Ford Mustang variants
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Ford and other third party companies offered their own modified versions of popular Mustang in order to cater performance centric enthusiast who wants more power, sharper handling and better styling. Although most of the Mustang variants were aimed at enthusiast with an exception with the Special Service Package (or SSP), which was design for law enforcement.
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[edit] Third party modifications
[edit] Shelby Mustang
Automobile racer, Carroll Shelby converted a conventional Mustang into a serious track racer called"GT-350". The fastbacks were shipped from the San Jose, California assembly plant and fitted with a Hi-Po 289, four-speed manual transmission, and included front disc brakes. Also shortened hoods and rear seats with identifying trim were among other visual variations. These few cars were converted to street, road racing, and drag cars in Shelby's plant at Los Angeles International Airport.
[edit] Roush
Roush Performance, formed by former Ford engineer Jack Roush in 1988, had been known for providing performance parts, vehicles and engines. In 2001, the company introduced 3 packages for Mustang. Stage 1 comes with 17-inch wheels, lowered suspension, side mounted exhaust. In addition, it comes with air dam, side skirts and rear spoiler. Stage 2 will upgrade Stage 1 with 18-inch alloy wheels with BF Goodrich Comp TA. The suspension was extensively modified with Bilstein shocks, High-rate springs, stiffer anti-roll bars, and new control arms. Roush claimed it achieved 1.0g lateral acceleration and it was on par with Porsche 911 Turbo. both stage 1 and Stage 2 comes with V6 or V8 engine options. Top of the line was the Stage 3 comes with 360 Hp (268 kW) and 375 ft-lbs (508 Nm). was basically a heavily modified Mustang GT. Ford Modular 4.6 L V8 was upgraded with an Eaton supercharger, new intake manifold, high performing fuel injectors, air-to-water intercooler, and lighter flywheel (only on manual transmission). [1] The stage 3 comes with three package, Sport, Rally and Premium.
In 2007, Now based on S-197 Mustang, Roush added with Sport and 427R. The sport package, became Roush base model, and it comes with body kits and high performance exhaust systems. The Stage 1 comes with 18-inch chrome wheel with aggressive tires, high performance exhaust system, body kits and a vast optional visual upgrades. The Stage 2 will upgrade the Stage 1 with upgraded the stock suspension with high performance front struts, rear shocks, front and Rear springs, front Sway Bar and Rear Sway Bar, and Pinion snubbers. The Stage 3 comes with 18-inch forge chrome wheels with high performance tires, 14 inch rotors with four-piston calipers. The 4.6 V8 was now has the output of 415 Hp (268.4 kW) and 385 lb-ft (521 Nm) with Roush supercharger and air-to-water intercooler. The new top of the line was the 427R, which was based on Stage 3 Mustang. It produced 115 more horsepower and 65 lbs-ft more than the Stage 3 Mustang due to upgraded ECM (Electronic Control Module). In addition, it comes with upgraded appearance packages.
[edit] Steeda
Based in Pompano Beach, Florida, Dario Orlando founded Steeda Autosports in 1988 using his years of experience repairing and racing cars. Steeda is one of the largest manufacturer of Ford aftermarket performance parts. In 2003 Steeda introduced Q 400 based from Mustang GT with an advertised 400 Hp (298 kW). The 4.6 L V8 was modified with Vortech centrifugal supercharger, K&N Filter Charger, and FRPP 80mm Mass Air Meter with 70mm throttle body. Fuel is supplied via twin Bosch pumps, and Steeda-spec Borla 2.5-inch stainless pipes and mufflers. Motor Trend magazine made a dyno test on Q 400, equippted with Paxton supercharger, produced 425 Hp (317 kW) from the rear wheels, and 450 Hp (335 kW) horespower from the flywheel. [2]
In 2006, Steeda introduced Q 525 and it comes with 5.0 L modular V8 producing 500 Hp (373 kW) and 530 lbs.ft. (719 Nm) of torque. with 5.0 liter Modular with Steeda/Magna Charger supercharger system with intercooler, 62 mm twin -bore throttle body, Steeda/SCT air meter, 60 lbs electronic fuel injectors and Cold Air Kit.
[edit] Ford in-house variants
[edit] California Special
In mid-February 1968, the California Ford Dealers (Ford Dealer Advertising Fund) began to market a factory-built, limited-edition Mustang, called the GT/CS, or "California Special". The hope was for a targeted production run of 5,000, but actually, 4118 were made, which included 251 units that were remarketed in Denver, Colorado, as "High Country Special '68". Production ran for only 5.5 months from mid-February 1968 to early August 1968.
[edit] Mustang Cobra II
The Cobra II was produced from 1976 until the end of production for the Mustang II in 1978. The cobra II was an appearance package only and offered no true performance upgrades. The Cobra II was available with the 2.3L four cylinder, 2.8L V6, and the 5.0L 302 V8 engines. In 1976 and most of 1977 the Cobra II package was installed by Motortown Corporation[3] for Ford. Starting in late 1977 Ford installed the Cobra II package itself, this continued until the end of production in 1978. A Cobra II was driven by Farrah Fawcett's character Jill Munroe in the TV show Charlie's Angels.
