The Ford The Mustang is one of the most iconic and popular muscle cars in American automotive history and is known for its powerful package, affordable price tag and long-term reliability. The brand first launched the Mustang in 1963 for buyers looking for a car with a powerful engine and a raw driving experience. Several generations and iterations of the Mustang have been released to the market so far.
Over time, the Mustang not only improved, but also featured multiple technological upgrades and performance modifications that helped the brand not only boost sales numbers in the market, but also attract true muscle aficionados. expensive While most Mustang models are still loved and remembered, these Ford Mustang models are often ranked as the best and are often referred to as the most iconic and best iterations of the legendary Mustang brand in America.
10 1967 Shelby GT500
Released after the Shelby GT350, the Shelby GT500 was aimed at buyers looking for a more powerful and reliable street racer. Also considered the best Shelby muscle car ever produced, the 1967 Shelby GT500 was the last car to be built at Shelby American’s Venice, California shop. With its more sophisticated design and beautiful styling, the 1967 Shelby GT500 not only had a strong presence on the road, but also offered phenomenal performance.
Under the hood, it was offered with a 428 V8 engine, which was capable of delivering 355 hp and 420 lb-ft of peak torque. With a claimed 0-60 mph time of 6.5 seconds and a top speed of 128 mph, the 1967 Shelby GT500 was the second-fastest muscle car on Ford’s handling course at the time.
9 1968 Ford Mustang California Special
With its styling inspired by the Mustang GT and a sportier package, the 1968 Ford Mustang California Special offered a great combination of the Mustang GT and the Shelby. To make things even better, the brand offered multiple engine options to buyers, ranging from the 302 to the 428. However, it was the 390 V8 engine that found the most buyers and was rated at 325 hp.
With dedicated campaigns such as ‘California made It Happen!’, one in five of these muscle cars were sold only in California and were offered with unique styling elements and special parts such as Lucas fog lights, special hood pins and an open gas. none
8 1969 Ford Mustang Boss 429
Designed exclusively for the racetrack, the 1969 Ford Mustang Boss 429 was one of the most powerful muscle cars of its era and, as the name suggests, was offered with a 429 V8 engine that was tuned to deliver 375 hp and 450 lb-ft of peak torque. Many, however, believe that this special NASCAR 429 V8 engine was capable of much more power than the claimed numbers when driven at full speed.
The ’69 Boss 429 is also one of the few cars that has better styling than the legendary Shelby GT500, and it impressed everyone with its performance and strong character. With only 1,359 produced, the 1969 Boss 429 is an extremely rare car today and was only available in 1969 and 1970. It is worth noting that a number of modifications and reinforcements from Kar Kraft Engineering were used to modify the chassis of the Mustang. to properly fit the new, more powerful engine into the engine bay.
7 1969 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 Cobra Jet
Unlike previous Shelby models, the 1969 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 Cobra Jet was designed and developed by Ford after the cancellation between Carroll Shelby and Ford to produce Shelby-branded Mustang muscle cars. Despite this, the muscle car offered a great package for muscle car enthusiasts with its iconic styling, impressive performance and balanced dynamics.
What made it even more special were the new styling and mechanical additions like a widened hood and front fenders with ram air ducts, flared wheel arches and a massive front grille. Under the hood, this version of the GT500 was offered with the powerful 428 cu-in Cobra Jet V8 engine, which was rated at 335 hp and 440 lb-ft of peak torque.
6 1971 Ford Mustang Mach 1
With a 0-60 mph time of just 6.5 seconds and a top speed of 114 mph, the 1971 Ford Mustang Mach 1 was not only fast, but also known for its phenomenal driving experience. An optional Drag Pack was also offered and included a number of performance upgrades such as a Hurst shifter, front disc brakes, power steering, front radiator engine oil cooler, Magnum 500 wheels and 4.30 gears
The ’71 Mustang Mach 1, unlike older models, featured a longer body length and was a major departure from Ford’s conventional muscle car styling, which was largely dominated by clean cuts and creases. The front fascia with new round lamps and fog lamps, stripe package and multiple performance enhancements were some of the major factors behind the car’s huge success in the market.
