There are probably too many Mustangs currently on sale. If you don’t already like any of those for some reason, the iconic Ford Mustang Mach 1 is officially returning this year, and Ford is promising track-focused performance and it’s got the holes to prove it.
There have been rumors that the Mach 1 was returning for months, but Ford officially confirmed it this morning with a few teaser photos. The main images shows a camouflaged current-gen looking Mustang with two massive holes flanking either side of the Mustang in the middle of the grille.
In the rear, there’s a new spoiler design and some lightly reworked bumper detailing. The Ford teaser also seems to want to highlight the car’s Brembo brakes, and what appears to be a new wheel design (since I can’t find it on the current online configurator, though I swear I’ve seen it).
As you can see from the headline, which I partially quoted from the Ford press release, the Mach 1 will sport the lineup’s 5.0-liter V8 unit, though exactly what kinda power configuration remains to be seen. All Ford is willing to say for now is that they want to add to the Mach 1's “performance legacy,” which tells me this refreshingly won’t just be a base car with stick-ons trying to pass as something different.
“Mach 1 has always been that bridge between base Mustangs and the Shelby models,” the press release reads. The base 5.0-liter V8 currently makes 460 horsepower and 420 lb.-ft. of torque and the Shelby GT350's 5.2-liter flat-plane crank V8 makes 526 hp and 429 lb.-ft. of torque, leaving about 100 hp of wiggle room for the new Mach 1 if you take Ford literally.
It’s expected that the Mach 1 will replace the “specialty” role currently filled by the Bullitt Mustang in the lineup, which would make sense. Looking back, it’ll be nice to have gotten different flavors of special editions across the lifetime of the car, and it’s keeping the car interesting!
Have to say though, this new one is a little underwhelming in these released photos, given the flair of the past cars that share the nameplate.
