We set our compass on south last week and headed for the Atlantic Ocean and Daytona Beach for the inaugural Mustangs At Daytona, or MAD for short. The event featured a week-long schedule that included a kick-off party, drag racing, a cruise to Kennedy Space Center, as well as a car show on Friday and Saturday. We were in town Friday and Saturday for the show in search of the coolest Mustangs in the Sunshine State, check out our top five below!
#5- Perfect Stance SN95
Often times, SN95 Mustangs are overlooked for the more popular Fox-body or for the more powerful New Edge. So much so that when we see a super clean SN95, it really grabs our attention. We first spotted William Grande’s SN95 cruising down A1A by the ocean on Thursday night, then got an up close and personal look on Friday at the show. Featuring a Cobra style front bumper, spoiler delete in the rear, and a deep set of Bullitt wheels, all with the body at just the right height, William’s SN95 is quite the looker!
Bruce Rossmeyer's Destination Daytona played host for the majority of the week's events. The large 35,000-square-foot pavilion provided shade from the Florida sun on Friday for car show participants, while newly opened Destination Croftgate provided the backdrop for the awards on Saturday. Initial plans called for the event to be held across town at Daytona International Speedway, but last minute contract woes prevented this from happening. Even with the last minute hurdle, the show staff adjusted nicely and made the best of what was available with the use of the gorgeous Destination Daytona.
#4- Richard Petty’s King Premier Mustang
Is it possible to have a top five from the home of NASCAR without mixing a little NASCAR in? While there were several killer Roush Mustangs in the show, it was this unique Petty’s Garage 2018 Mustang that really caught our eye. Belonging to Mickey Norris, this is the King Premier Edition featuring the famous Petty blue stripe down the hood. This car also has the signature of the King himself on the convertible styling bar. A NASCAR-inspired spoiler rounds out the look on the tail end. This car isn’t all looks though – an Edelbrock Supercharger pushes this 5.0-liter to an impressive 675 horsepower.
Croftgate front man Frankie DeFeo and Pattie Allen ceramic coat Mustangs At Daytona founder Jeff Dixon's 2014 Mustang during the event. Jeff and his staff took a big risk jumping head first into the deep end of the car show promotion world, hosting and creating a week-long event from scratch. There were a few bumps in the road along the way, but Jeff considers the inaugural event an overall success, and is already making plans for next year. From what we heard in the car show field, most everyone there planned on being back and seemed to have a great time at the inaugural event as well. The dates for the 2020 event have been set for July 13th to July 18th.
#3- “Retro-Bullitt”
Chuck and Renee Heath’s “Retro-Bullitt” drew quite a bit of attention at the show, taking home several awards. This 2008 Bullitt with a ton of 1st generation Bullitt styling makes for a very unique piece. The car was prototype number one for the company Retrobuilt Motors. It features a ton of custom 1968-inspired body parts including rear quarter panels, door skins, front fenders, front and rear fascia, hood, and custom-cut rear glass to recreate the iconic 1967-1968 fastback look. The 1968 chrome bumpers were cut and widened a total of four inches front and back to meet the much wider S197 body. Love it or hate it, the Heath’s certainly have a very cool and unique Mustang that will draw attention wherever they go and most likely bring home plenty more trophies!
While we get that the "retro" look on a modern Mustang is not for everyone, there is no denying the amount of hours and work that went into Chuck and Renee's Bullitt from the guys at Retrobuilt Motors. This is definitely a unique piece that demands a second and even third look when you walk by it!
#2- Clean White ’69 Mach 1
Number two on our list did not have to travel very far at all for the week’s festivities. Ruth Dean lives just down the street in Ormand Beach and is a member of the local Daytona Mustang club. But don’t let that short travel distance fool you, this classic 1969 Mustang Mach 1 is built for the road. Up front, a bored and stroked 408 cubic-inch Winsor topped with AFR 185 heads provide the power for this fastback. An AOD overdrive transmission and 3.50 geared Detroit Posi rearend keep the power tame and streetable for those long hauls. A set of 13-inch Baer front and rear disc brakes round out the drivetrain and slow the pony to a stop with ease.
An entire laundry list of modifications accompany this white 1969 Mach 1. Not a single inch of this car has gone untouched, however, nothing is too over the top. The owners kept it simple and improved on an already awesome classic that is the 1969 fastback Mustang. They've created one clean and tastefully modified machine that does the legend of the 1969 Mustang proud!
Before we get to our number one, we have to mention the overall Best of Show winner from Mustangs At Daytona: Lorenzo Boemi's gorgeous 1969 Mach 1 Cobra Jet. Fully restored by Kar Kraft in 2018, this Mustang is perfect in every way. No one was surprised when Lorenzo's name was called during the awards ceremony for Best Of Show, except perhaps for Lorenzo himself. He graciously accepted the award in his mother's memory, who had passed away the week before the show. Well done, Lorenzo, and congratulations on the big win!
#1- Doomstang
Nowadays, it seems like air-ride and crazy wraps are seemingly as popular as the Coyote engine itself. Air-ride provides the perfect stance while still providing exceptional handling. Vinyl wraps create unique looks that can be changed from one year to the next, or whenever the owner chooses. Our number one car from Daytona features both (and much more), creating one of the most wicked looking Mustangs we have seen in a long time.
This 2015 Ford Mustang, nicknamed “Doomstang” features a patina post-apocalyptic looking wrap, which makes the car look at least 100 years old. The air-ride sits the car nicely on its Axe Wheels, providing that perfect “show stance”. The Doomstang isn’t all show though! It’s equipped with factory Brembo brakes, a Roush cold air intake, and a Steeda strut tower brace just to name a few modifications. You can see more of this Mustang on Doomstang owner Ashley Peterson’s Instagram (@lady_5.0). Be sure to give her wicked Mustang a follow!
The coolest feature on the Doomstang is easily the artwork under the hood and on the back glass. #Mission22 is a non-profit organization that combats veteran suicide. According to its website (www.mission22.com), more than twenty veterans are lost to suicide every day here in America. A sad and alarming number! With organizations like Mission 22 and people like Doomstang owner Ashley Peterson spreading the word, hopefully these numbers will quickly start to decline!
