Ford Mustang Mach 1 rumored to replace the Bullitt in 2021

We’ve had about two weeks of bubbling rumor concerning a revival of the Ford Mustang Mach 1. It started with a video that Mustang parts supplier CJ Pony Parts published on YouTube, then removed. The video’s host said there weren’t many details, two of the bits known so far being that the Mustang Bullitt would go out of production after the 2020 model year, replaced by a Mustang Mach 1 as the new mid-step performance offering in 2021. Since then, Torque News has said, “A source has confirmed that this is not a rumor, but a fact.” We know Ford’s investing $250 million into the Flat Rock Assembly Plant that builds the Mustang. The next-generation pony car arrives in 2021 on its new modular platform, the Detroit Free Press writing that there’d be “several derivatives, probably including specialty models like the Bullitt and Shelby Cobra.” 

If TN is correct about its factuals, we’re looking ahead to the third coming of the Mach 1 trim. There was the original, built from 1968 to 1978, and the resurrection as a last hurrah for the fourth-generation Mustang in 2003 and 2004 (pictured), similar to the way Ford’s doing a two-year run of the Bullitt in 2019 and 2020.

CJ Pony Parts and TN say the Mach 1 will get a slight power boost over the Mustang GT, which makes sense if the new coupe will succeed the Bullitt. Right now, the 5.0-liter V8 in the GT produces 460 horsepower, the same engine in the Bullitt makes 480 hp with the assistance of a tuned ECU, larger throttle bodies, and the manifold from a Mustang GT350. We’d find it unlikely for any such car to outdo the 526 hp in the GT350, though. Rumor also asserts that the Mach 1 is likely to come with the Performance Pack 2, which folds in upgrades like the magnetic ride suspension that the Bullitt uses. What the similarities could mean is that the Mach 1 takes over as a rebadged Bullitt with more color choices and physical badging. Supposedly, the only transmission choice will be a six-speed manual.

Since the original Mach 1 is known for its black shaker hood and scoop, black side stripes, black rear spoiler, and Magnum 500 wheels, we can expect modern renderings of those cosmetics should a 2021 Mustang Mach 1 arrive. And with the new Mustang’s modular platform, it’s possible such a car could be the first Mach 1 to offer all-wheel drive.