in Steve Saleen's hand, sit him behind a table at a Mustang show, and a long line will form. Such was the case at Mustang Week, where Steve was on hand to promote SMS Supercars, including the company's new supercharger system for S197 Mustangs.  I first spotted Tarren Row's...  I first spotted Tarren Row's '03 Cobra at the Planet Hollywood Meet 'N' Greet. It was the sweet two-tone paint scheme that caught my eye. The paint obviously grabbed the attention of Mustang Week judges, as they presented Tarren with the Best Paint trophy. Not just a pretty face, however, Tarren's Terminator puts down 463 hp and 513 lb-ft of torque to the feet thanks to an array of mods, including a 2.76-inch blower pulley, JLT cold-air intake, a Magnaflow after-cat, and an SCT tune. It must handle well too, as it wears quite the complement of Maximum Motorsports suspension gear.  Cruise-In
For Fox Mustang...  Cruise-In
For Fox Mustang fans, a highlight of Mustang Week was the pre-cruise-in cruise put together by the Southeastern Fox Bodies (southeasternfoxbodies.com) website/club. More than 96 '79-'93 Mustangs met up at Planet Hollywood and after a short get-together, they lined up and cruised over to the Colonial Mall for the official Cruise-In. Just seeing that many Foxes in one place made my day, but seeing them all rolling down the road was mind-blowing.  5.0 Showcase alum Robby Miller's...  5.0 Showcase alum Robby Miller's '91 LX coupe looked especially sweet rolling down the road on 17-inch Pro Star XPs. He made sure to note that KJ's coupe wasn't the only Fox rolling on these rare hoops. Robby was one of many friendly Mustang fans who read 5.0&SF and made us feel welcome all week long. Thanks to Robby and all the nice folks that I spoke to in Myrtle Beach!  Co-founder and site administrator...  Co-founder and site administrator of Southeastern Fox Bodies, C. Scott "Bones" Willbanks was my friendly host for the Fox Cruise. I rode in Bones' T-top GT and snapped shots of the cruise. (Sorry for standing on your seat!) Bones and his crew were enjoying every minute of Mustang Week, and really embodied the spirit of the event. Thanks for the hospitality, Bones. I can't wait to see how many Foxes show up next year.  Though it was largely the...  Though it was largely the same group that attended the car show, Saturday's Cruise-In was open to everyone, so it was more freeform and huge. According to the Mustang Week crew, more than 2,000 cars and nearly 7,500 people packed into the mall parking lots. One car that stood out amongst the fray at the Cruise-In was this Level 1 Pre-Production Prototype. It's essentially a '95 Cobra R that Ford retrofit with a Four-Valve modular drivetrain and suspension from the then-forthcoming '96 Cobra for testing purposes. These prototypes are supposed to be destroyed, but somehow this one made it out of captivity.  As I was walking by, Mike...  As I was walking by, Mike Sistare's '07 Holman-Moody GT jumped out because of its Three-Valve engine. At first I thought it was a nice vintage Mustang with a modular engine swap. Instead it was a nice S197 with a vintage Mustang nose job. Built as a Holman-Moody tribute car, the supercharged stallion was tuned up by our friends over at Car FX in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Mike's car also took home an Award of Excellence.
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