Pinnacle Ponies: 10 of the Coolest Mustangs Ever Built

Motor Trend

2 days ago

Over the course of history, American muscle has come in a ton of different flavors, but perhaps one of the most longstanding and iconic is the Ford Mustang. Introduced at the 1964 New York World's Fair, the Mustang was an immediate sales hit thanks to its affordable price and great looks.
Highlighting 10 of the coolest Ford Mustangs ever built, from the original 1964.5 model to the 2024 Dark Horse. It includes iconic versions like the 1965 Shelby GT350, 1967 GT500 Super Snake, 1984 SVO, and the 2016 Shelby GT350, showcasing their unique features and historical significance.
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More than six decades later, Ford has produced countless Mustang models and variants, each unique and distinct. What's fascinating is they haven't always adhered to a consistent formula, but the execution has always been the same: to give much higher-dollar and more exotic sports cars a run for their money. That's what we call a democratization of performance and power.
Below, we've made the difficult choice of narrowing down our favorite Mustangs to the 10 listed in chronological order. Did your favorites make it? Keep reading to find out. 1964.5 Ford Mustang
Here's how confident Ford was in the brand-new, first-ever Mustang when it made its debut in 1964: It had journalists take the test cars on a 750-mile trip from Westchester County, New York, back to its headquarters in Dearborn, Michigan, for what was clearly intended to be a reliability test. Ultimately, Mustang sales quadrupled what Ford estimated them to be.
Part of that, surely, was because of the sheer number of options offered. Not only were there 15 exterior paint colors to choose from, but there were also five different selections for vinyl seat upholstery. Convertibles and hardtops were available side by side, and convertible customers could have either white or black fabric roofs, while hardtops could be had with either white or black vinyl tops.
Then there were the engine options. You could get the first Mustang with either a 2.8-liter inline-six with 101 hp, a 4.3-liter V-8 with 164 hp, a 4.7-liter V-8 with 210 hp, or a special, high-compression version of the 4.7-liter that kicked power up to 271. The six-cylinder and 4.3-liter V-8 came standard with a three-speed manual, and the 4.7-liter V-8 had a four-speed manual. Everything except the high-compression 4.7-liter could be fitted with Ford's three-speed automatic.
1964.5 Ford Mustang Specs Price when new: $2,368
Horsepower: 101-271 hp
Torque: 156-312 lb-ft
0-60 mph: 8.2 sec (est) 1965 Ford Mustang Shelby GT350
It didn't take long for the iconic Mustang to reach a new stratosphere of iconic with the 1965 Shelby GT350. Built for the track, the first GT350s ignored comfort in favor of lap times. Turning the Mustang into a bona fide Corvette-killer proved no easy task, as the Ford Falcon platform underpinning the car wasn't exactly motorsport material. Engineers had to keep costs down, too.
'The decision to go with the live axle was OK with Ford,' we wrote in a retrospective from 2017, 'as Klaus Arning estimated the development of the [independent rear suspension] would cost upwards of $85,000. The Shelby G.T. 350 utilized the Galaxie station wagon rear end equipped with a towing package with Ford's largest rear brakes at 10 inches in diameter with 2.5-inch-wide sintered metallic brake linings. Best of all, this axle bolted right into the Mustang chassis with very little modification.'
The result? Something very good: 'At Interstate speeds, the GT350 is rough and ready,' Donald Farr wrote in 2010. 'It's not a luxury car by any stretch of the imagination. The suspension is stiff, wind whooshes by the open side windows, and header heat rises off the floor pans. The car even smells fast. And did I mention that it's loud? At 65 mph and 3,000 rpm, the blown-out glasspacks drown out any attempt at passenger conversation.'
1965 Ford Mustang Shelby GT350 Specs Price when new: $4,547
Horsepower: 306 hp
Torque: 329 lb-ft
0-60 mph: 6.8 sec
Once upon a time, there was a Mustang with the heart of a GT40.
As the story goes, Carroll Shelby was hired to showcase some new Goodyear tires. The Super Snake that resulted was a one-off GT500 prototype that used a monstrous 427 V-8 like one found in the Ford GT40 race car. A Shelby test diver took the car 500 miles around Goodyear's oval test track and averaged 142 mph, thus showing the Goodyears were more than up to snuff. Plans to build more of the GT500 Super Snakes were scrapped, so this is the only one in existence. It might very well be the most valuable Mustang ever.
