Photography Courtesy Ford
The Mach 1 nameplate will return to the Ford lineup for 2021, this time as a true track weapon that slots between the Mustang GT and the Shelby GT350 and GT500.
Under the hood sits a 5.0-liter V8 good for a reported 480 horsepower that will be hooked up to either a six-speed manual transmission from the Shelby …
I am severely disappointed with the lack of a Shaker hoodscoop. C'mon, Ford!
I'm curious about "rear axle cooling system" is it a legitimate diff cooler? Overheating the diff on these with track work seems like it's basically a guarantee.
In reply to NickD :
Onto which old guys at C&C will undoubetly add "Cobra Jet" badges
Only Mach 1? I've had a razor that's 3X as fast since the '90s.
The "Fighter Jet Gray" is an awesome color. This seems like quite a beast - perhaps equal to C7's.
Nicely done.
Where are the window louvers?!
z31maniac said:I'm curious about "rear axle cooling system" is it a legitimate diff cooler? Overheating the diff on these with track work seems like it's basically a guarantee.
It's a legit diff cooler lifted from the GT500.
Why do they insist on releasing photos of the car compared to the original that (to me) only serve to demonstrate that the current version is only an aesthetic poseur of the original? I fully understand that the current car will absolutely stomp the original from a performance perspective, but in terms of visual design it's not even a contest.
NickD said:I am severely disappointed with the lack of a Shaker hoodscoop. C'mon, Ford!
I'm sure "American Muscle", etc. will have that "mod" for you the second day they're on the lots.
I love it! I just wish it weighed about 300 pounds less.
Only a 20hp bump over the GT? 
11GTCS said:NickD said:I am severely disappointed with the lack of a Shaker hoodscoop. C'mon, Ford!
I'm sure "American Muscle", etc. will have that "mod" for you the second day they're on the lots.
Yeah, but Dodge will let me live out my Shaker hood dreams right from the factory.
Speaking of Dodge, it feels like Ford is taking a page out of the Challenger's book, specifically the "Offer 50 different flavors and there'll be something for any buyer" page. Now we have EcoBoost, GT, Performance Pack 1, Performance Pack 2, Mach 1, GT350, GT350R and GT500.
Tom_Spangler (Forum Supporter) said:Only a 20hp bump over the GT?
Gen III Coyotes will hit 500whp with E85, tune, and exhaust.
In reply to NickD :
The different varieties of mustangs have been available for many years. I remember some special trim packages on SN95s.
The hp numbers on this car made me remember some back in the day stuff. I was 16 and a voracious consumer of car rags when Ford released the 2003 Cobra Terminator. I remember realizing we were in a new and even better golden age of horsepower. I was scared the other shoe would drop again. Then I started racing bicycles and quit caring about cars (no money) and when I started reviving my love for cars/driving the vanilla GT Mustang is throwing down 426hp, the 4 banger at 320. Stock Miatas were tickling 6 sec 0-60 runs, etc etc.
What a time to be alive!
anybody else confused about all the different 'special' mustangs out there? Boss, bullit, mach 1, shelby, 350, 500, cobra, flat plane crank, GT, coyote, track pak, etc. Which one is fastest? Which one is actually a track car? Which one is a drag racer? Which one is the GRM performance value? Which one is just a different paint color and a wing?
All of them are just a trap to get boomers to spend money on their halo car's marketing children. And unlike the elders, I don't think these will age well.
It's the one place my non-car friends will say "did you see the new mustang XXX?" and I'll be like "I literally have no idea what you are talking about"
NickD said:Speaking of Dodge, it feels like Ford is taking a page out of the Challenger's book, specifically the "Offer 50 different flavors and there'll be something for any buyer" page. Now we have EcoBoost, GT, Performance Pack 1, Performance Pack 2, Mach 1, GT350, GT350R and GT500.
I would think this car has a lot of overlap with both the PP2 and the GT350 so it wouldn't surprise me to see one or both of those go away before long.
