Ford May Be Gearing Up For Mustang Mach 1 Flagship

by under News on 08 Aug 2016 06:05:00 PM08 Aug 2016
Ford May Be Gearing Up For Mustang Mach 1 Flagship

An ‘ultimate’ Ford Mustang is something we haven’t really seen for a while. There is the current 392kW Shelby GT350R and prior to that the 494kW Shelby GT500.

But, impressive and (in the last GT500’s case, extremely brutish) powerful as they are, the arrival of the Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat and the upcoming Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 has meant that Ford is feeling a tad more pressure to take the fight to GM in the muscle car power games.

Ford May Be Gearing Up For Mustang Mach 1 FlagshipFord May Be Gearing Up For Mustang Mach 1 Flagship

So far, the sixth-generation Ford Mustang hasn’t been offered with the kind of monstrously antisocial V8 that American muscle cars are known for, and that perhaps is deliberate. However, some new report including that from Motor Authority, along with spy shots suggest a more powerful version is in the works and due to make its full debut early next year. There’s also a strong possibility that, in terms of raw axle-twisting grunt, the Ford will have more.

Now, it is possible that Ford will use the GT500 name yet again. However, this King of the Hill variant might requisite the resurrection of an iconic name from the Mustang’s history: Mach 1.

Ford May Be Gearing Up For Mustang Mach 1 Flagship

A test mule has been spotted with a heavily revised front end that looks to be hiding a much more aggressive fascia and larger intakes to feed the air-hungry V8. It’s possible that Ford will chose to use a heavily force-fed version of the 5.2-litre flat-plane crank V8 found in the GT350 and could produce in excess of 530kW. While one can’t argue with the power advantage, the use of turbocharging over supercharging is going against the grain somewhat.

Pictures of the prototype also reveal it to be wearing huge Michelin Pilot Sport Cup tyres with larger-than-large Brembo brakes, further hinting the necessary kit to contain the extra performance of this would-be flagship.

Ford May Be Gearing Up For Mustang Mach 1 Flagship

As far as transmissions go, a joint 10-speed automatic is likely to be given shifting duties. The same box has been confirmed for the Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, being jointly developed by Ford and GM. Purportedly, despite it being a torque converter automatic, it’s being touted as quicker than many of the leading dual-clutch transmissions out there.

For more on Ford vehicles, including pricing and specifications, check out our Showroom.

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