For this year's Mustangs Across America 45th Anniversary drive a 2010 Shelby GT500 coupe adorned in red, white and blue will be the pace car to lead the convoy of Mustangs headed from Las Vegas, NV to Birmingham, AL for the 45th anniversary Mustang celebration. Mustangs Across America begins it's cross country road trip on April 11th from Las Vegas and heads west through Arizona, then New Mexico and slides through Texas to Oklahoma before entering back into Texas. From Texas the hundreds of Mustangs head to Louisiana and then through Mississippi with their final destination on April 15th in Birmingham, AL. The 5-day cross country trip has attracted some 600 Mustangs from 40 states and 13 countries with every generation of Mustang represented.
The Mustangs Across America drive ends the day before the Mustang Club of America’s 45th Anniversary Ford Mustang celebration which takes place April 16-19 at Barber Motorsports park just outside Birmingham. The 45th anniversary celebration will be the biggest in history according to event organizers with some 2500 Mustang enthusiasts and their cars in attendance along with hundreds of thousands of spectators attending the event.
For more information on the Mustangs Across America 45th Anniversary drive check out the press release below along with a few photos of the pace car.
Press Release:
The Official Pace Car of the Mustangs Across America 45th Anniversary Drive will be a 2010 Ford Shelby GT-500. With 45 years of Ford Mustangs in tow, the red, white and blue 2010 Ford Shelby GT-500 pace car will lead a convoy of Mustang enthusiasts from Las Vegas, NV to the MCA Mustang 45th Anniversary Celebration Birmingham, AL from April 11-15, 2009.
Mustangs Across America is a cross country road trip celebration of America’s number one pony car that has garnered over 600 Mustangs from all over the world. Participants from over 40 states and 13 countries will participate in the five-day trek representing every generation of Mustang from 1964 ½ to 2010.
The 2010 Ford Shelby GT-500 will be the most powerful and prestigious pace ever for the Mustangs Across America event, given that few if any of them will have made it into customer’s hands at the time of the event. The sound of the 540hp supercharged 5.4 liter V8 and the flashy style of the 2010 Ford Shelby GT-500 is sure to draw a crowd everywhere it goes.
“We are proud to drive the top of the line steed from Ford and SVT”, says event coordinator Sam Haymart. “The 2010 Shelby GT-500 will surely get attention and represent the breed well as we drive through the heartland of America. It is only fitting that it is red, white, and blue.”
The 2010 Ford Shelby GT-500 in white with red stripes is sponsored by Ford Motor Company and SVT. For the Mustangs Across America drive, it features special blue striping that accentuates the new shape of the 2010 Ford Shelby GT-500, particularly across the rear quarters. On the door is the round Mustangs Across America 45th Anniversary Drive logo.
While colorful and catchy, this logo has made a bit of controversy in Mustang circles as the pony is said to be going the wrong direction. “Traditionally, the Mustang pony always rides right to left.” says Haymart, “But in our logo it goes left to right because the Mustangs are headed from the West to the East. We have had a number of people tell us we have it wrong and we just smile.”
The 2010 Ford Shelby GT-500 pace car will join a list of great cars that have paced past Mustangs Across America drives including a 1994 Mustang GT, 1996 Saleen S-281 Speedster, and a 2004 Roush Stage 3 Convertible.
The Mustangs Across America drive leaves Las Vegas, NV on April 11th and arrives in Birmingham on April 15th, just in time to celebrate with the Mustang Club of America’s big Mustang 45th Anniversary Bash which takes place April 16-19.
“We are proud to drive the top of the line steed from Ford and SVT”, says event coordinator Sam Haymart. “The 2010 Shelby GT-500 will surely get attention and represent the breed well as we drive through the heartland of America. It is only fitting that it is red, white, and blue.”
The 2010 Ford Shelby GT-500 in white with red stripes is sponsored by Ford Motor Company and SVT. For the Mustangs Across America drive, it features special blue striping that accentuates the new shape of the 2010 Ford Shelby GT-500, particularly across the rear quarters. On the door is the round Mustangs Across America 45th Anniversary Drive logo.
While colorful and catchy, this logo has made a bit of controversy in Mustang circles as the pony is said to be going the wrong direction. “Traditionally, the Mustang pony always rides right to left.” says Haymart, “But in our logo it goes left to right because the Mustangs are headed from the West to the East. We have had a number of people tell us we have it wrong and we just smile.”
The 2010 Ford Shelby GT-500 pace car will join a list of great cars that have paced past Mustangs Across America drives including a 1994 Mustang GT, 1996 Saleen S-281 Speedster, and a 2004 Roush Stage 3 Convertible.
The Mustangs Across America drive leaves Las Vegas, NV on April 11th and arrives in Birmingham on April 15th, just in time to celebrate with the Mustang Club of America’s big Mustang 45th Anniversary Bash which takes place April 16-19.