Ever since the Ford Mustang first arrived in 1964, it’s been one of the best-selling muscle cars. Over the years, the Mustang has advanced when it comes to power, performance, and design, and other companies have taken the Mustang and added their performance components to bring it to new levels. The Roush Stage 3 Mustang is a perfect example of this. If you’re looking for the fastest, hottest version of the Mustang, here’s where to start.
Roush Stage 3 Ford Mustang
The Roush Stage 3 Mustang sets the performance bar pretty high. Roush outfits the muscle car with an engine tuned to deliver 750 horsepower and 670 pound-feet of torque. This power translates into a zero to 60 mph time of just 3.6 seconds. If you like to stay in control of all this power, a six-speed manual transmission is available, or you can get it with a 10-speed automatic.
While the Roush Stage 3 Mustang has impressive power, it is also designed to turn heads. High-gloss hood vents and fender vents not only look cool but also allow the hot air out of the engine bay. Since drag will just slow you down, this Mustang has a Roush Chin spoiler to reduce it and there is an optional active aerodynamic carbon fiber spoiler you can add too.
Mustang Shelby GT500
The Mustang Shelby GT500 has seen a few different generations, but no matter which model year you look at, it delivers impressive performance. The 2020 packs more horsepower than some third-party tuners can get out of it. The supercharged 5.2-liter V-8 churns out 760 horsepower. Along with this upgraded engine, the Shelby GT500 has upgraded brakes and an upgraded suspension. Press on the gas, and you can sprint from zero to 60 mph in a quick 3.5 seconds, and if you head to the track, you can do the quarter mile in 11 seconds.
Mustang Dark Horse
If you want to talk performance and looks, the Ford Mustang Dark Horse is where you should land. It’s a step up from the GT that uses a 5.0-liter V-8 with 500 horsepower. While this is not as much horsepower as the other Mustangs on this list, it makes the most of the horsepower it has, and you can’t beat the look. The Dark Horse has a six-speed manual Tremec TR-3160 transmission, just like the Mach 1 and the Shelby GT350. It can reach 60 mph in 4.1 seconds and run the quarter mile in 12.5 seconds.
The Dark Horse has a performance rear spoiler painted Tarnish Dark and dual, black-tipped active valve performance exhaust. Pirelli Trofeo RS tires are available as part of the Handling package, and when equipped with these, the Dark Horse handles better than ever. You can keep the gas pedal to the floor and still confidently navigate corners as you take laps around the track. And since life goes on after the track, you’ll also notice on-road refinement with these tires.
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