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Mustangs After Dark Brings SoCal Enthusiasts Together

Last year, we brought you coverage of the third annual Mustangs After Dark car show hosted by Southern California-local car club, Strictly Stangz. The club’s president and SoCal native Alvin Munoz, recently invited us out to experience the fourth installment of the Mustangs After Dark event which took place this year at Raceway Ford in Riverside, California.

Albeit Alvin did inform us that the show’s turnout might have been a bit shy from last years, due to a handful of cars not being ready for the show (or having last minute issues), that wasn’t a big concern, given the donations were up from the previous years. If you’ll recall, Strictly Stangz – a club of more than 100 members across the nation – uses this show to collect back-to-school supplies donations for SoCal families who are in need.

While the sixth generation S550 Mustangs seemed to be a big hit this year, many of Strictly Stangz’ members are owners of various generations of Mustang. From first generation coupes all the way up to the latest Shelby GT350s, there was plenty to see on display for all.

Here’s a rare sight – an unmolested, non-modified SN95 SVT Cobra Mustang. This one is powered by a 5.0-liter pushrod V8 (or 302ci if that floats your boat).

The crew which makes up Strictly Stangz has a respectable reputation amongst local law enforcement as well – something not every car club can boast about, no doubt. So much so in fact, that the Inland Empire-based California Highway Patrol precinct plays a large part in the car club’s annual show every year.

Being backed by the blue (or in this case, tan?) is a huge advantage for Alvin and his members – it shows that car enthusiasts can stay out of trouble, and local law enforcement can assist in supporting the hobby.

Displayed in the TruFiber booth was Mauro Monroy's 2015 Ford Mustang GT which is wrapped in a "Gloss Light Green" vinyl finish. We really dig the color change, as it reminds us of Ford's "Gotta Have It Green" OEM hue for the '13-'14 Mustangs. Next to Monroy's Mustang is JP's Paxton-blown S550 which is rocking a host of components from TruFiber, Steeda Autosports and more. Can you dig its minion theme?

William Stamas’ S197 Coyote-powered Mustang GT.

We've known William for a few years now, and his ROUSH TVS supercharged Coyote-powered Mustang GT is one of the cleanest examples we've seen. When we met William, he had always claimed that he would never get rid of this car for a newer, S550 version of Mustang. However, like seasons, things change, and William now has his 600-plus rear-wheel-horsepower Mustang up for sale. Though we are sad to see this low-mileage Mustang go, we know it won't be the last time we see this Ruby Red Coyote around SoCal.

While there wasn’t an abundance of Fox Mustangs on the grounds this year, one stood out amongst the rest, and that was Oliver Castillo’s Mustang GT finished in its incredibly clean white hue.

S197s ranging from ’05-’14 where on the premises at Raceway Ford over the weekend – all of which were rocking different power plants ranging from the 4.0-liter SOHC V6 to 4.6-liter Three Valves, and even Coyotes.

They say the key to success is repetition, and Paul Dicecca can be spotted at virtually every car show in Southern California with his Coyote-powered Mustang named “Sally”.

Paul told us that after having his Mustang tuned by GTR High Performance in Rancho Cucamonga, California, his Coyote-powered S197 put down 470 horsepower at the rear-wheels. With the addition of a Ford Racing Cobra Jet intake manifold and matching cold-air-intake system in the future, he is looking to break the 500 RWHP N/A barrier with some additional tuning. We hope to see that soon!

Brian Kozerski is the founder of SoCal Mustang club Immortal Stangs, and his ’15 EcoBoost was built by closely following one of our previous project cars on StangTV, Project 5-Liter Eater. His EcoBoost is putting down just a tad over 450 horsepower at the rear-wheels!

Michael Antonson’s 2006 Mustang GT is rocking a Vortech V3 supercharger and is making 470 horsepower at the rear-wheels. It is detuned to 6psi with a larger pulley, due to still being on a factory long-block. Michael is also rocking a host of parts from Hotchkis, Steeda, Nitto tires and even larger Brembo brakes. His goal with the car is to compete in as many racing events as possible in the Southern California area.

Strictly Stangz’ President Alvin Munoz’s S197 Mustang.

Alvin's Mustang is far from its original Windveil Blue factory counterpart – it now plays host to a custom pearl paint finish, along with an insane audio system from Pioneer. "A huge thanks to Troy G. At Audio Extreme in San Bernardino, California, and Neto at Advance Auto Body, as well as the guys at TruFiber for all of the work they performed on the car to get this project finished," Alvin said. "From disassembly to show-car-ready, they completed the job in just a few weeks, and I am extremely thankful for these guys!"

Vendors On Deck This Year

• Audio Extreme

• Cal Pony Cars

• Carbon Driven

• Feal Suspensions

• Grams Performance

• GTR High Performance

• i5_AUTOHAUS

• Kraftwerks

• NOS Energy Drinks

• Project-6GR

• Stang Hub

• Surf City Garage

• TruFiber

As Alvin told us last year, the Strictly Stangz mission is about giving back to those in need, and the crew tries to find a charity group or agency that needs the most help each year.

“We contact them, and we let them know we are here to help, and we think it makes a huge impact,” Alvin told us last year. For this show’s efforts, Alvin and his team reached out to Rosemary Children’s Services, a non-profit organization in Perris, California, which is one of the oldest children’s foster homes on the West Coast.

Of course, having celebrity appearance Noel Gugliemi doesn’t hurt either! Noel, who is best known for his roles in several “Fast and Furious” movies throughout the franchise, is always happy to make an appearance for the Strictly Stangz family.

Mustangs After Dark  is an annual car show hosted by Strictly Stangz in the Southern California area. You can find more information on the organization and its mission by visiting them online here. And, while you’re down here, checkout our prodigious gallery below!

Photo gallery

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