NPD Nov 22

PERFECT PONIES

Ace Cafe’s Happy Birthday Mustang Day Meet

From car shows to road rallies, Mustangs gathered to blow out the candles on Mustang’s 57th birthday cake.

Ace Cafe in Orlando, Florida, hosts multiple car meets every month. On April 17, 2021 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., it hosted a Happy Birthday Mustang Meet to celebrate the original pony car turning 57 years young. The event drew stallions from every era, including this striking, silver classic.

With Mustang Day 2021 landing on a Saturday this year, events across the globe came together to celebrate. To that end, Ace Cafe in Orlando, Florida, which is known for hosting automotive events on a regular basis, held a Happy Birthday Mustang Meet.

Combining a variety of styling cues from the S197 era, including a GT500 front fascia, this Mustang GT had some substance under the hood as well. An Edelbrock supercharger system pushes the output of its 281-cube Three-Valve engine beyond 500 horsepower. The camshaft as a prop rod definitely helped this one stand out from the crowd.

Open to all years and models, the informal event drew a variety of pony cars from classics to the latest limited-production stallions. While the 2015-and-up crowd definitely dominated in numbers, there was a smattering of other models in attendance as well.

Restyling 2015+ Mustangs with the latest Shelby GT500 fascia design was definitely a trend among the S550 crowd at the Ace meet. Aaron Bass’ ride rocked that treatment as well as a camouflage-style wrap job. Riding low on an Air Lift Performance suspension, this slammed stallion is a definitely a ground-hugging show-stopper.
While there weren’t many Foxes on the property, this Mustang GT caught our eye on the merits of its sleek, blue paint and chrome wheels. Under the hood, the naturally-aspirated 5.0-liter breathes deeply through a period-correct Holley SysteMAX II intake manifold and a chrome fresh-air intake.

Storied Shelby

Anthony Barranco’s ride definitely had the look of a Shelby GT350 that spends some time when it was meant to — on the road course. He calls her Charlotte, and this Shelby has definitely spun an interesting tale. Not only has the U.S. Marine, Sergeant run the Voodoo-powered stallion on five different racetracks, but it was imported to Europe — where it visited Le Mans and the beaches of Normandy — and then exported back to the United States. “If there was ever a perfect car, man I would be hard-pressed to not choose this one,” he says. “Everyone will have their own personal tastes and the S550 GT350 fully satisfies mine.” It was fun checking out all the cars in attendance, but we couldn’t cover them all here. To that end, here are some favorites in honor of Mustang’s big day.It was fun checking out all the cars in attendance, but we couldn’t cover them all here. To that end, here are some favorites in honor of Mustang’s big day.


It was fun checking out all the cars in attendance, but we couldn’t cover them all here. To that end, here are some favorites in honor of Mustang’s big day.

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