It admittedly took me a while to “get” the Mustang. Growing up, the Mustang was a relic of my parents’ generation. I wanted new. I wanted modern. And being a sucker for fast hatchbacks and wagons, I wanted something foreign. Fate would bring me the import scene in the ‘90s, which got me into automotive media in the early ‘00s, which helped me pop my Mustang cherry in one of the J Mays cars in 2005.

That car was fine. Didn’t light my world on fire, but I didn’t hate it either. Fast forward a few years to when an R35 GT-R and Boss Mustang 302 entered my press fleet rotation, practically back-to-back. I drove the hell out of both cars in the city, the highway, and some very fast canyon roads. My verdict? The Mustang was better.

Both cars were fast – faster than I can comfortably handle – but I was charmed by the sheer visceral nature of the Ford. It was fast, with an intoxicating exhaust note that shattered my eardrums, and its 6-speed manual made me feel like I was actually involved with the drive. The Mustang Boss 302 is one of those cars I still think fondly of to this day.

The all-new Ford Mustang Mach 1 is even better.

Which is surprising, as on paper there’s nothing really special about it. Everyone is rightly calling the Mustang Mach 1 a parts-bin special. But when said parts are this special, you get a machine much, much greater than the sum of said parts.

The engine is the 5.0-liter V8 sourced from the Bullitt, rated at 480 horsepower at 7000 rpm and 420 lb-ft of torque at a lofty (for a ‘Stang) 4600 rpm. You can get a 10-speed auto, but luckily my tester has the Tremec 3160 6-speed manual and transmission oil cooler from the Shelby 350.

To quote the press release: stock, the Mach 1 is equipped with Ford’s “latest MagneRide calibration, a stiffer steering I-shaft, new EPAS calibration, stiffer sway bars and front springs, a brake booster from the Mustang GT Performance Pack Level 2, 9.5-inch/10-inch split fitment wheels with Michelin PS4 tires, a rear subframe with stiffer bushings and a rear toe-link from Shelby GT500.”

But my tester also gets the Handling Package, which is overkill for a street car, but rad anyway and includes a more aggressive front splitter, a big honkin’ spoiler made bigger with a Gurney flap, Michelin Sport Cup 2 tires, a bunch of other stuff I’m too tired to list out, and the rear tire spats from the Shelby GT 500.

Its aggressive looks, thankfully, are functional. All that additional aero increases downforce by 150 percent when compared to a standard Mustang GT. And if it looks like a vent, it’s functional, either shoving a bunch of cold air where it’s needed, or extracting the hot stuff to help improve on-track durability.

In other words, this Mustang has got a bunch of s*** on it to make it go very, very fast for a very, very long time.

And I love it.

While technically a street car, it’s hard to declare the Mach 1 as “streetable.” It sits way, way low, and you’re all but guaranteed to smash the massive front splitter on everything from speed bumps, to driveways, to errant fleas crossing the road. That Gurney-flapped rear wing kills all semblance of rearward visibility, and with the rear seat delete, practicality has been deleted as well.

Its engine note is godly, as is the way it shoves you into the back of its aggressively bolstered Recaros. But what really demands your attention is the grip. Bury the loud pedal and those Michelins and aero work in tandem to slam the car into the asphalt. Through a fast, curvy road, this Mustang effortlessly responds to every input, maintaining its balance as you flick it from corner to corner.

On a straight, open road, though, the Mach 1 almost builds speed too quickly. It takes just a hair over four seconds for this Mustang to accelerate from null to 60. But there’s a violence to the whole experience that has to be experienced to be explained. The noise. Oh, god, the noise. At once ferocious, intimidating, and addicting. Power and speed come at you like an in-his-prime Mike Tyson punching you down a flight of stairs. And those Sport Cup 2 tires are practically slicks, forcing you to fight the steering wheel as the tires try to glue themselves to every slight road imperfection.

In other words, the Mustang Mach 1 is a sports car that demands total involvement from its driver, and to me, it’s exactly that kind of involvement that takes a sports car from good to great.

Not that the Mach 1 is perfect. Its driving experience, admittedly, can be too much for a daily. Well, at least the way most of us would drive it. But more importantly, it’s not cheap. My specific tester comes in at a weighty $63,745. That’s Porsche 718 money. And while the Mustang may technically be faster, it still feels like a $25k Ford inside.

To bring it back to the GT-R, that badge became legendary because it felt, in a way, attainable. It took an average “sporty” car, gave it a factory tune, and suddenly it could run with the world’s best, for a whole lot less. Now, the GT-R badge stands for a bespoke, 15-year-old platform and a six-figure price tag. And in my opinion, the Mach 1 is truer to the original GT-R ethos than the R35. You could say that the Ford Mustang Mach 1 out GT-Rs the GT-R. In fact, I just did.

Highlights	Description
Engine	5.0-liter DOHC Ti-VCT direct-injection V8
Horsepower	480
Torque	420 lb-ft
Transmission	6-speed Tremec TR-3160
Suspension, F/R	MacPherson strut / Integral-link independent
Brakes, F/R	Brembo 6-piston calipers with 352mm vented discs / 320mm vented disc
Wheels and Tires, F/R	19x10.5-in. / 19x11-in alloy wheels; 305/30R19 / 315/30R19 Michelin Sport Cup 2 tires
Curb weight	3868 lbs.
Overall length	188.5 in.
Overall width	81.9 in.
Overall height	54.3 in.
Wheelbase	107.1 in.

Ford Mustang Mach 1

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