Muscle cars are my first love, but in the past couple of years I’ve found myself seduced by the allure of alternative fuels. No, I don’t think everybody should run out and buy an electric car. Neither do I think anything can replace the roar of a well-tuned V8 engine belching out hundreds of horsepower. But, if you are a fan of going fast, you should know that there has been an immense amount of progress made across the entire spectrum of alternative fuels and speed.

For example just a few weeks ago students from Boise State University set a new land speed record of 155 mph for veggie oil pickups. Next year they think they’ll be able to take down the all-time diesel land speed record of 215 mph. Another team of students from Ohio State built an all-electric streamliner went over 400 mph this past summer. And back in 2009, Brent Hejak and Danny Thompson helped propel an E85 Ford Mustang to a new record of 255 mph, not only making it the fastest E85 vehicle in its class out there, but one of the fastest Mustangs on the planet, period. Ford even supported Hajek’s efforts…for a while, at least.

Which brings me to my deferred point; why isn’t Ford giving Mustang owners a flex-fuel option?

The technology certainly is there, as Ford uses the same 3.7 liter V6 and 5.0 liter V8 in the Mustang as it does in the F-150 pickup, where both of these engines are E85 capable. In fact, utilizing E85 fuel, the 5.0 engine in the F-150 actually gets a performance improvement, bumping horsepower from 360 to 375, and torque from 380 to 390. That’s only about a 4% power improvement, but the F-150’s 5.0 engine also wasn’t tuned for performance like the Mustang’s motor was. In the Mustang’s 5.0, a 4% improvement would bring power from 412 to 428 horsepower, simply by using E85.

So why not give Mustang owners an E85 option? I have a few theories.

For one, Ford may have decided against adding flex fuel capability to the Mustang’s V6 and V8 engines over concerns regarding price. The Ford F-150 is one of Ford’s most profitable vehicles, so there is a lot of wiggle room in regards of costs, and plenty of money. Furthermore, by including flex fuel capability on its best-selling vehicle, Ford can improve its green credentials while at the same time meeting government mandates for the sale of flex fuel vehicles. E85 is also most prevalent in the mid-west…as are pickup trucks. I can certainly see a business case for this move.

At the same time, the Ford Mustang sales have been flagging, and competition in the muscle car market has been heating up. So in order to maintain a certain profit margin, without increasing the cost of the car, Ford simply choose to not offer flex fuel capabilities on the Mustang.

But I’m not sure that is the case. At the Los Angeles Auto Show I had a chance to speak with Scott Monty, and when I raised the issue of Mustangs lacking flex fuel capability, he told me that, “The market for alternative fuels remains undefined,” so Ford isn’t ready to commit all its cars to one type of fuel.

And he has a point. Ethanol has become something of a political lightning rod in recent months as debates surrounding the size and role of the Federal government have materialized. Subsidies for the ethanol blender’s credit at set to expire at the end of this month, and the fuel itself is controversial. Doubts have even been cast by environmentalists as to whether or not ethanol is a “clean” fuel, and if we should be using food crops for fuel. I feel it is important to note though that not all ethanol is made from corn. Cellulosic ethanol can be produced  from inedible biomass like woodchips and switchgrass.

These are all legitimate excuses for not applying flex-fuel technology to Mustangs…though I have one more theory that is a bit more damning of both Ford, and Mustang owners, and that has to do with the whole “mystique” of muscle cars. Despite advancements in alternative fuel technology that is allowing vehicles of all kinds to achieve speeds never thought possible on anything but petroleum, some people still automatically think of green cars as slow. The Mustang is, after all, a performance car, and Ford may not want to dilute its image with any green credentials whatsoever and risk alienating a customer base that, let’s admit it, probably aren’t all that interested in talk about alternative fuels. Facebook comments, prove me wrong.

And if that is the case, well then Ford is blowing a golden opportunity to show its customers the performance potential of these fuels. Furthermore, if any if you readers harbor the notion that alternative fuels are performance killers, either you haven’t been paying attention, or you’re being blinded by baseless rhetoric. As I already said, I don’t want everyone to drive a Prius, and I don’t want the government to take away my muscle cars. But I also want options when I fill up my vehicle, whether that be natural gas (of which America has an abundance), propane, hydrogen, electricity, or even ethanol.

It isn’t up to Ford to save the world, and they are making impressive advancements in fuel economy improvements for gas engines and electric vehicle technology. I am a huge fan of their EcoBoost engines. On the same token, I want not just Ford, but all automakers to give me more options when it comes to my fuel choices. There is a big push to explore compressed natural gas as an alternative, and ROUSH CleanTech (an offshoot of ROUSH Performance) offers propane conversions for a number of Ford vehicles. ROUSH even runs a propane-powered 700 horsepower Mustang in the Open Comp. class of the NMCA. EcoBoost is great, but it still requires relying on oil imported from oft-unfriendly nations, and I’d rather not promote nations who suppress their own peoples’ freedoms. I don’t see why it has been left to the automotive aftermarket to offer alternative fuel conversions for popular vehicles.

The Mustang is supposed to be Ford’s halo car, but rather than using it as a vanguard for new technologies like EcoBoost and alternative fuels, America’s favorite pony car seems to be stuck in neutral, reliant on big V8’s and gasoline. That won’t fly forever, as the cost of gas in this country is finally catching up with the rest of the world. Ford can either deny this to the detriment of the Mustang, or embrace the change and use the host of new fuel and automotive technology to bring Mustang into the 21st century.

With the next-gen Mustang due out by 2014, I can only hope Ford will see to offering Mustang drivers more options when it comes to their fuel of choice. Otherwise the Mustang risks being a 20th century idea of trying to make it in a 21st century world. Would the Mustang survive today if gas were $5 a gallon? What about $7 a gallon? At the rate we’re going, gas could cost that much, or more, by the end of the decade.

Just give us some options Ford. That’s all I’m asking. Options.