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Marton Pettendy18 Mar 2016
NEWS

Ford Oz readying 500kW Mustangs

Faster Mustangs soon available to order from a Ford dealer near you

The waiting list might stretch out to late next year with Mustang orders now reaching the 6000 mark Down Under, but that won't stop Ford Australia releasing official Ford Performance upgrade kits that could ramp up the GT V8's output to a manic 500kW.

As we revealed in May 2015, the Blue Oval's local arm is assessing Roush Performance supercharger kits for the Mustang that, as in North America, would be sold with a full factory warranty via Ford Performance dealers across Australia.

Ford Australia president Graeme Whickman this week told motoring.com.au the Roush kits, which are available in the US for both the Mustang GT's 5.0-litre V8 and the Mustang EcoBoost's 2.3-litre turbo four, are now undergoing local validation testing to ensure their suitability for local conditions.

He said Ford's Australian engineers are currently evaluating the durability and local design rule applicability of the Roush kits for the sold-out American pony car, which could deliver supercar-crushing performance for under $100,000.

Roush's 670hp (500kW) Stage 3 supercharger kit is listed on the US Ford Performance website for just $US6895 (excluding fitting), meaning it could become available here from under $15,000.

Asked if Ford Australia's willingness to tackle the performance aftermarket industry for the first time -- as demonstrated by its imminent official release of Mountune performance kits for the Fiesta ST and Focus ST -- would extend to the Mustang, Whickman said:

"You can't stop the aftermarket from doing what it wants to do. Having said that though... we actually do have some pretty strong potential, particularly around Mustang for example, in terms of some of the development we have around Roush, for example.

"I think it's a fair bet to say that we're looking pretty hard at that and we're pretty excited.

"We're working on it and I feel confident that we might have something to talk about in the coming months."

Ford's local boss said the Blue Oval is "close to the next step" with the Roush Mustang kits, but that they wouldn't be released until validation testing was complete and Ford could back them with a factory-backed warranty.

"It's never as easy as saying let's pick something up, a supercharger or trick exhaust – whatever you want to think about – and simply saying it's fit for purpose," he said.

"Part of the reason that these things sometimes take a bit of time is that we need to warrant them and stand behind them. To be able to do that you've got to be very clear around your engineering assumptions and ultimately whether it's going to stand the test of time in a typical market."

Established by Jack Roush in 1976, Roush Performance has a 40-year relationship with Ford HQ at Dearborn in Michigan.

Ford Performance first revealed a mega-output Roush Stage 3 supercharger kit under the bonnet of the King Cobra concept at the 2014 SEMA aftermarket show in the US.

Roush’s HSV GTS-killing 500kW Stage 3 kit for the Mustang GT is just one of the kits expected to be available from local Ford dealers and Australia’s official Ford Performance Racing distributor, Herrod Motorsport, who is also an official Roush Performance agent.

Ford already has a limited range of Mustang options available in Australia, including racing stripes ($650), a black roof ($975), Nickel Lustre alloys and metallic paint (both $500).

But the Mustang GT blower kit could be the centrepiece of an entire range of Roush-developed Ford Performance parts on offer here, including everything from bespoke body kits comprising body-colour bonnet, body side and quarter window scoops, to 20-inch forged or polished wheels, leather Recaro seats, billet pedals, manual shifter ball and even illuminated door sills.

In the US, Mustang buyers can also choose a Drag Pack comprising heavy-duty half shafts and a rear sub-frame with high-performance bushings, or a Handling Pack with three-way adjustable coil-over suspension, new rear shocks, a stabiliser bar kit and shorter, stiffer springs that lower the car about an inch.

Priced at $US22,590 ($A29,682) on top of the vehicle price in North America, Roush’s full-house Stage 3 Mustang GT package (pictured) includes the supercharger kit, plus a quad-outlet active exhaust system, adjustable-height coil-over suspension with extreme-duty TrakPak axles and 20-inch Quicksilver wheels with ultra-high-performance Cooper RS3 tyres.

It also comes with a full body kit comprising front fascia, grille, chin splitter, hood scoop, side rockers, decklid spoiler, fender badges, windscreen banner, rear blackout panel, driving lights and graphics, plus a numbered/signed engine bay plaque, dash medallion, embroidered floor mats – all Roush-branded.

For many though, the Stage 3 big-bore blower should be enough. It includes Roush’s latest 2.3-litre Twin Vortices Series (TVS) supercharger, plus a six-rib belt drive system, unique intake manifold, dual 60mm electronic throttle body, air inlet system, fuel rail, high-flow fuel-injectors, air-to-liquid intercooler, 9psi of boost and a revised ECU with Ford Racing calibration.

Essentially the same spec as the 2014 Shelby GT500, the ‘ROUSHcharged’ 5.0-litre ‘Coyote’ V8 is claimed to deliver “more horsepower per litre than any other OE American muscle car, while maintaining an unrivalled level of driveability”.

Fitted with an early 625hp (465kW) version, the King Cobra seen at SEMA is said to have achieved a 10.97-second quarter-mile pass at the Milan Dragway in Michigan.

Roush also offers a milder 325kW Stage 2 kit for the $57,490 5.0-litre Mustang GT Fastback and a Stage 1 kit for the $45,990 2.3-litre Mustang EcoBoost in the US. The latter ups the standard car’s 233kW output by 45kW at the rear wheels, closing in on the standard Mustang GT's 303kW.

In the US, all Roush-supplied Ford Performance parts come with an industry-leading three-year/36,000-mile warranty.

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