First right-hand-drive Ford Mustangs roll off Flat Rock production line
Ford releases production stats of its UK-bound Mustangs
Ford has announced that the majority of UK-bound Mustangs will be fitted with a V8 engine and manual gearbox. The production details for right-hand-drive cars have been released as the first cars roll off the line at Ford’s Flat Rock plant in Michigan, USA, with 100 ‘early bird’ customers – who placed their orders back in May 2014 – expected to receive their cars before spring 2016.
The 80 per cent of these buyers who opted for Mustang Fastbacks could receive their cars as early as November, with production for Convertible cars set to commence soon after.
A substantial 80 per cent of UK buyers have ordered the full, hairy-chested 5-litre V8 engine. Ford had initially claimed the atmospheric unit would produce around 415bhp, but due to modifications made to the exhaust manifold during right-hand-drive conversion, UK cars will produce 410bhp at 6500rpm – not that you’d notice the difference. Torque peaks at 386lb ft at 4250rpm.
20 per cent of cars will be fitted with the 2.3-litre EcoBoost engine (which will also be used in the forthcoming Focus RS). The turbocharged unit hasn’t lost any power during the car’s RHD conversion, with peak power set at 310bhp at 5500rpm and torque at 320b ft at 3000rpm. Ford claims it can manage a respectable 35.3mpg combined.
Perhaps serving as confirmation that the manual gearbox isn’t dead, 60 per cent of UK buyers have ordered their Mustang with a manual ‘box, the six-speed ‘box trumping the six-speed PowerShift automatic by three to two.
More than half of UK-bound Mustangs will feature the Custom Pack – which adds satnav, a 12-speaker audio system, heated and cooled front seats, a rear-view camera, Luster Nickel silver alloys and added chrome details on Fastback models. 23 per cent of Brits have opted for their Mustang to be painted in Race Red, beating Magnetic Silver, Shadow Black, Deep Impact Blue and Triple Yellow. A substantial 75 per cent of customers have ordered an Ebony interior as opposed to Dark Saddle or Ceramic.
>Read – Ford Mustang V8 first-drive
