The epic cross-country road trip which starts in Los Angeles, CA on April 10th, 2014 will include Mustangs of all generations from all over the United States and several foreign countries. The seven day drive will grow larger each day as the Mustangs stampede to the huge once in a life time 50th Anniversary Mustang car show.
“With the Mustang turning 50 years old, excitement is higher than ever”, says MAA event coordinator Sam Haymart. “We had over 600 cars on our 45th Anniversary drive in 2009 and we expect this event could see even more as people want to be a part of the Mustang’s 50th Birthday Celebration”.
The planned road trip takes seven days from the west coast to North Carolina, taking a southern route through Phoenix, AZ, Midland, TX, Dallas, TX, Jackson, MS, and Atlanta, GA. Mustangs Across America is working to plan several daily stops and activities along the drive to make it live up to the reputation of being “The Mustang Drive Of A Lifetime”.
Each day on the planned routes averages approximately 350-375 miles and includes lunch stops and optional tour sidings. Local clubs and organizations help to plan various events and opportunities along the way to make each day special.
Registration opened in February for the MAA 50th Anniversary Drive. The entry fee is $99.99 and includes a full packet of exclusive items including a commemorative coin, printed travel guide outlining the travel routes and schedule, and a number of other goodies.
The MAA 50th Anniversary Drive chose the MCA 50th Birthday Celebration in Charlotte, NC as their premier destination for 2014 as it will likely be the largest and most memorable Mustang show in history. The Mustang Club of America is hosting the MCA 50th Birthday Celebration.
In April of 2014, the Ford Mustang celebrates its 50th birthday in what will be the biggest automotive celebration America has ever seen. Leading up to this event, a cross country tour of Mustangs will bring enthusiasts from all over the world in an epic American journey from Los Angeles, CA to Charlotte, NC to help celebrate this milestone.
Mustangs Across America announces their 50th Anniversary Drive which will take place on April 10-16, 2014. The cross-country driving event will arrive in Charlotte, NC just in time for the Mustang 50th Birthday Celebration hosted by Mustang Club of America at Charlotte Motor Speedway, which itself takes place April 17-20, 2014.
The Mustangs Across America event takes place every five years in conjunction with the big Mustang anniversary celebrations and has become a hollowed tradition among Ford Mustang enthusiasts from all fifty states and several countries. The road trip adventure will take seven scenic days touring the American Southwest, Texas oil country, and the deep South on its way to Charlotte.
The tour is open to all Mustangs from 1964 ½ to present and is planned out in segments that average 350 miles per day. With a leisurely pace, the days will offer various optional tours and stops to sight-see at places like the Permian Basin Petroleum Museum in Midland, TX, the Sixth Floor JFK Museum in Dallas, and the Vicksburg Military Park in Mississippi just to name a few.
“For the Mustangs Across America 50th Anniversary Drive we are excited to bring something new”, says event coordinator Sam Haymart. “The optional day tours allow people to take in some quality sight seeing along the way. It adds to the romance of Mustangs parading across our beautiful country together”.
Participants will meet each morning for a short driver’s meeting and will enjoy a planned route that features lunch stops and rest stops in addition to available tour options. Each night is set up with discounted hotel rates for registered participants as well.
Participants can travel at their own pace and have the freedom to choose their own schedule. While there are planned stops, tours and events people are not beholden to the schedule and make take their own stops and side trips as they wish.
Those who wish to follow the itinerary close will enjoy that it allows time to relax instead of driving at full speed to reach milestones on time. The itinerary stops and tours are based on an average speed of 60 mph which is well below posted speed limits, allowing for an occasional stop to relax or check out tourist traps and still make it on time.
The event will leave Los Angeles, CA on Thursday, April 10th, 2014 and travel to Phoenix, AZ. The route then goes to Las Cruces, NM via Interstate 10 on the 11th, Midland, TX on the 12th , and Dallas, TX on the 13th of April. The drive rounds out the South by traveling to Jackson, MS on the 14th and then to Atlanta, GA on the 15th before ending in Charlotte, NC on April 16th.
Mustangs Across America 50th Anniversary Drive Schedule:
Day 1 – April 10, 2014: Los Angeles, CA to Phoenix, AZ
Day 2 – April 11, 2014: Phoenix, AZ to Las Cruces, NM
Day 3 – April 12, 2014: Las Cruces, NM to Midland, TX
Day 4 – April 13, 2014: Midland, TX to Dallas, TX
Day 5 – April 14, 2014: Dallas, TX to Jackson, MS
Day 6 – April 15, 2014: Jackson, MS to Atlanta, GA
Day 7 – April 16, 2014: Atlanta, GA to Charlotte, NC
The event is being planned to be the best Mustangs Across America drive ever in terms of quality and the enjoyment. “Mustangs Across America has always been the “Drive Of A Lifetime”. We are proud to continue to carry that mantle”, adds Haymart. “This event is the big one for the 50th and our plans will reflect the moment in history as we pull out all the stops.”
Registration for the event will give participants a full and comprehensive package of goodies including printed travel guides with detailed route information, discounted hotel rates, and listings of local services in places they visit. Registered participants get access to certain private events along the way and a package complete with a minted commemorative coin, dash plaque and several other special event items.
The Mustangs Across America events have grown in the past 20 years from just a hundred cars in 1994 to well over six hundred in 2009. As the popularity has grown, what has made Mustangs Across America events remain special is the attention to the intimate experience of the ride itself, and the rubbing of elbows with fellow Mustang enthusiasts from all walks of life.
“While our drive is highly publicized as it has been in past years with television documentaries, there is an intimate side of our drives”, says Haymart. “Our participants bond together in the parking lots, at the dinner table and on the road. Lifetime friends are made and memories are etched into soul. Few things in life are so valuable”.
Registration for the event opens February 1st,, 2013. Enthusiasts can get full information on the Mustangs Across America website, register online or download registration packets to print, mail in or give out to their friends.
Brothers Performance will be there at the start to cover the event for sure
Link To: Register Online Now
Link To: Download Mail-In Registration Packet & Flyer PDF
