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Pony Powerhouses: Performance Mustangs That Tamed Road and Track

Vukasin Herbez August 14, 2023

The Mustang has always been synonymous with Ford Performance. However, despite that recognition, many of the Mustangs produced weren’t exactly fire-breathing machines. Indeed, some of them had nice but not overly exciting performances. Not all Mustangs were fire-breathing machines; most were just cruisers with owners who wanted the looks and bragging rights because they had a V8-powered model.

However, for those who wanted more, there was always a real beast of a car, the Mustang, that could truly gallop. These ponycars were equipped with high-performance engines, suspensions, and brakes to match, and also produced in limited quantities. Today, we’ll talk discuss those cars, the super-fast Mustangs that punched well above their weight. Check out the greatest performance Mustangs of all time here.

Ford Mustang 289 HiPo

Although the Mustang looked sporty and cool, it shared modest underpinnings with the economy Falcon. Its engine lineup at the time included mild versions of inline-six and smaller V8s. The power output was nothing special and performance was somewhat below expectations (via CJ Pony Parts).

Ford responded with an exciting engine called the K-Code. The K-Code was the 289 V8 but with a milder, more street-friendly tune and 271 hp, which was more than enough for the performance the Mustang fans asked for. Introduced in 1965 and available until 1967, the 289 HiPo was the first Mustang that ran as well as it looked, especially if you ordered it in a gorgeous Fastback body style.

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Shelby GT350 R

Shelby started building Mustangs in 1965 as fire-breathing machines that brought Ford much-needed recognition and performance credentials. But the cars responsible for their racing success were 34 “R” models produced only in 1965. They were sold to privateers and racing teams all over America and the world. These cars were not street-legal and were used purely for racing purposes, which they did exceptionally well (via Motor Trend).

The GT350 R had numerous modifications and was lighter, faster, and sharper than the regular GT350. The same 289 V8 powered the R version as the regular Shelby GT350, but it had close to 400 HP and numerous racing modifications. The car was light, well-balanced, and proved to be extremely fast, winning multiple races in America, Europe and South America.

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Ford Mustang 390 GT

Mustang got its first redesign in 1967. There, Ford introduced a slightly bigger and more luxurious model. The design was even better and more elegant. The options list was also longer than ever. Performance lovers finally got a big block option in the form of the 390 FE V8 engine producing 325 hp (via Car and Driver).

1967 Ford Mustang GT fastback — Photo Credit: Car And Driver

It was a fast car, but it was more of a Grand Tourer than a muscle car. The reason was that the engine borrowed from the Thunderbird was more suited for effortless cruising than drag racing.

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Shelby GT500

Even though Mustang had some performance versions, the first true performance Mustang with a big block engine and respectable 0 to 60 mph times was the 1967 Shelby GT 500. Bigger and more powerful than before, the 1967 GT 500 featured a new design, modified front and rear end. It boasted a hefty 427 V8 engine with 335 hp and 420 lb.-ft of torque (via Hemmings).

In those days, Ford was notorious for underrating the power output of their engines, and 335 hp sounded too little for the big 427. Enthusiasts claim that the real power was closer to the 400 hp range, and the performance figures backed that claim.

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Ford Mustang Cobra Jet 428

The legendary 428 Cobra Jet debuted in 1968, and Ford immediately put it in the Mustang. The Mustang 428 CJ was a mid-year introduction designed for drag racing, which is why very few left the factory (via Hemmings).

But this was a true beast of a car with a 390 hp engine, light body, and four-speed close ratio manual transmission. With a 0 to 60 mph time of just 5.4 seconds, this was the fastest stock car of the era. It remains a highly valuable collector’s item today.

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Ford Mustang Boss 302

The third redesign of the Mustang appeared for the 1969 model year and the car grew in size once again. The Boss 302 is the essential model among the many performance options. Produced for only two years in 1969 and 1970, the Boss 302 featured a 302 V8 engine conservatively rated at 290 hp (via Car and Driver).

The actual output was closer to the 350 hp mark. The Boss 302 was a model intended for racing in the Trans-Am championship. Apart from a blackout hood and rear spoiler, it featured a stiff and track-tuned suspension, close-ratio gearbox, and a high-revving engine.

