2020 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 test drive
The 2020 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 is no one-trick pony. The most powerful Ford ever is as happy on a twisty track as it is on a drag strip, Fox News Automotive Editor Gary Gastelu says.
Ford almost revived the Mach 1 name on the electric utility vehicle it ended up calling the Mustang Mach-E, but it may soon return on a more appropriate car.
The Mustang6G.com fan forum has posted an alleged VIN decoder guide that clearly lists the Mach 1 coupe as one of the Mustang models coming in 2021. Ford has not commented on the document, but also hasn’t denied its authenticity.
(Ford)
Although unconfirmed, rumors of a new Mach 1 have been swirling in recent years, bolstered by sightings of a prototype Mustang being tested on public streets that looks like it fits the bill.
The Mach 1 was first introduced as a performance model that slotted below the Boss 302 and Shelbys in 1969, and it was the best-selling of all Mustangs and American pony cars that year, according to Hagerty. It carried on through the Mustang II era in 1978, offering a wide variety of engine options along the way.
The Mach 1 got a bigger body in 1971 and the 375 hp Super Cobra Jet engine option to go with it. (Ford)
The most potent was the 375 hp Super Cobra Jet 429 cubic-inch V8 offered in 1971, before emissions regulations started sucking the air out of the muscle car segment and led to the 140 hp 4.9-liter V8 that was introduced the following year and became the only V8 by 1978, when a 105 hp V6 was the standard engine.
(Ford)
Ford revived the name from 2003 to 2004 to help usher out the fourth-generation Mustang, with a version that featured a 305 hp 4.6-liter V8 with a shaker hood scoop, a tuned suspension and retro Mach 1 logos.
As for the 2021 model, the decoder suggests it will be powered by a version of the Mustang’s current 5.0-liter “Coyote” V8, but the power output is listed as TBD. The most powerful version of that engine today is the 480 hp unit in the GT Bullitt, which appears to be discontinued next year along with the Shelby GT350, while the 760 hp Shelby GT500 remains at the top of the lineup.