Ford Mustang Mach 1 tipped for 2021 model year launch, GT350 may kick the bucket
An alleged internal Ford document might shed some light on the Mustang lineup's future.
Work continues at Ford despite a work stoppage related to the coronavirus outbreak, and 2021 may shape up as a big year for the automaker. Yesterday, we reported on a VIN decoder document that supposedly revealed some important info on the 2021 F-150 Hybrid. Today, a similar document may house a launch timeframe for a Mustang Mach 1.
The information comes from what a Mustang6G forum user says is an "internal Ford document" and it shows the 2021 Mustang lineup via a VIN decoder. There aren't any new-vehicle-related surprises save for one title among the Mustang portfolio, and that is a "Mach 1 Coupe."
I spy a Mach 1, but no GT350.
The VIN decoder document says the Mach 1 will feature the "P8R" code, though we can't discern anything else about its powertrain or horsepower. Even the familiar 5.0-liter and 2.3-liter engines include a "TBD" in the net brake horsepower column. There's also no indication we'll see some sort of new engine for the Mach 1 since all of these power plants are currently in production, including the 5.2-liter flat-plane crank V8 found in the Shelby GT500 and GT350.
What is missing, however, is any mention of the Shelby GT350. There's explicit mention of the GT500, which uses a supercharged version of the 5.2-liter V8, but the GT350 is something special in its own right without any forced induction attached to the wonderful engine. It could be that Ford plans to slot the Mach 1 into a space the GT350 occupies, but nonetheless, it'd be a big bummer to see the GT350 kick the bucket.
We won't know anything official until Ford's ready to talk about the changes publicly. The automaker simply told Roadshow in a statement, "We've been pushing the Mustang lineup's capabilities and levels of excitement to new heights to give us the most performance-focused Mustang lineup in its 55-year history. Stay tuned as there's always more excitement around Mustang to come"
