ROSAMOND, Calif. – Chuck Yeager’s Bell X-1 busted the sound barrier again in 1947, inspiring a technology of velocity freaks that something is feasible with a can-do spirit and the precise {hardware}. Nonetheless, it wasn’t till 1969 that the supersonic maiden flight of the Concorde put faster-than-sound journey inside attain of civilians. The identical 12 months, the primary Ford Mustang Mach 1 was dropped into the arms of drivers, who promptly set no fewer than 295 velocity and endurance data on the Bonneville Salt Flats. The round-eyed Pony automobile continued its streak, incomes back-to-back SCCA championships in 1969 and 1970, making it a reliable race automobile that introduced energy to the folks.
Quick ahead to 2021. Between the Challenger Hellcats, Camaro ZL1s, and top-dog Mustangs, there’s by no means been rawer, extra reasonably priced horsepower obtainable to most people. Reviving the Mach 1 identify for the primary time in 17 years, Ford slots the brand new $53,915 fastback beneath the monstruous Shelby GT500, whose supercharged 5.2-liter V8 churns an eye-watering 760 horsepower. Positioned as the top of the 5.0-liter lineup, the Mach 1 prices 72% of the GT500 worth and supplies 63% of the horsepower. However the brand new Mach 1 is arguably nearer in spirit to the O.G. muscle automobile than the mind-melting Shelby. You possibly can take it to the observe, but it surely will not be taking up supercars whereas there.
With that extra attainable efficiency purpose in thoughts, we climbed into an aggressively optioned 2021 Ford Mustang Mach 1 on the Streets of Willow circuit to seek out out if this pumped-up street automobile was actually observe worthy. Basically the 5.0-liter discovered within the dearly departed Mustang Bullitt with a couple of components from the also-dearly departed Shelby GT350, the Mach 1’s 480-horsepower V8 has a husky presence, rumbling its naturally aspirated music with a soothing bass word and excellent flexibility.
Go for the six-speed handbook, a Tremec 3160 unit, and also you get a nostalgic white cue ball short-throw shifter mated to a GT clutch. The handbook will get a lot of options supposed to make it a whippersnapper on observe, together with rev-matched downshifts and a flat-foot characteristic that permits the accelerator to stay floored between shifts. Extra on that later. The 2-pedal setup incorporates Ford’s extensively used 10-speed SelectShift auto, which makes use of an upgraded torque converter, a second oil cooler for 75% higher cooling, and Mach 1-specific calibration.
Mat the throttle within the handbook, and the Mach 1 blasts forward with a blat and buck, urgent you into its bucket Recaros with a satisfying shove. Ford engineers say the perforated exhaust ideas take away a few of the excessive frequency noise, with the purpose being “barely authorized” in probably the most stringent world markets of Australia, Brazil and Germany.
Monitoring any automobile for the primary time requires a studying curve, however the Mach 1 is a startlingly fast examine: Only a couple turns into the technical corners at Streets of Willow, and I discovered myself pushing the Mustang more durable and quicker than most vehicles I’ve spent many laps in. Outfitted with the Dealing with Package deal, the Mach 1 assaults corners with sharp turn-in and excellent grip from the Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tires that wrap round wider 19-inch wheels. The setup provides extra aggressive aero for downforce and a bolt-in Gurney flap that may be eliminated, together with a 7-mm decrease entrance and 6-mm rear finish; the automated sits one other 2mm decrease. The usual Mach 1 claims 22% extra downforce than a Efficiency Pack Degree 1-equipped GT, and 150% extra with the Dealing with Package deal. Together with already stiffer sway bars and entrance springs, stiffer rear subframe bushings and a GT500-sourced rear toe-link, the Dealing with Package deal permits user-adjustable wheel camber settings. Our testers had been dialed in with -2.5 mm on the entrance and -1.5 mm on the rear, which yielded prodigious grip throughout high-G cornering.
It takes some getting used to holding the throttle down in between shifts. Each ounce of your mechanical empathy pleads to you to do in any other case. However as soon as accustomed to the no-lift characteristic, which solely works above 5,000 rpm, the Mach 1 handbook is a riot to wind as much as its indicated 7,400-rpm redline and velocity shift into the subsequent gear. The shifter throw is brief and tight however exact, and there’s a reassuring accuracy to the naturally aspirated V8’s throttle response. The Efficiency Package deal’s six-piston Brembo brakes scrub off velocity shortly, rounding out the Mach 1’s capabilities properly. In Observe mode, the obtainable and beneficial MagneRide damping system stiffens up the suspension sufficient to make this Mustang really feel buttoned down and agile, prepared for probably the most technical corners of this 1.6-mile circuit.
The ten-speed computerized delivers fairly a special expertise for the driving force, operating via extra gearshifts however doing so shortly sufficient that it by no means appears redundant. As an illustration, barreling downhill between turns 3 and 4 catches you proper in between second and third gears within the handbook, requiring an upshift adopted by a fast downshift. Sort out the identical stretch within the auto, and the swaps between third and fourth gears occur so shortly that it looks like nearly no time is misplaced within the course of. The ten-speed auto doesn’t shift with the seamlessness of the seven-speed dual-clutch discovered within the GT500, typically producing transient blips throughout rev-matched downshifts. Its wheel-mounted plastic paddles additionally don’t provide the identical mechanical satisfaction of rowing your personal gears. Nonetheless, it’s an environment friendly and efficient instrument on the race observe, enabling the Mach 1 to maintain tempo with a few of the most potent street vehicles obtainable in the marketplace as we speak.
Driving a Mach 1 on public roads with out the Dealing with Package deal delivers a noticeably totally different feeling behind the wheel. The V8’s tasty rumble continues to be there, as is the gusty shove of its 420 pound-feet of torque, which peak at 4,600 rpm. However the steering turn-in really feel is a tad softer with Michelin Pilot 4Ss underneath foot, and the cornering dynamics cushier, providing a extra grand-touring really feel than the track-capable sharpness of the dealing with package deal. Dial the drive mode to Tour, and the MagneRide suspension nonetheless feels buttoned-down however extra compliant than with the stiffer-riding Dealing with Package deal. There’s nonetheless loads of energy underneath the hood to get you into hassle, however the Mach 1 additionally feels solidly constructed and comfy sufficient for long-distance drives, enabling it to encroach on the usability of the GT mannequin slotted beneath it, whereas additionally stretching its legs sufficient to really feel actually at dwelling on the observe.
Whereas the GT is the quantity vendor that can fill most garages and the Shelby GT500 the low-volume outlier that battles supercars costing a number of occasions extra, the Mach 1 provides a strong, sharp-handling center floor that’s something however. It doesn’t earn the last word superlatives of being the quickest or quickest, however the Mach 1 achieves stirring quantities of efficiency that harken again to the glory days when a daring few broke boundaries and achieved the unthinkable. On the finish of the day, that is nonetheless only a loud and quick muscle automobile. However in these occasions when inner combustion is quickly being changed by electrification, vehicles just like the Mustang Mach 1 additionally imply extra now than ever.
Associated video:
