Since the release of the first Mustang in 1964, we’ve seen a lot of variations of Ford’s pony car over the last 50 years. Some of the heavy hitters like Shelby, Roush, and Saleen have created some pretty fast and collectable Mustangs over that period. With there being so many variations to choose from, we simply couldn’t see ourselves choosing our “top 5” Mustangs over the last 50 years. We may do an item like that in the future, however today, we’re bringing you a short list of five of our favorite late model Mustangs. It’s important to note, these cars are not in any particular order either.
No. 1: 2003-2004 Mustang Mach 1
There’s a lot of reasons why we love the ’03-’04 Mach 1 Mustang. If you know the history behind the Mach 1 name, you’ll know that back in 1969, Ford introduced the Mach 1 as a competitive alternative to the competition then. Because the Mach 1 had so much success during the first year of its release, Ford actually discontinued the GT name in favor of the Mach 1. The Mach 1 had a total run of 9 years (1978) before Ford decided to discontinue it after hitting a point of low sales.
Skip ahead to the year 2003, and you’ll find the Mach 1 has returned for two years under the New Edge generation. For ’03 and ’04, this Mach 1 definitely pays homage to the original: a functional ram-air shaker scoop is incorporated into its cowl-hood, and like the original Mach 1 engines, this V8 also plenty of power under the hood. The all aluminum naturally aspirated 4.6 liter DOHC V8 found in the ’03-’04 Mach 1 was rated at 305 horsepower and 320 lb-ft of torque.
No. 2: 2003-2004 Mustang SVT Cobra “Terminator”
The SVT Cobra has always been one of the most legendary Mustangs ever offered. The SVT Cobra name came about as an upgraded Mustang back in 1993, the last year of the Fox body. Remember, these were SVT’s early years, so changes back then were not as drastic as the terminator above. The SVT Cobra name had a run for 11 years from ’93-’04, with the ’03-’04 being highly desired for a multitude of reasons. With its factory Eaton M112 supercharged 4.6 liter DOHC 32-valve V8, this car came from Ford rated at a conservative 390 horsepower and 390 lb-ft of torque thanks to its incorporated iron block.
Like the S550 Mustang, the ’99-’01 and ’03-’04 SVT Cobra also came from the factory with independent rear suspension standard. And with only 19,140 SVT Cobras ever produced, they’re not an easy car to come by. Combine that with the Terminator’s love for boost, forged internals, and a standard 6-speed Tremec transmission, and we finally had the Mustang that the blue oval faithful had been begging for for a decade.
No. 3: 2012-2013 Mustang Boss 302
For 2012, Ford banked on nostalgia brought back the Boss 302 name for the 5th generation S197 Mustang. In the middle of the 1968 model year, Ford started offering customers an optional engine, known as the “Boss 302”. The Boss 302 didn’t become it’s own model Mustang until 1969, when Ford needed a “factory” car to compete in the SCCA Trans-Am championship. Now if you ask us, any car produced and sold to the public simply because a manufacturer needs a “racecar” to compete is A-OK with us.
For the second generation Boss Mustang (’12-’13), Ford used a modified version of the GT’s naturally aspirated 5.0 liter DOHC 32V V8. Enhancements included a Boss-specific high-flow intake manifold (like the one used on the Boss racecar), forged rotating assembly, FRPP CNC machined cylinder heads, and revised camshafts. The engine was codenamed Roadrunner (kind of tongue in cheek acknowledgement to the standard 5.0 Coyote name). With those changes, the Boss 302 makes 444 horsepower and and 380 lb-ft of torque. Keep in mind, if you’re looking for one of these cars, know that they only come in a 6-speed manual only and are bred for track performance.
Our recommendation is to search for a Laguna Seca model Boss 302 if you can find one, as you’ll be getting more the more race-oriented version.
No. 4: 2015 Shelby GT350-R
If you follow our news pretty closely, you’ll know that the first new Shelby GT350 and GT350R just rolled off the production line at the Flat Rock Plant in Flat Rock, Michigan just last week. While ’15 models are slowly beginning to be introduced, all of them have already been accounted for by their new owners. If you’re looking to get into the market for a Shelby GT350 or GT350R, you’ll have to wait until the 2016 models begin production shortly after.
Like the previous models above, the Shelby GT350 is another nameplate which has an awesome legacy behind it. In 1965, Mustang GT models were being shipped to Shelby America to become Shelby GT350. However, Shelby produced a total of 34 GT350Rs, which were racing-spec GT350s which were built specifically for SCCA competitions. The GT350R was the B-Production SCCA champion for 3 years in a row.
The latest Shelby GT350 and GT350R are powered by a naturally aspirated 5.2 liter DOHC 32V V8 which uses a flat-plane crank. Appropriately, both GT350 models will come standard with an all new specially built Tremec transmission.
No. 5: 2007-2014 Shelby GT500
It’s hard to say something about the Shelby GT500 that hasn’t already been said since it’s been in production over the past 7 years. While the Shelby GT350 was technically first to hit the streets between the two, the GT500 has always been a heavy hitter when it comes to pure brute performance. The original cars of the ’60s came from Shelby (and then later Ford) with a huge 428 cubic-inch (7.0 liter) V8 which was used in the police interceptors of the time.
During the last years of production for the GT500 (’13-’14), the car was equipped with a supercharged 5.8 liter DOHC 32V Trinity V8 which was rated at 662 horsepower and 631 lb-ft of torque. It was the first GT500 capable of hitting over 200 mph from the factory, and was the fastest GT500s from the factory ever recorded. The fastest 0-60 mph was recorded at 3.5 seconds, and the fastest quarter mile at 11.6 seconds with a trap speed of 125 mph.
Final Thoughts
Like we mentioned above, these Mustangs are in no particular order, and they’re not our top five picks. We’ve simply compiled a list of five of our favorite late model Mustangs.
What do you guys think about our list? We’d love to hear yours in the comments section, and your thoughts on compiling another list in the future.