Aussie V8 fans need not fear, the Americans have our backs with new Mustang Mach 1
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Aussie V8 fans need not fear, the Americans have our backs with new Mustang Mach 1

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By GoAuto - 11 November 2020

By CALLUM HUNTER

AUSSIES love their V8, especially the ones residing under the bonnet of either a Holden or Ford.

Almost every petrolhead in the country shed a tear or two when news broke that Ford was farewelling the Falcon and Holden was culling the Commodore as we knew it…

In the absence of the XR8, GS and flagship GTs, Ford Australia took it upon itself to secure the American-built Mustang for a local introduction and to quench the V8 thirst of thousands.

The new Mach 1 sports plenty of nods to the 1960s original.

This turned out to be a masterstroke by Ford as the Mustang now holds a 48.7 per cent share of the sub-$80,000 sportscar market with 2359 sales this year to the end of October.

While the Mustang GT made it Down Under, the rabid Shelbys available in the US remain off the table for us, but Ford again had that covered by launching the locally developed R-Spec, and now the Blue Oval is coming to the party again with the Mach 1; a sort of semi-skim GT350.

Taking its name from the legendary go-faster model of the 60s and 70s, the new Mach 1 will be limited strictly to 700 units in Australia and bridge the gap between the regular GT and flagship R-Spec.

Just like the original, the new Mach 1 bridges the gap between the regular GT and the flagships.

Under the bonnet resides the same 5.0-litre V8 petrol engine as found in GT, albeit a tweaked version with an open-air induction system, intake manifold, 87mm throttle bodies and a bigger exhaust system all pinched from the GT350, developing 345kW (+6kW) while torque is pegged at 556Nm.

Drive is sent to the rear wheels via the familiar choice of six-speed manual or 10-speed automatic transmissions, however both units have been upgraded with parts borrowed from the US-only Shelby GT350.

It is a similar story under the skin too where the Mach 1 continues to pinch bits from the GT350 and mental GT500, including the rear-axle cooling system and lower diffuser from the latter, as well as a new underbelly pan, stiffer sway bars and front springs, recalibrated steering system, stiffer subframe bushings and an enhanced brake booster.

The familiar choice of manual or automatic transmissions continues to be offered.

The results speak for themselves, with Ford labelling the Mach 1 the best-handling factory-produced Mustang ever brought Down Under.

Given the original Mach 1 was built in honour of Chuck Yeager breaking the sound barrier (achieving Mach 1), Ford Australia president and CEO Andrew Birkic described the new Mach 1 as a worthy successor given its enhanced performance and handling.

“Achieving Mach 1 for the first time was a significant human feat,” he said.

Ford Australia confirmed the Mach 1 on the 73rd anniversary of Chuck Yeager’s record-breaking flight.

“That spirit and determination to keep pushing, never settling and always trying to go further is what the Mach 1 Mustang was all about – and it’s fitting that we can bring Australian customers, who’ve made Mustang part of our motoring landscape, a 2021 Mustang Mach 1 of their very own.”

To advertise its enhanced abilities, the Mach 1 has been adorned in a series of retro-inspired styling cues including a redesigned front grille with faux lamp elements, a more aggressive lower chin and intake combination with two new side grilles, low-gloss Mustang pony badge, unique darkened body and bonnet decals and more aggressive aero features designed to increase downforce.

Five body colours are available – Fighter Jet Grey, Shadow Black, Oxford White, Velocity Blue and Twister Orange – all of which come with contrasting Mach 1 decals as an added reminder of exactly which Mustang you’re looking at.

There is no mistaking the Mach 1 for a regular GT or supercharged R-Spec.

As one would expect, the Mach 1 also splits the GT and R-Spec on price, coming in at $83,365 plus on-road costs – $19,175 upstream of the base GT manual and $16,251 shy of the R-Spec.

Included in the price are all of the aforementioned mechanical and visual upgrades as well as aluminium detailing and Metal Grey contrast stitching for the seats and interior, Sync3 infotainment system, 12-inch digital instrument cluster, 12-speaker B&O sound system and FordPass Connect embedded modem.

Recaro leather sports seats are available as a $3000 option, as is a $1000 ‘Appearance Pack’ paired exclusively with the Fighter Jet Grey colour scheme, adding orange accented seatback trim and brake callipers as well as orange/satin black hood and side stripes.

V8 muscle cars are in short supply these days, so the more variants the better.

While HSV didn’t enjoy anywhere near the same level of success with the Camaro as Ford has with the Mustang, V8 fans around the country can rest easy knowing that the Blue Oval has their backs when it comes to offering classic muscle car grunt and, given V8s are now a dying breed, that should be celebrated.

Protect your Mustang. Call Shannons Insurance on 13 46 46 to get a quote today.