The Ford Mustang has now been in production for over five decades and thus affirms that the American owners weren’t kidding when they started the pony car series in 1964. Now in its sixth generation of production, the Mustang Series has been as successful as it can get.
As the inventor of the pony cars concept, the Ford Company really couldn’t watch the Camaros and Chryslers of this world beat them at their own game hence they’ve been churning out diverse Mustang concepts, leading to a diverse Mustang production.
With a Mustang database replete of model options over several years of production, we have researched and narrowed our list to bring you the 10 most badass ford mustang models – ranked.
10 1971 FORD MUSTANG BOSS 351
Offering a high style with the right options and completely awesome performance, the 1971 Ford Mustang Boss 351 designed by Larry Shinoda opens our list of bad-ass Mustangs. Fitted with a powerful V8 engine that produces 330 hp at 5,400 and 370 torque at 4,000 rpm the Boss 351 can do 0-60 mph in 5.8 seconds, a quarter of a mile at 13.9 seconds and a top speed of 102 mph.
The vehicle was remarkably known for its track prowess and its good cornering ability, but other negatively reviews such its poorly designed cabin and gauges limited its production.
9 FORD MUSTANG MACH 1
In an attempt to lure young people into driving and believing its current name – GT, wouldn’t resonate well with youth, Ford introduced the Mach 1 in 1969. It worked; the car was an instant success as evident with the massive sales it recorded in comparison to other Mustangs as at then.
Rocking the 7.0 L Ram Air Cobra Jet & Super Cobra Jet V8 engine, producing 335 hp at 5200 rpm and 440 lb·ft at 3,400 rpm, the Mach 1 came power-prepared. Definitely a classic Mustang model, the Mach 1 takes our 9th spot.
8 2008 MUSTANG BULLITT
Bullitt is the title of a 1968 Mystery/Thriller movie from Hollywood. The movie stars Steve McQueen and he drove the Mustang GT-390 fastback in an incredible car chase scene that was a major highlight of the movie. In 2008, Ford decided to reproduce this Hollywood star and world-famous car to satisfy its numerous fans.
The 2008 Mustang Bullitt is an improved version of the 1968 model. The car was fitted with the Mustang GT’s aluminum 4.6L V8 engine, producing 315 hp at 6000 rpm and 325 lb·ft of torque at 4250 rpm.
7 1968 SHELBY GT500KR
When American automotive designer Carroll Shelby partnered with Ford for the Mustang project, topmost on his mind was to differentiate his cars from other Mustangs and the 1968 Shelby GT500KR achieved that. Fortified with the legendary racing engine called the “Cobra Jet”, this monster engine under-reportedly produces 335 hp with 440 lb·ft of torque at 3,400 rpm.
The 1968 Shelby GT500KR known alternatively as the “king of the Road” for obvious reasons was also pretty cheap for all the awesomeness it offers and we are glad to have it at the seventh position on this list.
6 2006 FORD MUSTANG STEEDA Q525
The Steeda Q525 was introduced in 2006. It’s equipped with a 5.0 Liter Modular V8 engine with power production of 500 hp and 530 lb·ft of torque. The Q525 uniquely has the Steeda Autosports suspension system which is credited to have improved the car’s performance and handling.
This high-performance car has notable features like the full cowl induction with hood pins, specially built Steeda competition front fascia and race wing on its rear axis. The exterior also includes Steeda billet rear badge and a Steeda exterior graphics package. Internally, the Steeda has custom floor mats, Tri-Ax gearshift with billet shift handle and polished billet pedal cover set.
5 2013 SHELBY GT500
When this edifice was unveiled at the Los Angeles Auto Show in 2011, Mustang enthusiasts knew they were in for a treat and yes, they were; as the 2013 Shelby is claimed to be most powerful Mustang of its era. It’s powered by a supercharged, inter-cooled V8 engine that cranks out 662 hp at 6,500 rpm and 631 lb·ft at 4,000 rpm of torque.
A road test provided by Motor Trend magazine in 2012 claims that the 2013 Shelby GT500 does a 0 – 60 mph acceleration in 3.5 seconds and about 400 miles in 11.6 seconds. With an improved body and performance in comparison to its predecessor, this model is truly bad-ass.
4 2011 GT CALIFORNIA SPECIAL
After taking a break for one year, Ford reintroduced the California Special GT for the 2011 Mustang GT models built on an improved 5.0 liter which whips out a massive 412 hp and 390 lb·ft of torque. This speed merchant whips out 60 mph in less than five seconds on a 26 mpg efficiency with the help of its standard six-speed or automatic transmission.
It even gets better with its exterior appeal and interior comfort. Spotting a unique California Special rear badge, specially made 19x8.5 inch machined face, side scoops, rear spoiler and doors coated with a black GT/CS side tape graphic, this car is as mean as it can get.
3 2016 SHELBY GT350R
A GT350 but built to be more track-focused and hardcore, the 2016 Shelby GT350R is a masterpiece. Chevrolet Camaro Z28 and the legendary Porsche 911 GT3 were running riot in the pony cars sphere, therefore, the ford team thought they should give them a solid response, this led to the manufacture of the GT350R – oh my, what a response.
The GT350R got some prestigious awards to show for its badassness by winning the “Performance Car of the Year” at the Road & Track Magazine’s award and “10 Best Cars” at the Car and Driver Magazine’s award both in 2016.
2 BOSS 429 MUSTANG
Born out of homologation, the 429 isn’t just here to make up numbers coming as close to the first spot as it can get in the second place. The Boss 9 as some real Mustang enthusiasts call it is what you get when you dump a highly optimized NASCAR racing engine into an exquisitely crafted car body.
The 429s are underreported at 375 hp at 5200 rpm and 450 lb-ft of torque at 3400 rpm, mainly to reduce insurance cost to customers and also because of other legal issues. In April 2008, Ford licensed Classic Recreations to produce the 429s.
1 2020 SHELBY GT500
The most powerful street-legal vehicle ever produced by Ford, the 2020 Shelby GT500 will take the world by storm. The 2020 GT500 is expected to do 0-100-0 mph in 10.6 seconds thanks to the powerful seven-speed, dual-clutch fitted to it courtesy of its collaboration with Tremec. A 5.2-liter supercharged V8 engine producing 760 hp and 625 pound-feet of torque all being directed to the car’s rear axle.
Dropping this fall, the 2020 Ford Mustang has a base cost of $73,995 but could get crazily higher with optional features. This is the bad-ass car other bad-ass cars will aspire to be like.