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Ford Mustang Boss 429

The mythical Mustang Boss 429 is a proper muscle car legend. Conceived in 1969 as a pure racing engine intended for use in the NASCAR championship, the Boss 429 featured a different engine architecture than the rest of Ford’s big blocks. First, the Boss 429 was much broader and had semi-Hemi combustion chambers, which ultimately produced more power and torque (via Mustang Specs).

Rated at 375 hp by the factory, in reality, this unit produced over 500 hp and much more in race trim. Ford decided to put this engine into the Mustang, creating a limited-production Boss 429. Still, NASCAR chose not to homologate it since the series only accepted intermediate and full-size cars, and the Mustang was a pony car model.

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Ford Mustang Mach I

The original Mach I was introduced as an affordable performance version of the Mustang Sportsroof in 1969. It featured a long list of options and three engines. The base engine was the 302 V8, then the 351 V8. The top-of-the-line model was the mighty 428 Cobra Jet. Although Ford built over 20,000 Mach Is in 1969, only a small number had the Cobra Jet engine (via Hemmings).

Only 428 CJ-equipped Mach Is had true performance potential and could beat other muscle cars on the street. The 428 Cobra Jet’s output was 335 hp, but car fans knew it produced more than 400 hp.

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Ford Mustang Boss 351

In 1971, Mustang received another thorough restyle, the final one for the first generation. The car grew in size and featured a new sharper look with a wider track. Unfortunately, the Boss 302 and Boss 429 versions were gone. But Grande and Mach I stayed, albeit with lower power ratings. However, there was one exciting model introduced in 1971, the Boss 351 (via Motor Trend).

Made for one year only, the ’71 Mustang Boss 351 was one of the rarest Mustangs produced, with only 1800 made. It used a highly tuned version of the 351 V8 engine with around 330 hp. It was fast, good-looking, and more expensive than the Mach 1 version of the same model year. Today, it is a true collector’s item.

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Ford Mustang Cobra SVT

Although we witnessed a recent price rise, the Fox-body Mustang Cobra flew under the radar of mainstream collectors for quite a long time. Most people tend to dismiss it as another Fox-Body Mustang yet the Cobra is much more than just that. It’s a proper performance car, blurring the line between a classic muscle car and a sports coupe (via Hemmings).

It was produced for one year only in 1993 and marked the end of the Fox-body Mustang generation. Under the hood was the SVT-built 5.0-liter HO engine with trick GT40 heads and various other upgrades. Its 0 to 60 mph time was under six seconds. The ’93 Cobra handled perfectly thanks to a revised suspension. Ford made just 4993 examples in 1993 and hurried up before they became the Shelby GT350s of the 21st century.

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Ford Mustang Cobra R (1995)

Ford’s Special Vehicle Team (SVT) department was responsible for some of the fastest muscle cars of the last 25 years. In 1995, they presented another Cobra R. Only 250 examples left the factory. The buyers were individuals with a racing license or private teams (via Hagerty).

Under the hood was a tuned 5.8-liter V8 engine that delivered 300 hp and 356 lb.-ft of torque. Even though this kind of power is not that impressive today, it was a significant number in 1995. Since the Cobra R was a relatively light car, the performance was excellent. The 0 to 60 mph time took 5.2 seconds, making it one of the fastest-accelerating American production models.

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Ford Mustang Cobra R

The coolest-looking fourth-generation Mustang is undoubtedly the 2000 SVT Cobra R. Again, this limited-edition model with an “R” designation produced only 300 copies for racing drivers and teams. The Cobra R featured many improvements and enhancements compared to other regular Mustangs (via Ford Performance).

First and foremost was its 5.4-liter V8 with 385 hp and 385 lb.-ft of torque. Second, the body kit with front and rear spoilers and side skirts. The third is stiff suspension and a few chassis modifications. The Cobra was born for performance, and the buyers got precisely that when they pressed the gas pedal. The 0 to 60 mph sprint was achievable in just 4.4 seconds. Its top speed was around 150 mph, which was impressive for the day. Too bad that Ford built only 300 of those thoroughbreds, which are impossible to find today.