5 1993 Ford Mustang SVT Cobra
Fox-bodied Mustangs gained huge popularity in the early 1990s, and the brand planned a special farewell for Fox-bodied muscle cars with the release of the 1993 Ford Mustang SVT Cobra. Designed and developed by the in-house team of Ford Special Vehicles (SVT), this iteration of the Mustang was offered with a heavily modified 302 cu-in V8 engine with GT40 “High-Flow” cast-iron cylinder heads and rocker arms.
To further improve performance, engineers used a more aggressive camshaft, larger fuel injectors, a redesigned intake manifold, and a high-flow exhaust system. This helped the engine to have a peak power of 235 hp and 280 lb-ft of peak torque. The brand also launched a performance Cobra R model with improved suspension and drivetrain components as well as a lighter body weight.
4 2000 Ford Mustang SVT Cobra R
The 2000 Ford Mustang SVT Cobra R was introduced as a pure race car with all the go-fast advantages that Ford had at the time. The extensive list of modifications includes a sport-tuned Eibach-Bilstein suspension, Brembo brakes, an exterior aerodynamic package and many other powertrain upgrades that helped the engineers extract maximum performance from the machine. The brand also removed the second-row seat, air conditioning, radio and cruise control.
The 2000 Ford Mustang SVT Cobra R was powered by a 5.4-liter V8 with a twin-overhead configuration. This engine was capable of delivering 385 hp and 385 lb-ft of peak torque, and channeled power to the rear wheels through a short-ratio Tremec T56 six-speed transmission.
3 2012 Ford Mustang Boss 302 Laguna Seca
Ford relaunched the Boss nameplate with the launch of the 2012 Ford Mustang Boss 302 Laguna Seca, positioning it as a lucrative option for buyers looking for good performance and a no-nonsense package. With a 444-hp 5.0-liter V8 engine under the hood, the 2012 Ford Mustang Boss 302 Laguna Seca was significantly more powerful than the Boss 302 and is still considered an economical track weapon in the American market.
The 2012 Ford Mustang Boss 302 Laguna Seca version also came with Recaro seats, a limited slip differential and a prominent rear spoiler for improved aerodynamics. In addition, the muscle car also came with a stiffer suspension and Pirelli R compound tires, performance brakes and an air intake in the transmission for improved cooling.
2 2016 Shelby GT350
For those looking for a perfect blend of the traditional Mustang-Shelby package and modern technology, the 2016 Shelby GT350 is a muscle car worth checking out. Classic exterior styling and a premium cabin, along with an engaging driving experience, help this iteration of the Mustang appeal to most cult muscle car enthusiasts.
Under the hood, the 2016 Shelby GT350 came with a 5.2-liter DOHC 32-valve V8 engine that produces a peak power of 562 hp and 428 lb-ft of peak torque. This engine comes mated to a six-speed manual gearbox and helps the car to run from 0 to 60 mph in just 4.1 seconds. The 2016 Shelby GT350 makes even more sense with a JD Energy Consumer Verified rating of 83 out of 100 for buyers looking for a reliable race car.
1 2019 Ford Mustang Bullitt
The 2019 Ford Mustang is one of the most popular Mustang models and is loved for its aggressive styling and powerful performance. The Mustang Bullitt took things further with its additional modifications and unique elements that gave it a better and sportier character. To make things even better, the brand offered two color options: Dark Highland Green Metallic and Shadow Black.
Making things extra special was a 5.0-liter Coyote V8 engine, which was capable of delivering 460 hp and 420 lb-ft of peak torque. We saw the same engine offered in the Mustang GT Premium. The 2019 Mustang Bullitt also features a rear-wheel drive setup and a six-speed manual transmission that makes driving extremely fun and engaging.
