2021 Ford Mustang Mach 1 is the hottest Mustang this side of a Shelby

The 2021 Ford Mustang Mach 1 is here, ending a 17-year hiatus for the special edition sports car. And while this one lacks the last car’s shaker hood scoop, it makes up for it by stuffing in oodles of performance parts, including many from the Shelby line.

Under the hood is the Mustang GT’s 5.0-liter V8, but upgraded with a recalibrated engine computer and GT350 intake manifold. The result is that makes 480 horsepower and 420 pound-feet of torque, just like the discontinued Bullitt Mustang. Bolted to the engine is your choice of a six-speed manual or a 10-speed automatic. The manual is the same gearbox as you’ll get in a Shelby GT350. It also features rev-matching for downshifts. The automatic is the 10-speed you’ll find in other Mustang GTs but with an upgraded torque converter and retuned shift timing.

Ford has also provided the Mach 1 with loads of cooling capacity to ensure you can run it hard on track. The engine gets the GT350 oil cooler, which also adds 50% more oil capacity. The manual transmission gets its own oil cooler from the GT350, and the automatic has two. Even the rear differential gets an oil cooler, this one coming from the Shelby GT500.

The chassis and aerodynamics receive some upgrades as well. Magnetic suspension is standard equipment along with stiffer anti-roll bars and front springs, stiffer rear subframe bushings, Mustang Performance Package 2 brake booster and a GT500 rear toe-link. The belly pan of the car is a bit longer than a regular Mustang GT for increased air flow under the car. It also includes a large wing section and airfoils in the brake cooling ducts for additional downforce. The rear diffuser comes straight from the GT500. The Handling Package, which is available only with the manual transmission, adds a large front spoiler, extra spats at the wheel arches and a Gurney flap on the rear spoiler.

Of course a Mach 1 isn’t complete without some visual tweaks. It has a unique front fascia with empty foglight openings reminiscent of past performance Mustangs. The standard wheels are 19-inch units designed to look like vintage Mach 1 wheels. The Handling package gets a different set that are an inch wider, going from 9.5 inches to 10.5 inches at the front, and from 10 to 11 inches at the rear. Trim pieces are painted in a dark gray, and satin black stripes feature on the hood and sides of the car. They come with red or white reflective accents, or orange on the Appearance Package, which also makes an exclusive dark gray paint available. The inside gets a unique aluminum finish dash, white cueball shifter and badging.

The Mach 1 goes on sale next spring. Pricing is not yet available. While it is available with either a manual or automatic transmission, it’s only available as a coupe. We’re expecting the price to be a bit above the Bullitt, which started at about $48,000, but certainly not as expensive as the roughly $61,000 Shelby GT350.

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