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Ford Mustang SVT Cobra

Inspired by the wild SVT Cobra Rs from the ’90s, the 2003 model was not named R since it wasn’t so limited in production and was available to the general public rather than just private teams. However, this SVT Cobra was a fascinating, vital model for the Mustang dynasty since it featured two firsts (via Motor Week).

One was the first factory supercharged engine and the other was the first independent rear suspension. SVT took the standard 4.6-liter block and mounted different heads and superchargers to get 390 hp and 390 lb.-ft of torque. The engine got the nickname “Terminator,” and a rumor was that it had more than the advertised 390 hp. Ford equipped the SVT Cobra with an independent rear suspension, a setup similar to the first Ford GT, to handle all that power and torque.

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Ford Mustang Shelby GT500

The first Mustang to wear the Shelby name in almost 40 years was the 2007 GT500. Conceived by the SVT department, the same folks who brought us Cobra R models with the help of Carroll Shelby as a consultant, the 2007 Shelby GT 500 was something else. It looked mean, had an aggressive design with multiple upgrades, and sounded terrifying thanks to the new 5.4-liter supercharged V8 engine with 500 hp and 480 lb.-ft of torque (via Car and Driver).

2007 Ford Shelby GT500 — Photo Credit: Ford

It was the first production Mustang that broke the magic 500 hp barrier and the most powerful muscle car at the moment. With racing stripes on the hood, roof, and trunk, four exhaust pipes, and a scary rumble from the massive V8, the 2007 Shelby GT 500 would make Carroll Shelby proud. Of course, the performance was terrific as 0 to 60 mph took only 4.5 seconds. And it could have done better, but massive torque burned the rear tires if you pushed the pedal too hard.

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Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 (2013)

The swan song of SVT supercharged Mustangs was the 2013 Shelby GT 500. This glorious muscle car had a 5.8-liter supercharged V8, which pumped 662 hp and 631 lb.-ft of torque. At the moment, this was the most potent American-made V8 engine and a proper beast of an engine. Installed in RWD, a live axle platform, it was known as a tire smoke generator, but besides its burnout and show potential, it was also a very serious performance machine (via Motor Trend).

The 0 to 60 mph sprint took only 3.5 seconds and the $50,000 Mustang could embarrass a $250,000 Ferrari at the stop light drag race. Buyers loved this overpowered Mustang, and despite it is old model, it’s still the king of the hill among Mustang fans.

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Ford Mustang Boss 302

Ever since the first retro Mustangs appeared in showrooms across America, Ford fans asked for the return of the Boss 302. For those who don’t know, the Boss 302 from 1969 is a racing car homologation special for Trans-Am races. 43 years later, Ford revived the Boss 302 with a new 5.0-liter Coyote V8, which delivered 444 hp and 380 lb.-ft of torque. Again, this was almost a pure racing car with no back seats, a factory-installed roll cage, and a host of other external and internal modifications (via Car and Driver).

As you’d expect, the performance was better than the regular Mustang GT, and the 2012 Boss 302 could accelerate to 60 mph in 3.97 seconds and top 155 mph. Until we see the future version of the Boss 302, the 2012 model is one of the fastest Mustangs of all time and deserves a place on our list.

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Ford Mustang GT 5.0 Performance Pack 2

What exactly is the Mustang GT Performance Pack 2? It’s a GT with a 5.0-liter Coyote V8 with 460 HP and 420 lb.-ft of torque mated to a six-speed manual transmission in the best tradition of classic muscle cars. With the 0 to 60 mph times in the low four-second range, the Performance Pack 2 is fast. But numbers are just half the story. The essence of the Performance Pack is in its handling, braking, and lower weight (via Road and Track).

For $6,500 above the price of a regular GT, you get chassis and aerodynamic improvements, stiffer springs, beefier anti-roll bars, performance tires, bigger brakes, and racing seats. This package transforms the standard Mustang GT from a great sports car into a fantastic driver’s machine.

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Ford Mustang Shelby GT350

For those who want the classic screamer Mustang with Shelby heritage but with modern technology and unbelievable V8 performance, the new GT 350 R is a perfect choice. Even though Shelby used the Mustang GT as a basis, much of the car’s suspension, design, aero package, and engine was new. The most significant single difference was the fantastic Voodoo engine, which has a 5.2-liter displacement, 526 hp, and 429 lb.-ft of torque (via Motor Trend).

