No joke, this line for Mustang...
No joke, this line for Mustang Week T-shirts and other merchandise persisted for over two hours. You know the event is good and the brand equity is strong when attendees will wait that long just to wear your logo on their person.
Mustang Week officials didn't waste any time picking dates for their 10th anniversary event in 2011. If you're a regular, you know it's gonna be good. If you've never been, 2011 is a good time to start. Mark your calendars for July 18-24, 2011.
If you are reading this magazine, there's no doubt you're a lover of high-performance Mustangs. It's likely your ears are tuned to pick out a rumbling 'Stang exhaust from a mile away, and you can probably even name the brand by the tone. You've been walking along and stopped in your tracks to pinpoint the source of the sound. Like a pretty girl will draw our eyes, a Mustang will command all of our senses.
Imagine if that was the whole point of your vacation-that's what Mustang Week is all about. For five days, Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, becomes Mustang beach. Wherever you turn, Mustangs are rolling down the road, pulling away from stoplights, and pulling into local businesses. It's truly a magical thing for fans of these cars.
This year's Planet Hollywood...
This year's Planet Hollywood Meet 'N' Greet was out of this world. Last year was big, but the '10 edition was swamped with people and cars. The pavement was sizzling, but it didn't deter the faithful from coming out in droves.
Of course, the influx of Mustangs is only one aspect of the series of events included in Mustang Week. Things get underway officially at the Planet Holly-wood on Tuesday, but informal cruises, and meet-ups begin as soon as Monday.
Wednesday takes the action to Myrtle Beach Speedway for fun runs around the track, an autocross, and a burnout contest. Thursday there's a meet-up at Hooters and a caravan out to Darlingon Drag Strip for some quarter-mile action.
The crown jewel is the judged car show on Friday at Myrtle Beach mall, and everything winds down with a free-form cruise-in on Saturday that simply takes over the parking lot.
This coupe is the proverbial...
This coupe is the proverbial one that got away. I spied the car at Planet Hollywood, but the owner was nowhere in sight. I thought sure I'd catch up with the car at a later event, but it wasn't in the cards. Obviously a nicely modded Fox with an eye-catching paint scheme, this car has the attributes that will always turn my head. However, it was the fusion of a classic Fox with the American Racing Shelby Razors designed for S197s that really grabbed my attention. Nice ride.
Putting the show into numbers is tough, as the car show is limited to just 650 cars, but 190 cars tech'd in at the drag night and 220 checked in at the speedway; both venues reported over 1,500 people there to check out the action. Likewise, during the car show, the turnstiles at the Bass Pro Shops nearest the show doubled in traffic on Friday and came close to doubling on Saturday during the Cruise-In, where 13,245 people moved through. In short, a lot of people came to check out Mustang Week, and we can see why.
If you love Mustangs and you haven't been, then you need to put this one on your bucket list. We'll be there next year, but for now, get a glimpse of the scene from our photos.
My Ride
After electing to fly into Myrtle Beach for the big show this year, I needed something to drive around in while I was there. I couldn't think of a better car to attend Mustang Week in this year than an '11 Mustang GT with the new 5.0. As fate would have it, I actually managed to borrow one from Ford for the week, and boy was that a mistake...
It was a huge mistake, because it reminded me just how badly I want one of these cars. Fresh out of appreciating just how good the '11 V-6 is, I was back behind the wheel of a new 5.0, and I immediately started jonesing for one of these as a daily driver. It is smooth, quiet, and thunders all the way up to the rev limiter. My only true complaint about the car is that pesky skip-shift feature. Boy is that annoying.
Having smooth Coyote power bolted into a quiet chassis and topped off with electronic goodies makes for likely the best stock Mustang yet. Sure it would be easy to go crazy with mods, but it would be just as easy for me to make a few select mods and love the car every day.
In short, just like I told Tech Editor Jones before he drove one, don't drive an '11 if you don't have the means to get one-as soon as you drive it, you'll want one.
Silverhorse Racing main man...
Silverhorse Racing main man Marcello Canitano rolled into Mustang Week in his company's latest project 'Stang, the Twisted Six. A '10 six-banger, this car serves as the testbed for the company's products, including its famous flush-mount quarter-window louvers and billet gear. The latest part in the company roster is a new capless-refueling-compliant Tru-Billet aluminum fuel door for '10-and-up 'Stangs.
Another sweet product seen...
Another sweet product seen at Mustang Week was The Tank from Mello Heinemann Racing (m-hracing.com). From the creative minds of Bill Mello and Jake Heinemann, The Tank makes the GT500's separate coolant and intercooler reservoirs appear as one sleek, clean tank. It is actually two tanks that share the same top plate, but with enough gap between the two to mitigate any heat transfer. Combined with an aftermarket radiator support cover like the Bangastang unit in the photo, The Tank really classes up a GT500 engine compartment. PVT is aching for one of these.
One brave soul brought his...
One brave soul brought his four-banger Fox in flat black and provided some sidewalk chalk for crowd-sourced customization. The results ranged from advertising to graffiti, but it was a crowd pleaser. Better yet, the car washed clean and was ready for a new round of customization the next day.