Half a century later, Shelby finally created a 'continuation run' of cars built on real 1967 Mustangs and given all the GT500 Super Snake hardware. The cars are not technically from the time, but they're also not new cars, either. Regardless, when a '67 Super Snake rides again, everyone wins.
1967 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 Super Snake Specs Price when new: $8,000 (est.)
Horsepower: 520 hp
Torque: 550 lb-ft
0-60 mph: N/A 1968 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500KR
With plenty of spoilers and scoops, the GT500KR was the nastiest Mustang of its age. Knowingly, KR stood for 'King of the Road.' With just 933 fastbacks built, the GT500KR wears the beautiful, elongated lines that define '60s car design.
'The KR does its talking underhood, though,' we wrote in a 2001 comparison against a 1999 Mustang SVT Cobra. 'In mid-1968, Ford spanked the competition with a surprise of its own: the Bob Tasca Ford–inspired 428 Cobra Jet FE-series big-block in the GT500. Period road tests prove the 428 Cobra Jet could rocket the Shelby Mustang through the quarter mile in 14 seconds flat with 3.91:1 gears; with 3.50:1 cruising gears, 14.5 seconds. This makes the GT500KR a formidable competitor for the SVT Cobra. In perfect tune with a seasoned drag racer at the wheel, the KR will stay flush with the more high-tech Cobra.'
We won't spoil the rest.
1968 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500KR Specs Price when new: $4,473
Horsepower: 335 hp
Torque: 440 lb-ft
0-60 mph: 5.4 sec (est.) 1984 Ford Mustang SVO
As a response to fuel shortages and high gas prices of the '70s, the Mustang underwent some market-demanded changes but emerged to usher in the '80s with the Fox body. And one of the coolest of the Fox-bodied Mustangs was the 1984 Mustang SVO.
The SVO implemented a ton of Mustang firsts, including disc brakes at all four wheels and intercooled turbocharging for its small-displacement four-cylinder. Because it saved 150 or so pounds over the 5.0-liter Mustang GT, the SVO wound up being quite the handling athlete, with us calling it 'the best-driving street Mustang the factory has ever produced' at the time. It proved you didn't need a giant engine and massive power to make a Mustang fun. Sometimes you just need lightness. Maybe that Colin Chapman guy did know a thing or two about cars.
Plus, the SVO was better on gas—which, with ever-shifting fuel prices, is something that's always a plus.
1984 Ford Mustang SVO Specs Price when new: $15,585
Horsepower: 176 hp
Torque: 210 lb-ft
0-60 mph: 7.5 sec (est.) 2000 Ford Mustang SVT Cobra R
It pretty much goes without saying if you see an 'R' anywhere in a car's name, chances are it'll be awesome. The 2000 Mustang SVT Cobra R was no exception. With a quoted top speed of 170 mph, the R version of the Cobra had a 5.4-liter, 385-hp V-8, a lowered suspension setup, bigger brakes and wheels, stickier tires, exterior aero bits, and Recaro bucket seats. Oh, and it came with a manual transmission, too. Only 300 were built.
'Our acceleration tests revealed steam catapult-like launches with 60 mph arriving in just 4.4 seconds and the quarter taking 12.9 seconds at 110.8 mph,' we reported in a 2004 road test. 'That compares favorably with the Corvette's 4.8-second run to 60 and 13.3 at 108.6 through the quarter mile. To more reliably and efficiently handle the 5.4's extra muscle, Ford specified beefier axle shafts, a 3.55:1 axle ratio, and a Gerodisc hydromechanical differential with speed and torque sensitivity. But, of course, these goodies would be useless if the suspension couldn't keep the rubber on the ground most of the time.'
2000 Ford Mustang SVT Cobra R Specs Price when new: $54,995
Horsepower: 385 hp
Torque: 385 lb-ft
0-60 mph: 4.4 sec 2001 Ford Mustang Bullitt
Whether you believe Steve McQueen's 1968 movie Bullitt delivers either the greatest car chase scene in cinematic history or is the most boring hyped-up movie to date, the first Mustang Bullitt deserves to be on this list simply because of how great it looks. Dark metallic green is a lovely shade on any car, but it's extra special here. We were even able to look past the fake hood scoop.
