The future of Ford is performance
Ford Executive Vice President Jim Farley says customers will still want to drive sports cars like the new Mustang Shelby GT500 and Explorer ST even when the market shifts to electric and autonomous vehicles.
Ford has some thunder Down Under.
(Ford)
The automaker’s Australian arm has debuted a new 700 hp version of the Mustang.
The R-Spec is a collaboration with Herrod Performance and uses Ford Performance parts that were developed in the U.S., including the Roush supercharger strapped onto its 5.0-liter V8.
(Ford)
Along with the extra horses, it delivers 610 lb-ft of torque through the R-Spec’s 6-speed manual transmission, which is the only one available. That differs from the upcoming 760 hp Mustang Shelby GT500, which uses a 7-speed dual-clutch automatic exclusively and isn’t destined for Australian sale.
“This is our answer in terms of providing our Australian customers with what they want. Mustang has had phenomenal success since we launched here and we’ve had people asking for a supercharger,” Ford Australia CEO Kay Hart said according to News.com.au.
(Ford)
The right-hand-drive R-Spec also gets an updated suspension with computer-controlled shock absorbers and adjustable stabilizer bars, plus a set of high performance Michelin Pilot Sport 4S tires.
(Ford)
Ford will offer 500 of them in a choice of lime, orange white and blue for $100,000 Australian dollars, which is around $68,000.
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Most important, while you could cobble something like this together at home with parts from the Ford Performance catalog, the R-Spec comes with a 5-year factory warranty.