The Edelbrock Group headquarters in Olive Branch, Mississippi, hosted its second Spring EG Cruise-In on Saturday, April 6, 2024. You couldn’t ask for a better spring day or a better turnout for a gathering of car enthusiasts! It was a little cloudy, chilly, and breezy in the morning, but it gave way to bright, warming sunshine by the end!
The first Saturday of every month, Edelbrock hosts the Cars and Coffee Memphis meetup, so the EG Cruise-In fell on the same day this year, adding to the excitement. The event hours were 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., so it seemed like an extended Cars and Coffee with benefits! You could tell the C&C regulars when they arrived as they went directly to the back parking lot where it typically takes place. However, for the EG Cruise-In, the front lot, which only holds around 60 cars, is open on a first-come/first-served basis. No biggie — both lots filled up rather quickly.
Lots to See and Do at EG Cruise-In
The EG Cruise-In has quickly become a regional favorite for hot rodders and collector car enthusiasts. Always a popular attraction, some awesome EG employees volunteered their time to give tours of the 300,000-square-foot manufacturing facility. Participants and spectators lined up to glimpse where the magic happens. Included in the tour was a trip through the CNC operation where manifolds are finish-machined after they are shipped from the foundry in California before being boxed up and shipped out.
This year was special as eleven pallets of closeout products were brought out for deep discounts. And man, did people take advantage! By 11:30 a.m., all of the tables were empty. Folks could also buy apparel on-site at the EG Cruise-In and have delivered to their homes with free shipping. The Will-Call store was busy the entire time between the closeouts and apparel sales.
The Pit
Just over a month ago, Edelbrock Group ambassador Clay Millican drove down from nearby Drummonds, Tennessee, with his Dodge Dakota pickup truck named Baby D to christen “The Pit.” The Pit is a place set up in the receiving area where participants can do a burnout in a safe environment instead of on the streets! There were ten takers during the EG Cruise-In, sending smoke skyward and delighting the crowd.
Staff Picks
Though the EG Cruise-In is not a car show, the marketing department thought it would be nice to recognize a couple of standout vehicles with a “staff pick” award. The two cars chosen were certainly standouts, but they came from completely different realms of car culture.
The first EG Cruise-In Staff Pick was given to a 1968 Chevy II Nova that was rumored to be originally owned by Grumpy Jenkins’ mother. Later in life, it became a pump gas drag car with a 900 HP big block in the early 2000s. It hadn’t seen the light of day for quite a while until it was purchased late last year by Justin Hawkins from Selmer, Tennessee. Justin lusted after it as a kid and went on a quest to find it. To his amazement, the baby blue and white Nova was just as he remembered it. Look for a feature on this car in the future.
The second EG Cruise-In Staff Pick pick went to a gorgeous chocolatey brown and faux-wood 1953 Chevy wagon owned by Michael and Redonna Allen. This little wagon was built for cruising with a 292ci six-cylinder, overdrive automatic, and leather interior. Michael says he had a classic with an LS in it that had computer problems, and he wanted to go back to a car that only requires fuel, air, and spark that he can fix himself on the side of the highway if necessary. This car is tastefully executed and has a total cool factor about it!
As things approached noon, some grabbed some excellent Mexican food from the Southern Taco bar food truck or started heading off to other car shows around town. The Memphis area is ripe with car events this time of year, and it’s nearly impossible not to schedule on the same day as another. With the EG Cruise-In being a free event, we hoped that most would stop by for a while and then head to the local car shows that support the surrounding communities. With a perfect spring day like it was, it appeared that most did exactly that. The car community in the Mid-South is very supportive and growing. Just what we want to see!
For coverage on our Fall 2023 cruise-in, GO HERE!