'Except for balls-to-the-wall acceleration, the Bullitt is by far the best GT ever,' we wrote in 2002. 'The handling is flatter, the styling better and the braking shorter than any non-Cobra that's come before it. The interior is totally cool, and Team Mustang obviously sweat the details with the aluminum trim, red rotors, etc.'
We just really, really didn't like the fact that the modified engine made just 5 hp more than stock. Ultimately, we deemed the first Bullitt Mustang had a ton to love but also needed work.
2001 Ford Mustang Bullitt Specs Price when new: $27,380
Horsepower: 265 hp
Torque: 305 lb-ft
0-60 mph: 5.2 sec 2012 Ford Mustang Boss 302
The fifth-generation Mustang caught a lot of heat for its continued use of a solid rear axle. But before retiring the technology on the Mustang for good in favor of an independent rear suspension, Ford made it the best version of itself in the 2012 Ford Mustang Boss 302. In our first drive from 2011, we called it 'the best of all the current Mustangs.'
Jason Cammisa wrote, 'It's the best expression of a modern muscle car and, frankly, it's the best all-around sports car to wear a Mustang badge. Unburdened with the extra weight and disproportionate thrust of the supercharged GT500, unafflicted with the GT's cushy suspension, and unfettered by the V-6's incorrect soundtrack, the Boss 302 is, to us, exactly what a Mustang should be.'
The Laguna Seca version lost the rear seats and replaced them with a cross brace and added a 1.0mm larger anti-roll bar, Torsen limited-slip differential, stiffer rear springs, and 1.0-inch-wider rear wheels with R-compound Pirelli Corsa tires. Cool in concept, but unless you're tracking it often, we didn't know if the reduction in practicality was ultimately worth the $6,995 premium.
2012 Ford Mustang Boss 302 Specs Price when new: $40,995
Horsepower: 444 hp
Torque: 380 lb-ft
0-60 mph: 4.0 sec 2016 Ford Mustang Shelby GT350
Perhaps this author's favorite Mustang of all time is the 2016 Shelby GT350. As a tribute to the original GT350, it's a very fitting one. From the 5.2-liter naturally aspirated flat-plane Voodoo V-8 with an 8,250-rpm redline came the music of the gods. Perfectly paired with a Tremec six-speed manual transmission, the 2016 GT350 was a delight both on and off track.
'The engineering effort translates into a Mustang that is ridiculously fun and easy to drive at speed,' we wrote in a first drive. 'The readiness of the chassis and suspension gives drivers confidence and a variety of driving situations. Stability, feel, and control have been taken to a new level. The body remains flat during all phases of cornering, and when braking, you'll sense virtually no nose dive or nervousness in the rear. Turn-in occurs immediately, almost as if your thoughts, rather than your hands, are connected to the wheel. The steering is the most precise we've seen from a production Mustang. Save for a touch of understeer, the balance was spot on.'
2016 Ford Mustang Shelby GT350 Specs Price when new: $47,795
Horsepower: 526 hp
Torque: 429 lb-ft
0-60 mph: 4.1 sec 2024 Ford Mustang Dark Horse
The Shelby GT350 is no more, but fans of the current-generation Mustang can get their fix with the Dark Horse, which was a finalist in our recent Performance Vehicle of the Year event. Though there's the 5.0-liter Coyote V-8 under this hood instead of the berserk Voodoo engine, you still get a Tremec six-speed manual if you so choose. Plus, the automatic-equipped Dark Horse currently holds MotorTrend 's shortest braking-distance record (from 60 mph to a standstill) to date at just 86 feet. This means it beat out all the Ferraris, Porsches, and other high-performance stuff we've tested.
'When you put the spurs to the Dark Horse, a tuned version of Ford's naturally aspirated Coyote V-8 pushing an even 500 horsepower howls through a standard active exhaust,' we wrote in our PVOTY review. 'In our testing, we hustled a manual-transmission-equipped model like the one we had at Chuckwalla to a 0–60-mph time of 4.1 seconds. (We got it down to 3.7 in an automatic-equipped car.)'
2024 Ford Mustang Dark Horse Specs Price when new: $65,075
Horsepower: 500 hp
Torque: 418 lb-ft
0-60 mph: 4.1 sec (manual), 3.7 sec (automatic)