First introduced in 1964, the Ford Mustang has since grown from an entry-level “secretary’s car” to a full-blown supercar-slaying monster.
Over the years, this American icon even learned to tackle corners just as well as European sports cars, and recently became the fastest-ever American vehicle around the infamous Nürburgring Nordschleife.
Here, we’ll look at some of the most impressive Blue Oval ponies from the 1990s up until today.
1993 Ford Mustang Cobra R
1993 saw the introduction of a couple of interesting high-performance Mustangs. There was the Mustang SVT Cobra, the first car built by Ford’s newly established SVT performance division.
As cool as the SVT Cobra was, it looked pretty innocent in comparison to its Cobra R sibling — the ultimate Fox Body ‘Stang. Astute readers may have guessed that the “R” designation stood for “Race,” and SVT went all out to reduce the weight as much as possible. Only 107 Cobra Rs were built, all of them painted Vibrant Red Clearcoat, and with a 5.0 V8 producing 235 hp — no wonder it sprinted to 60 mph in 5.7 seconds.
1993 Ford Mustang Saleen SC
Steve Saleen started out as a race car driver before he began manufacturing performance parts for various Fords. He didn’t have access to a huge factory — the first three cars were handbuilt in a small garage in California in 1984.
In 1993, Saleen launched the SC Mustang. Clever readers may already have guessed that the SC part of its name means it’s supercharged. A Vortech supercharger was bolted to the Mustang’s 5.0-liter engine, resulting in a very respectable 450 hp. As desirable as that sounds, Saleen only sold a handful of these cars in 1993.
1995 Ford Mustang SVT Cobra R
By the mid-90s, American muscle cars had regained most of the power they lost during the Malaise Era. Refusing to let GM get the upper hand with the Pontiac Firebird and Chevy Camaro, Ford introduced a new generation of the Mustang in 1994.
In 1994, the Cobra only produced 240 horsepower, but the following year, Ford went all-out and created a new Mustang SVT Cobra R with a massive 5.8-liter V8 engine that produced 300 All-American stallions. It was a highly track-focused limited edition, and to avoid having them all end up in the hands of collectors, buyers were required to possess a racing license or own a race team.
2000 Ford Mustang SVT Cobra R
In 2000, the Mustang SVT Cobra R returned for a limited production run of just 300 cars. There was no regular Cobra this year, so the Cobra R was the only high-performance Mustang available.
It was packing a 5.4-liter DOHC V8 rated at 385 wild broncos, but that number was most likely underrated, as it produced nearly that much on the rear wheels during independent dyno tests.
2003 Ford Mustang Cobra Terminator
As awesome as the previous Mustang Cobras were, none of them could hold a candle to the 2003 version, code-named “Terminator” by the SVT development team. It used the modular 4.6-liter V8 engine, but SVT also slapped a supercharger on there for good measure.
As a result, the Terminator produced a whopping 390 hp and 390 lb-ft of torque. It was so powerful that several improvements to the engine and driveline had to be made to keep it from blowing up.
2012 Shelby 1000
In 2005, Ford introduced the 5th-gen Mustang. It was an instant hit, largely thanks to its retro-tastic styling. Fast-forward to 2012, Carroll Shelby and the crew at Shelby American decided to take the Mustang to a whole new level with the mindblowing Shelby 1000.
It was the last car Carroll Shelby worked on personally, and also one of the most impressive. There was a street and a track version, both powered by a hand-built supercharged engine with forged internals. The road-going Shelby 1000 pumped out 920 hp, and the track version had a rather ridiculous 1,100 horses. Shelby brought back the 1000 in 2015, replacing the stock V8 with a 5.2L supercharged engine.
2012 Mustang Boss 302 Laguna Seca
In 2012, Ford brought back the famous Boss 302 name. This wasn’t just a quick cash grab with some badges and decals. Oh no, Ford gave it a whole bunch of performance upgrades to ensure it didn’t sully the legendary moniker. The Laguna Seca version was the top model, built to get around Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca faster than the BMW M3.
Under the hood, it had a 5.0-liter Coyote V8 with more aggressive cams, CNC-ported alloy heads, and a short-runner intake, for a total of 444 hp. Ford also tossed out the rear seat, installed some aero parts, upgraded the suspension with stiffer springs, adjustable shocks, harder bushings, and a larger rear antiroll bar, and gave it fatter tires to improve grip.
2012 Roush Stage 3 Mustang
2012 was a big year for Mustang enthusiasts. One of the main reasons was the introduction of the 5.0-liter Coyote V8 engine in 2011, which made the Stang more tunable than ever before.
Roush also wanted to get in on the fun, so in 2012, they launched the Stage 3 Roush Mustang. Thanks to an upgraded suspension and wheel/tire setup, it had a more aggressive stance and hugged the corners like a drunk Teletubby. However, the most important change was under the hood, as that’s where the R2300 Roush supercharger kit lived, pushing the standard Mustang GT’s powerplant from 412 to 540 hp.
2015 Shelby GT350/GT350R
2015 saw the introduction of the sixth-gen Mustang, and with that, the excellent Shelby GT350, one of the best American ponies ever made for real driving enthusiasts.
Under its long, sleek hood, there’s a 5.2-liter flat-plane crank Voodoo V8 mill, generating a near-hysterical 526 hp that sounds like a pack of howling banshees when the throttle is buried in the carpet. All those horses are sent to the rear wheels via a manual Tremec 6-speed. Speaking of wheels, those who opted for the GT350R also got a glorious set of carbon fiber rims.
2020 Shelby GT500
Shelby first introduced the GT500 Mustang in 1967, and then 40 years later, in 2007, there was a new version with a supercharged 5.4-liter engine. However, once that one disappeared in 2014, Ford fans would have to make do with the GT350 for six long years.
Luckily, that all changed in 2020, when the new S550 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 was unleashed. Gone was the Modular V8, and in its place was the brand-new, supercharged Predator 5.2-liter unit. Housing 760 wild horses, it was a beast, and exclusively available with a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission.
2020 Jack Roush Edition Roush Mustang
Unlike Shelby, Roush offered its most powerful Mustang with a manual transmission, and the supercharged 5.0-liter even produced more power than the GT500 — 775 hp vs. a “paltry” 760!
Only 60 of these were made for the US market, all of them with Roush-tuned magnetic dampers, a Roush exhaust, six-pot Brembo brakes, 20-inch forged wheels, and a Stage 3 aero package but with an active rear spoiler. Inside, the JRE is swathed in luscious leather and Alcantara for a more luxurious feel.
2024 Mustang Dark Horse
Now in its 7th generation, the Ford Mustang is the only real American muscle car left on the market, and in 2024, the Blue Oval released an all-new model — the Dark Horse.
While it is available in a range of colors, it looks particularly ominous when painted one of the darker hues, which also suits its name perfectly. Aggressive aero and an angry 5.0 V8 with 500 hp also ensure that this pony is not to be messed with when the lights turn green!
2025 Mustang GTD
Recently, the Mustang GTD dropped jaws throughout the automotive publishing world as it smashed through the 7-minute barrier at the infamous Nürburgring Nordschleife. The track is one of the most challenging in the world, but the new ‘Stang beat all American cars that ever went round there, and quite a few exotic European ones as well.
Granted, this isn’t your average pony car, it’s a barely road-legal supercar in a Mustang dress. With 815 hp, 50/50 weight balance, and plenty of aero to provide downforce, the GTD marks a whole new chapter in the Mustang’s history.
