The Mustang faithful have been flocking to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina for decades. With the exception of the past two years, the event has been on a gradual growth scale. What started out as a few families enjoying their summer vacation at “the beach,” has grown into an all-encompassing, all-day-and-most-of-the-night event for thousands of Mustang enthusiasts.
Trying to pinpoint exactly where Mustang Week occurs becomes much more difficult once you zoom in past the Myrtle Beach/Murrell’s Inlet city limits. Everywhere you look, Mustangs dot the highways and parking lots. Save for a few timed congregation points, the bulk of attendees are as fluid as the nearby tide.
As the name denotes, Myrtle Beach’s entire week of September 6-11, 2021 was dipped deep in Mustang mania. Some enthusiasts were early-goers, while others filled in the latter part of the week. Some diehards determined to use every available day to celebrate with their Pony brethren.
Starting with Monday, the Steeda Kickoff Party at the Hard Rock Café welcomed everyone to the event. On Tuesday, starting at 10 am, there was a Meet ‘n Greet at Broadway at the Beach, presented by CroftgateUSA.
And, on the third day, event-goers were welcomed with warm coffee in mugs supplied by Stiffler’s at the newest event in the event schedule – Mustangs & Coffee at the convention center. One of the Mustang Week venues has been lost to the land developers and Myrtle Beach Speedway was no longer available to use. Instead, attendees with a knack for sawing a steering wheel could empty their angst during the BF Goodrich Autocross School. Of course, a lot of the action lands outside of the scheduled activities, and venues such as Suck, Bang, Blow kept attendees well-lubricated throughout the evening.
Thursday saw activities begin to really ramp up and many enthusiasts fired their Mustangs early to try and be part of a record-setting run of Ponies doing a parade lap. Vaughn Gittin Jr. led the group, and sadly, even though enough Mustangs were registered to capture the title, we’d bet too many of their owners were nursing heavy heads to be in attendance, and the record eluded the group’s grasp. Thanks go out to the over 600 Mustangs that did show up in the valiant attempt. Another damp cloth over the event occurred as the rains caused the UPR Products’ Test ‘N Tune at Darlington Dragway to be canceled by the track, early on Thursday morning.
The event really starts to wind up as the weekend gets closer. The rains were long gone by Friday and the CJ Pony Parts car show took over the convention center with over 1,200 Mustangs and vendor stands filling the parking lot and convention center for parts, information, and camaraderie.
Saturday is the pinnacle of the event and the Fox Mustang Restoration’s Fox Body Cruise led a group of over 100 Fox-bodied Mustangs to the convention center under police escort by Myrtle Beach’s finest. The Mustang Week Cruise-In at the Myrtle Beach convention center, presented by Saleen is the East Coast’s largest Mustang and SVT cruise-in. While Friday’s show has a lot of Mustangs, the Saleen cruise-in fills the place to overflowing.
Of course, all things must come to a close, and soon, the only thing left to do was issue the awards. This year the Ringbrothers’ Carbon Fiber 1965 Mustang – Blizzard – took home the Best of Show award, and rightly so.
Plans are already being made for Mustang Week 2022, and you can get the latest, most up-to-date information at www.MustangWeek.com. Mark your calendars and plan to get in on some, or all of the fun!