Ford cranks up the EcoBoost Mustang with new high performance package
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The 2020 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 will become the most powerful model in the automaker’s history when it launches later this year, thanks to its 700-plus horsepower supercharged V8, but it’s not the only potent pony car being added to the stable.
Ford is turning up the boost on the Mustang’s entry-level 2.3-liter turbocharged 4-cylinder with a new High Performance Package that adds a new cylinder head, bigger turbo and larger radiator to increase power from 310 hp to 330 hp with 350 lb-ft of torque.
Along with the engine upgrade, the package includes a strut tower brace, new stiffer sway bars, limited slip differential, rear blade spoiler, 19-inch by 9-inch wheels with summer tires and the brakes and front splitter from the Mustang GT to improve handling and track performance.
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Unique “2.3” fender badges and dash plaque help identify Mustangs with the package, while an optional handling upgrade swaps in a Torsen differential and a set of wider 9.5-inch wheels with even stickier Pirelli Corsa4 tires.
Ford is pitching it as the ideal twisty road and autocross car and debuting it a the New York International Auto Show to celebrate the Mustang's 55th anniversary on April 17. Pricing hasn’t been announced, but it should end up in the $30,000 range and compete head-to-head with the Camaro Turbo 1LE for the hearts and minds of 4-cylinder muscle car fans when it goes on sale this fall.