There’s no denying that summertime is cruising and car show season, and there are plenty of events to attend. Sometimes they can conflict with summer vacations, but a select group of Mustang enthusiasts got smart and combined the two. They created a summertime vacation destination that includes a variety of fun things to do with your Mustang, without skimping on quality family time, at a world-renowned beach resort.
Mustang Week was born several years ago, and the organizers have been working hard to make it bigger and better each year. Present economy notwithstanding, the 2010 event was a big success.
Mustang Week 2010 started out with a meet-and-greet at the local Planet Hollywood restaurant, but let us tell you, this was no ordinary get together. Hundreds of Mustang enthusiasts descended upon the parking lot in what would set the pace for the events the rest of the week.
The following day, the action kicked off with an afternoon of cone crushing and corner carving at Myrtle Beach Speedway, where the organizers set up a stout autocross--the staging lanes were three wide and 10-cars-deep per lane. While some dodged cones in a timed trial, others were making laps on the half-mile oval. Though the staff set up gates around the track to prevent attendees from going too fast, most could reach a pretty good speed and experience the banked track surface. The action culminated in a smoky burnout contest.
Part of the allure of Mustang...
Part of the allure of Mustang Week is the ability to enjoy the world-class beach with your family and friends.
Thursday started out at the local Hooters restaurant around noon, and by 2 p.m., it was off to Darlington Dragway. Hundreds of Mustangs attended the event, with most giving it a go on the quarter-mile. The event also attracted several manufacturers and performance companies, and a mobile chassis dyno was on hand in case you wanted to have your ride tuned before making some passes.
Friday’s festivities started early with the Mustang Week annual car showan event that attracts several hundred cars from all over the U.S. The Long Haul award went to Bernie and Grace Burl, who trekked from their home in Fountain Hills, Arizona, all the way to the East Coast Mustang Week destination in their Roush Mustang.
Myrtle Beach Speedway saw...
Myrtle Beach Speedway saw folks get the chance to twist and turn through some autocross cones, and turn some mild laps on the half-mile oval track.
Mustang Week concluded in a Saturday cruise-in, where the previous day’s car show awards were given out right before dinnertime. While Mustang Week predominately consists of late-model Mustangs, there is a growing contingent of classic Colts. We expect more classic Mustangs and Fords will attend in the future.
One of the best things is that each day’s events only take up half of the day, so you can experience some quality family time the rest of the day. That gives you half the day to take in the beach or other area attractions, and really make the most of this weeklong Mustang family vacation. For more information on next year’s event, visit www.mustangweek.com.
The show was well attended by Mustang enthusiasts as well as vendors such as Blow-By Racing, Lethal Performance, UPR Products, TMS Autosports, and many others. Kirk and Susan Rogers of Pro Tech Detail were on hand to offer on-site detailing services for those who’d rather hang by the beach than wax their rides.
Dustin Wagers of Greenville,...
Dustin Wagers of Greenville, South Carolina, and Haley McQueen drove to Mustang Week in Dustin’s ’05 S-281 Saleen Mustang. We caught up with them as they waited in line to run in the autocross portion of the event. When they aren’t enjoying Mustang Week, Dustin tells us he’s usually hitting the local eighth-mile drags in his hometown.
This guy is so good, he only...
This guy is so good, he only needs one hand to wheel his ride.
The Mustang Week action started...
The Mustang Week action started off at Myrtle Beach Speedway, where organizers had set up an autocross. While some enthusiasts were dodging the cones, others were taking a spin around the circle track.
The track personnel set up...
The track personnel set up gates around the circle track to prevent anyone from really turning a hard lap, but that didn’t stop people from speeding gate to gate.
Brad White, an electrical...
Brad White, an electrical engineering student at Clemson University and native of Rhode Island, drove his ’87 GT to Mustang Week. The Fox-body features an FRPP 302 crate engine with an E303 cam, hand-ported GT40X heads, a supercharger, and water/meth injection. Brad tells us he’s been able to achieve 30 mpg with his supercharged, 3.73-geared Mustang, and he plans to spread the good word to everyone on how he achieved it. We offered to put his methods to the test in the pages of MM&FF when he’s ready. Brad claims he found some tuning advantages within in the EEC-IV system that help.
As part of the 2010 Mustang...
As part of the 2010 Mustang Week festivities, Saleen Performance Vehicles debuted two Mustang Week commemorative editions of the 2011 Saleen S302 vehicle. The Saleen S302 is based on the 2011 Ford Mustang GT and builds on the Saleen tradition of offering limited-edition, high-performance vehicles.
Saleen Performance Vehicles...
Saleen Performance Vehicles also used Mustang Week to officially launch its 2010/2011 Saleen Speedlab parts catalog, and visitors to the Saleen Performance Vehicles display at Mustang Week had the opportunity to win two Saleen Speedlab certificates valued at $302.
Evolution Performance was...
Evolution Performance was one of a number of companies that attended Mustang Week. The sauna-like conditions at Darlington Dragway didn’t discourage Mustang Weekers from attacking the quarter-mile of pavement.
In addition to the track action...
In addition to the track action and large number of vendors on hand, there was also a portable chassis dyno available if you needed to do a little last minute tuning, or just wanted to see what your ride was made of.
Jason Rigney and his crew...
Jason Rigney and his crew were tearing up the strip in his ’93 Mustang, which features a Dart block 347 with an F303 cam, PBM Strikeforce cylinder heads, a truck lower intake and custom upper intake, and a PT88 turbocharger. The combination has produced a best e.t. of 9.12 seconds at 149 mph.
We ran into Stephen Snyder...
We ran into Stephen Snyder of Deltona, Florida, and his buddy Lewis Phillips Jr. in the staging lanes at the dragstrip. Snyder is in the military and was on leave during Mustang week. When Snyder is overseas, Phillips handles the modifications to the ’90 LX. The stock bottom end has been topped with a V-1 Vortech and GT40 heads, and the combination was tuned at LaMotta Performance with an SCT chip. The duo drove up from Florida, but Snyder was headed back to Afghanistan the next day, so he was packing in as much fun as he could during his Mustang Week adventure.
Daniel Turner of Greenville,...
Daniel Turner of Greenville, North Carolina, came to Mustang Week with his ’92 LX, his first car, which he still has some 15 years later. The Fox-body sports a 401 with twin 67mm turbochargers and has made 837 hp at 16 psi of boost. Daniel has been a Mustang Week attendee since 2002.
The Yellow Mustang Club was...
The Yellow Mustang Club was well represented.
The awards presentation on...
The awards presentation on Saturday was just as large as the Friday car show.
The crew from Piedmont Custom...
The crew from Piedmont Custom Motorsports of Raleigh brought out their toys as well. The vintage Cobra even got out on the oval track.
Jason Duggar’s former MM&FF...
Jason Duggar’s former MM&FF cover car, dubbed Coupri, visited the Mustang Week Cruise-In.
Looking like he took a page...
Looking like he took a page out of Jason Duggar’s design book, the owner of this triple-black Mustang showed off his ’83 notchback, which sported an ’82 GT front nose and FR500 wheels. The overall look is quite nice.