The main feature of this high-revving powerplant is flat plane crank technology, which allows the big V8 to scream to almost 9000 rpm. It is the same technology that exotic manufacturers like Ferrari use, and this is the first time a muscle car has such an advanced engine. Ford’s investment in Shelby GT 350 R paid off since the performance is mind-boggling, taking only 3.9 seconds for a 0 to 60 mph sprint. But the numbers don’t do justice to this car.

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Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 (2020)

The 2020 Mustang Shelby GT500 is a car of superlatives. This Mustang is not only the most powerful car in the long lineage of powerful machines but also the first Mustang with an MSRP of almost $80,000, which can quickly inflate to nearly $100,000 if you tick a few options boxes. Affordability was one of the critical points of Mustangs throughout the years, and we can’t call a $100k car affordable. But despite the whopping price, this car is worth its asking price (via Car and Driver).

Under the hood is a supercharged 5.2-liter V8 with 760 hp with a 10-speed automatic. The 0 to 60 mph sprint is possible in 3.5 seconds, making it the quickest production Mustang ever. However, this isn’t all. The 2020 Shelby GT500 is full of intelligent components, carbon, and lightweight materials. It has a unique aero package and revised suspension and braking. It’s genuinely a supercar-beating Mustang, but also adequately priced.

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Ford Mustang Mach I

Even though 2020 wasn’t the best year in the car industry because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Ford was still able to introduce new products and designs. That includes further expanding the Mustang GT range. One such product was the brand-new 2021 Mustang Mach I. This model marked the return of the legendary Mustang nameplate used periodically from 1969 -1973 and 2003-2004. This Mach I is better than ever and has more power and performance than its predecessors. The S550 Mach I is a step up from the regular S550 Mustang GT and GT Performance Pack II but a step below the Shelby GT350 and GT500.

Interestingly, Ford discontinued the Shelby GT350, and Mach I and Shelby are aimed at the same market and have somewhat similar price tags. Under the hood is the same 5.0-liter Coyote V8 but with a few Shelby and Bullitt parts, which results in a 480 hp rating (same as the Bullitt). The customers hoped for a 500 hp rating, but for some reason, Ford decided to keep it 480 hp using already existing components. However, the new Mach I will come with special body parts, a handling package, special paint, decal trim, and a host of unique details to enhance this special version of the Mustang (via Ford).

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Ford Mustang Dark Horse

If you look at this list, you will see that model names have repeated themselves since 1964. The GTs, Mach Is, Cobras, Shelbys, and Boss 302s have always been the recognizable performance versions in the Mustang lineage. However, for 2024, Ford is preparing an all-new thoroughbred Mustang positioned above the GT. It’s called the Dark Horse, and even though it still needs to prove itself, it’s already a strong contender for one of the best Mustangs ever made (via Ford).

The Dark Horse is a track-oriented model based on GT. It means it uses the fourth-generation Coyote V8 with double intakes and revised parts but takes it up a notch. The engine used in Dark Horse has forged internals, new camshafts, electronics, and an even larger intake system. It means it will rev higher and deliver more power than the already potent standard Coyote V8. It has 100 hp per liter of displacement, which means the Dark Horse delivers that coveted 500 hp mark.

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Pony Powerhouses: Performance Mustangs That Tamed Road and Track

Ford Mustang 289 HiPo

Shelby GT350 R

Ford Mustang 390 GT

Shelby GT500

Ford Mustang Cobra Jet 428

Ford Mustang Boss 302

Ford Mustang Boss 429

Ford Mustang Mach I

Ford Mustang Boss 351

Ford Mustang Cobra SVT

Ford Mustang Cobra R (1995)

Ford Mustang Cobra R

Ford Mustang SVT Cobra

Ford Mustang Shelby GT500

Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 (2013)

Ford Mustang Boss 302

Ford Mustang GT 5.0 Performance Pack 2

Ford Mustang Shelby GT350

Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 (2020)

Ford Mustang Mach I

Ford Mustang Dark Horse

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