Organized by the Mustang Club of Croatia, Cro-Merican Muscle Meet 2 brought Ford Mustang enthusiasts and American car owners from all across Central Europe to show off their rides, mingle, and make some noise.
As I am an American, this all felt very much like home, even though I’ve lived most of my life here in Zagreb.
The sound of V8 engines reverberated across the venue as attendees stepped into the sun to eat fried food and drink beer and slushies in a simple version of American culture. It took me right back to my childhood, and I enjoyed every second of it, especially as I was able to share the experience with my girlfriend.
My best friend also attended the meet, as he’s been into American cars for the full 20 years we’ve known each other. He used to pronounce Mustang as “Moostang” back when we were kids. Now he knows better and even works on American classics at a local garage.
Aside from the Mustangs, a couple of other cars stood out to me. The first was a C7 Corvette Z06 tuned by TIKT Performance and dripping in carbon fiber. Another outlier from the Chevy stable was an LS3-swapped ‘67 Camaro. In that same row sat a C7 ZR1, which I never had expected to see in my life, let alone far, far away from Bowling Green, Kentucky!
Back to team Ford, a group of enthusiasts was giving rides around the meet in a well-preserved Model T. Some mad lad brought a Crown Victoria cop car from LA, and a Slovenian guy showed up in a Mustang Dark Horse. Two Cobras were in attendance as well. Apparently, one of them was made to order in Sveta Nedjelja, the same place where Mate Rimac – CEO of the Rimac Group – started his company.
The strangest vehicle in attendance was Red Bull’s local ‘armored’ party truck, Stribor. I’ve seen it before on random occasions in the city, and it’s most likely based on the Land Rover Defender 130, which also makes it an epic off-road vehicle. The rest is all Red Bull’s work of kitting the truck out with custom bodywork, an elevated roof, DJ equipment, integrated LED displays, high-output speakers and subwoofers, gaming consoles, and of course, a fridge full of energy drinks.
The Cro-Merican Muscle Meet 2 wasn’t a large event, but it was well organised and enjoyable. While photographing the vehicles could be a bit tricky at times due to the crowd, it was great to see families bringing their kids along to experience American car culture up close and to watch enthusiasts naturally gathering and sharing their passion.
