Ford Mustang R-Spec not sold out – yet

Ford Australia has confirmed the last of its stonking new Ford Mustang R-Spec special-edition muscle-cars will soon leave its Broadmeadows factory – and a few of them don’t yet have names on them.

The Blue Oval isn’t saying exactly how many and it’s not clear whether they’ve become available because some customers have cancelled their orders, since Ford sources told carsales in January that every R-Spec had been spoken for.

Either way, Ford Australia confirmed this afternoon that all 500 examples co-developed by Ford and Herrod Performance in Australia have been sold to dealers and that a “small number” remain available to customers.

“The dealership network still has a small number of units available to customers, presenting a rare opportunity to obtain an example of the most potent Mustang ever sold through Ford Australia dealerships,” Ford Australia said in a statement.

Ford Australia announced in October that it would offer 500 examples of its first supercharged Mustang through its national dealer network – backed by a five-year factory warranty – from early 2020.

At the same time, it said each individually numbered and badged Ford Mustang R-Spec, available in a single fastback manual spec, would punch out over 520kW and cost $99,980 plus on-road costs – outpowering and undercutting HSV’s blown 477kW Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 ($159,990 plus ORCs).

“Enthusiasts who are looking for the ultimate Mustang Fastback should look no further than the supercharged R-Spec,” said Kay Hart, Ford Australia president.

“We’re proud of all the work that’s gone into bringing this genuinely local Mustang to enthusiasts. Ford and Herrod Performance have together responded to a passionate customer base, who were looking for a range-topping, individually numbered model that has a unique place in Mustang history.”

Despite persistent demand for R-Spec, Ford says it was forced to temporarily slow production in recent months to produce 200,000 face shields as part of efforts to curb the spread of the coronavirus.

“With the final batch of Mustang R-SPECs soon to reach dealers, we want to thank our loyal customers who waited patiently for their vehicles to arrive and are now able to enjoy them on the open road,” said Rob Herrod, director of Herrod Performance.

“The enthusiasm for this special car, and the passion put into the entire project, is a testament to the Mustang fan base in Australia.”

Marking the return of production at Ford Australia’s Melbourne factory for the first time since the Falcon and Territory were axed in October 2016, each R-Spec will take about two weeks to produce by a team of up to 50 Herrod workers across 10 stations.

Although it was developed in collaboration with Ford Australia and Ford Performance, the Mustang R-Spec was officially manufactured by Herrod Performance since Ford is no longer a registered car-maker in Australia.

The Ford Mustang R-Spec is fitted with a Ford Performance stage three 2.65-litre roots-type positive displacement Eaton supercharger with 12psi of boost.

At the same time, it meets all Australian emissions and noise standards, is backed by Ford’s five-year/unlimited-km factory warranty and capped-price service program, comes with all of the Mustang’s standard safety equipment and is able to run on standard 91 RON unleaded petrol in 40-degree heat.