The GT350 and the "R" have a bunch of unique sheetmetal (still using the pre-facelift nose) and a one-off engine. That seems like a lot of unique (expensive in bean counter language) parts that might make it ripe for some downsizing. Having a more common, lower strung engine without oiling issues might appeal to them as well. This Mach 1 really seems like it's more or less a GT350 with a Coyote instead of a Voodoo, and I think it's got standard brake rotors instead of the GT350s fancy 2 piece stuff. To some people that's more of a feature than a bug.
Real track guys will buy the Mach 1 over the PP2 because it gets the better transmission and has more coolers (engine oil, trans fluid, and rear dif).
Daddy. Likee. I'll take the gray one in the first photo.
I read this as the track shoes of the GT350 with an engine that isn't made of unobtainium parts with oiling issues. Seems like a home run.
alfadriver (Forum Supporter) said:In reply to NickD :
The different varieties of mustangs have been available for many years. I remember some special trim packages on SN95s.
Heck yeah. Bullitts, Mach 1s, Cobras, Cobra Rs, you name it. The S197 brought the CS, another Bullitt, more Cobras, and on and on. It's nothing new.
Gen III Coyotes will hit 500whp with E85, tune, and exhaust.
Fine, but that's also true of a GT, and besides, if it's that easy, why didn't Ford do it?
I read this as the track shoes of the GT350 with an engine that isn't made of unobtainium parts with oiling issues. Seems like a home run.
Actually, that's a really good way of looking at it. The Voodoo engine is cool and all, but I'm more than a bit scared of it. This seems like a safer (and less expensive) way to get 98% of the way to a GT350's performance.
In any case, if I were spending my money, I'd still get a GT with PP2 in a subtle color like gray and call it good. Still WAY more performance than anyone needs on the street, and none of the "look at me" graphics of the Mach 1 or GT350. Cheaper, too.
Tom_Spangler (Forum Supporter) said:Gen III Coyotes will hit 500whp with E85, tune, and exhaust.Fine, but that's also true of a GT, and besides, if it's that easy, why didn't Ford do it?
Gen III Coyote is what is in the '18+ Mustang GTs rated at 460hp. So I'm not really sure what you're getting at. Coyote engine = GT. Voodoo engine = GT350 & GT350R
Because they have things like warranty targets, EPA targets, cost targets, NVH targets, etc, they have to meet.
The idea that 480hp out of a warrantied 5.0L street engine isn't enough, is just funny too me.
G_Body_Man (Forum Supporter) said:z31maniac said:I'm curious about "rear axle cooling system" is it a legitimate diff cooler? Overheating the diff on these with track work seems like it's basically a guarantee.
It's a legit diff cooler lifted from the GT500.
You can also buy it out of the Ford Performance catalog for $2500.
This is a legit cool car. It's got all the trick track parts from the GT350/500 with the GT engine. I would def consider buying one.
DirtyBird222 said:G_Body_Man (Forum Supporter) said:z31maniac said:I'm curious about "rear axle cooling system" is it a legitimate diff cooler? Overheating the diff on these with track work seems like it's basically a guarantee.
It's a legit diff cooler lifted from the GT500.
You can also buy it out of the Ford Performance catalog for $2500.
This is a legit cool car. It's got all the trick track parts from the GT350/500 with the GT engine. I would def consider buying one.
Always nice to have it installed from the factory though.
This is what the PP2 should have been.
z31maniac said:Gen III Coyote is what is in the '18+ Mustang GTs rated at 460hp. So I'm not really sure what you're getting at. Coyote engine = GT. Voodoo engine = GT350 & GT350R
Because they have things like warranty targets, EPA targets, cost targets, NVH targets, etc, they have to meet.
The idea that 480hp out of a warrantied 5.0L street engine isn't enough, is just funny too me.
No, I get all that, it's just that in the past, the Mach 1 meant more from a horsepower perspective. The 2003 one had ~18% more power than a GT. This one has ~4% more. It takes away from the "specialness" of the Mach 1 when the power difference between it and the regular GT is essentially a rounding error.
And trust me, 480hp is PLENTY for my old ass. Way more than I can realistically use. Which is why, again, I'd just buy a GT with PP2.
In reply to Tom_Spangler (Forum Supporter) :
Yeah, I can see that. But all the other stuff makes it pretty special though.
Be curious to see what the MSRP is with all the goodies.
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