Current and new Ford Mustang owners now have even more options at their fingertips to add further performance to their pony car. Developed in house at Ford Performance the Ford Performance tuned set-up comes with a full 3 year/100,000km warranty from new or 12 month 20,000km for existing owners.
“The Ford Mustang is one of the world’s most customized sports cars, and we’re paying homage to both the rich heritage of Mustang as well as answering massive demand for factory-approved, fully-warranted performance parts for Australian Mustang owners,” said Graeme Whickman, President and CEO, Ford Australia.
The new range of parts have been developed to complement the factory components engineered for the Mustang to deliver a seamless upgrade that improves the look, feel and performance of Ford’s 2 door muscle car.
“This is the first time in Mustang’s five-decade history that an Australian consumer can take delivery of this iconic performance car with a full suite of upgrades straight off the showroom floor,” said Whickman. “Even better, the benefit of these upgrades not only gives new Mustang buyers a chance to customize their own vehicle, but also extends to existing owners, who can have their local dealer fit any or all of these components to their own taste and desires.”
Available as part of the Ford Performance tuned set-up is a mandrel bent stainless steel 2.5″ exhaust system from the catalytic converter back which ends with 4″ tips in either classic chrome or black.
Adding agility to the Mustang is the FR3-M9 Track Handling Pack composed of lowered springs, assembled front struts, upper strut mounts, rear shocks, sway bars, rear toe links and toe-to-knuckle bearings. Designed for the driver that enjoys a day at the track but still enjoys their Mustang on a daily basis.
“I think some of the reasons why this FR3-M8 kit does what it does is because it’s more narrowly focused,” says Vrenko. “The universe of people we want to please is so much smaller than any mainstream car’s, and their performance wants and expectations are much more closely aligned.”
The team at Ford were able to make use of specialised engineering tools like computer modelling, a kinematics and compliance rig and a shock dyno throughout the development process, tools which aren’t readily available to aftermarket tuners.
“We find that enthusiast-level drivers will benefit from a suspension package like this because it gives the driver the kind of precise and immediate feedback that enhances confidence and provides a more enjoyable experience,” says Vrenko.
There’s also a mild handling upgrade available in the form of street lowered springs that bring the Mustang’s ride height down by an inch and finished off in either blue or black providing a visual upgrade as well.
To finish everything off Ford have also developed a short shift package to suit the Mustang’s 6 speed manual gearbox offering a shorter throw between gears for faster shifting.
