USA TODAY International Edition
Mustang Mach 1 roars back after 17- year hiatus
DETROIT – Get out the credit card, baby, because the limited edition 2021 Mustang Mach 1 just went on sale.
“There will not be enough to meet demand,” said Berj Alexanian, Ford Mustang spokesman, who declined to reveal production plans. “Mach 1 is going to be the most track ready V- 8 Mustang right off the factory line. For Mach 1 to be gone for so long, it’s not only built up excitement but also expectation.”
Ford announced in June that the 17year Mach 1 drought would be broken and now fans who have been waiting ( im) patiently may place orders.
Jim Shelton, 49, a chemical researcher from Wyandotte, Michigan, said he has been thinking for months about ordering a white Mach 1. “It has a lot to do with nostalgia.”
A self- described car enthusiast, Shelton also owns a 1991 Chevrolet Camaro Z/ 28, and his daily driver is a 2013
Chevy Tahoe.
He isn’t alone when it comes to Mustang memories.
Jon Bauer, 32, of Clarkston, Michigan, is general sales manager at LaFontaine Ford of Birch Run and said the Mach 1 is appealing to people from millennials to baby boomers, if early inquiries are any indication.
“For those guys who had these Mach 1 cars back in the late ’ 60s and early ’ 70s, it meant something,” he said. “Look at me, I got a ’ 99 Mustang Cobra and it’s something to me that was very sentimental. That was my first car taken to prom. My uncle had a ‘ 99 Cobra in his personal collection and let me take it. Then I ended up finding one about 10 years down the road. I’ve put maybe 2,500 miles on it. With a Mustang, you’ve got to go by what it means to you.”
Driving these cars, Bauer said, strips away the stress of life.
Mach 1 highlights provided by Ford:
● A base price is $ 51,720, plus a $ 1,195 destination and delivery charge
● Arriving at dealerships in the U. S. and Canada in the spring of 2021
● Packing a specially calibrated 5.0L V8 engine that produces 480- horsepower at 7,000 rpm and 420 pound- feet of torque at 4,600 rpm
● An upgraded version of the fast-shifting 10- speed automatic transmission and 150% more downforce than a Mustang GT with Ford’s performance pack 1 upgrades.
“The same Tremec six- speed manual as the Shelby GT350 will be standard for drivers who want to shift their 2021 Mach 1s just like Grandad did in his ’ 69,” wrote Mark Phelan, Free Press autos critic .
Mustang fans continue mourning the departure of the Mustang Shelby GT350.
“The Mustang Mach 1 will fill its spot with almost as much horsepower, a manual transmission option and street cred above the stock GT,” said Jonathan Klinger, vice president at Hagerty, the world’s largest insurer of collector vehicles.