[edit] King Cobra
The King Cobra was produced only for 1978. The King Cobra was available with only the 5.0L V8 engine[4], and was the first Mustang to carry the 5.0 badge.[5]
[edit] Mustang SVT Cobra
The Ford Mustang SVT Cobra is a sports car built by Ford since 1993. It is generally the highest performance version of the Mustang built by Ford, sitting in the model range above the Mustang GT model. On rare occasion, Ford produces a higher-performance Cobra R variant.
[edit] Mustang SVO
Introduced for the 1984 model year, the SVO was intended to be the model that would both reestablish the Mustang as a modern sports coupe and provide a competitor to European and Japanese compact sports coupes of the day. The project became the first for Ford's then-new SVO division, who endowed the car with several suspension and drive train modifications. Power came from an updated and heavily modified version of Ford's 2.3 L OHV inline four-cylinder engine, featuring a new computer-controlled fuel injection system, and an intercooled turbocharger. Power output for early units was 175 horsepower (very good for the day), giving the vehicle a stout 0-60 time with the aid of a factory installed Hurst shifter. Updates to late-production cars boosted power ratings to 205 hp and torque to 245 ft·lbf in mid-year 1985 and was revised to 200 in '86.
[edit] Special Service Package (SSP)
In 1982, the California Highway Patrol asked Ford to produce a capable and lightweight police car due to the bulkiness of current police cars like the Ford Fairmont and LTD/Crown Victoria. Problems also occurred with Chevrolet Camaro’s with their camshafts at pursuit speeds.[6] Taking the Fox-Platformed 5.0 Mustangs in production at the time, Ford produced the Ford Mustang SSP (Special Service Package), and modified them to suit the needs of the police and law enforcement departments. Nearly 15,000 of these special units were made from 1982 until their discontinuation in 1993.
[edit] Bullitt
In 2001, Ford offered a special version of its GT with the "Bullitt" nameplate. It was reminiscent of the 1968 390 fastback model driven by Steve McQueen in the movie of the same name. The car was slightly lowered and had name brand shocks with the addition of short length sub-frame connectors which improved the handling. In addition, a new intake design and mufflers added put the power at 265 hp, later revised to a still conservative 270. More telling is the torque curve, which was vastly improved over the base GT models, 90% of its 305 ft·lbf available from 2000 rpm. This broader torque curve makes itself known at the drag strip, as these special edition Mustangs could cover the 1/4 mile in 2-3 tenths of a second quicker and ~2 mph faster than a regular GT. These special intake manifolds responded very well to superchargers and were great for nitrous oxide (due to the fact that if there is a nitrous-backfire, the aluminum Bullitt manifold wouldn't be blown apart like its plastic counterpart). 17 inch “American Torq-Thrust,” wheels reminiscent of those on the car driven by McQueen in the movie were also used on this car and made optional on GT’s wrapped in 245/45ZR performance rubber by Goodyear. The Bullitt featured a hood scoop that first appeared on the 1999 35th anniversary package Mustang GT’s, as well as new side scoops, lower body moldings and c-pillars with unique rear side window shape. Other special features on the Bullitt included aluminum pedals and shifter, retro-styled gauges and seats, red brake calipers with the Mustang logo on them, and the removal of the spoiler and fog lamps regularly found on Mustang GT’s, all for a cleaner look. The Bullitt Mustang was offered in only three colors: Dark Highland Green (like Steve McQueen's original Bullitt Mustang), True Blue, and Black. Total production was 5582 units, with 3041 of those in Dark Highland Green.
[edit] Mach 1
Also returning in 2003 was the "Mach 1" nameplate. The original 1969 and 1970 Mustang Mach 1s were (and remain) some of the most popular Mustangs ever, so Ford decided to try to keep interest in the Mustang high until the release of the S-197 with yet another special-edition Mustang. The Mach 1 used a non-supercharged version of the Cobra's 4.6 DOHC V8 which utilized cams from the Lincoln Navigator motor, and it was conservatively rated at 305 hp (310 hp in 2004). Other special features included "retro" interior styling, with seats made to look like the "comfortweave" seats in the original Mach 1s, old-style gauges, and aluminum pedals and shifter. Outside, the Mach 1 featured a striping package and blacked-out spoiler designed to mimic the original Mach 1, "Magnum 500" styled 17-inch wheels, and a "Shaker" hoodscoop. The "Shaker" hoodscoop was special, and so named because it was attached to the engine and stuck out through a hole in the hood, and would move with the torque of the motor. Ford utilized the same casting for the new "Shaker" that they had for the 1969 model year. The Mach 1 was also produced for 2004. Despite having camshafts that produce power at lower rpm, the Mach 1's 4.6 made just as much horsepower as the '01 Cobra, due to the 4-valve heads being revised, the compression being bumped to 10:1, and the ram-air system. It also out-torqued the Cobra, and had 3.55:1 rear gears, making it capable of very low 13-second 1/4 mile ETs and ~106 mph trap speeds with a good driver.
[edit] Anniversary editions
In 2001, a hood scoop similar in design to the 35th anniversary scoops, and non-functional side scoops were added to GT models, and made optional on the V6 as part of a "pony package." Smoked headlights from the Cobra R and a new deck wing replaced the old chrome look headlights and the sweeping wing.
In 2004, Ford produced a special 40th Anniversary Edition of the Mustang. Available in both Standard and GT editions, it consisted of 40th Anniversary badging, special metallic red paint with gold stripes, enhanced interior, and some "special" collectable items for the owner. It also marked the end of this design of the Mustang, as 2005 ushered in an all-new model.
