Ford Mustang GT

Mustang GT at a glance

1965-1969: an equipment group for V8 cars

Ford added the GT Equipment Group in April 1965, around the first anniversary of the Mustang's launch. Buyers had to order a V8: the 225 hp Challenger Special 289 cost US$157 in 1965 and the high-performance 271 hp K-code 289 US$430. The group itself added about US$150, according to Old Cars Weekly, and brought:

• front disc brakes and quick-ratio steering;
• the Special Handling package;
• fog lamps built into the grille bar;
• chromed exhaust tips through the rear valance;
• a five-dial instrument panel in place of the Falcon-derived cluster;
• rocker-panel stripes and GT badges.

In metric terms the four-barrel A-code 289 gave 168 kW (225 hp) and 414 Nm (305 lb-ft); the K-code reached 202 kW (271 hp) at 6,000 rpm and 423 Nm (312 lb-ft). Wikipedia lists 15,079 GT cars for 1965 and 25,517 for 1966, while Old Cars Weekly writes that no exact figure for 1965 exists, so the early totals should be read as estimates.

Big-block GTs: the 390 and the 428 Cobra Jet

The redesigned 1967 Mustang was wide enough for Ford's FE big-block, and the GT could now have the S-code 390 four-barrel. Wikipedia's 1967 table rates it at 239 kW (320 hp) and 579 Nm (427 lb-ft), although the same article also mentions 335 hp, so figures vary between sources. For 1968 the options for a GT ranged from the 172 kW (230 hp) 302 four-barrel to a 390 listed at 242 kW (325 hp).

The big change came in mid-1968, when the 428 Cobra Jet with 250 kW (335 hp) and 597 Nm (440 lb-ft) joined the list, identified by the letter R in the VIN. The best-known 1968 GT never raced at all: Steve McQueen drove a modified GT 2+2 fastback in the film that later gave the Mustang Bullitt its name.

By 1969 the GT was overshadowed by the new fastback-only Mach 1, which came with stripes, a V8 and much stronger sales. Only 5,396 GTs were sold that year, and Ford discontinued the package.

1982-1993: the 5.0 H.O. years

The GT returned for 1982 after 13 years, advertised as "The Boss is Back!". Its 302 V8, sold as the 5.0 High Output, produced 117 kW (157 hp) with a two-barrel carburettor and came only with a four-speed manual. Ford changed the induction and the rating several times during the Fox-body years.

The Borg-Warner T-5 five-speed became the standard gearbox behind the 302 early in the 1983 model year and was upgraded to the heavy-duty "World Class" version for 1985. The last third-generation Mustang left the line on 26 August 1993.

1994-2014: from pushrod 5.0 to Coyote

The SN95 Mustang of 1994 kept the 302 for two years at 160 kW (215 hp) and 386 Nm (285 lb-ft). For 1996 the GT switched to the 4.6-litre SOHC two-valve modular V8 with the same 215 hp rating; the 1999 New Edge facelift lifted it to 194 kW (260 hp) and 409 Nm (302 lb-ft). Manual GTs used a Borg-Warner T-45 five-speed and, from 2001, a Tremec TR-3650.

The S197 GT of 2005 had a three-valve 4.6 with 224 kW (300 hp) and 434 Nm (320 lb-ft), revised in 2010 to 235 kW (315 hp). The 2011 GT introduced the four-valve 5.0 Coyote: 307 kW (412 hp) and 529 Nm (390 lb-ft) on premium fuel, 402 hp on regular, with a Getrag/Ford MT82 six-speed manual or the 6R80 automatic. For 2013 the rating rose to 313 kW (420 hp).

2015 onwards: the GT goes global

The S550 GT of 2015 brought independent rear suspension and 324 kW (435 hp) with 542 Nm (400 lb-ft). It was the first Mustang planned for sale worldwide, in 120 countries including 25 right-hand-drive markets, and right-hand-drive production began on 24 August 2015.

The 2018 facelift added port and direct injection, 343 kW (460 hp), 569 Nm (420 lb-ft) and the 10-speed 10R80 automatic. For 2022 Ford quoted 336 kW (450 hp) and 556 Nm (410 lb-ft) to meet LEV III emission rules.

The S650 GT of 2024 uses the fourth-generation Coyote with a twin-throttle-body intake. In the US it is rated at 358 kW (480 hp) and 563 Nm (415 lb-ft), or 362 kW (486 hp) and 567 Nm (418 lb-ft) with the active-valve exhaust. The European version is homologated at 328 kW (446 PS) and 540 Nm; Motor1 Germany listed it from EUR 59,900 with the manual and EUR 62,900 with the automatic in February 2024. Above the GT now sits the 500 hp Mustang Dark Horse.

Mustang GT today: what to check

For a 1965-1969 GT the VIN shows the year, plant, body and engine letter (A, K, S or R, for example) but has no field for the GT group, so the equipment itself has to match: disc brakes, grille fog lamps, valance exhaust tips and the five-dial panel on 1965-1966 cars. The 428 Cobra Jet Registry points to Marti Auto Works, which holds complete Ford production records for 1967 to 1973; for those years a Marti Report can confirm the original options.

For Fox-body cars, the published figures need care: Wikipedia notes that the 1989 mass-air system slightly reduced factory horsepower, and the 1993 figure of 153 kW (205 hp) is a re-rating of the same 5.0. For a wider view of how the GT fits into each generation, see the Ford Mustang generations hub, the Mustang story from 1964 and the rival Chevrolet Camaro; every catalogue version is listed under Ford Mustang models.