The current Ford Mustang is, hands down, the best one there's ever been. At least as far as the driving experience is concerned. Certainly, there are others in contention when it comes to looks and cache, but there's something lovely about the S550. It has enough of the classic formula - a big, naturally aspirated V8 motor and evocative styling with a modern twist - and, while it's no BMW M240i xDrive rival, it ain't half bad around the corners, either. All this means that as soon as you've bought one, you don't immediately need to pay someone on an industrial estate somewhere to remove all the rubbish bits that don't work and bolt some new bits that do. It's all very refreshing.
Still, that doesn't mean you can't upgrade the Mustang. Should you wish to have a bit more oomph and you cannot face the idea of importing the US-only Shelby GT500 to the UK, then Clive Sutton can help you out. A lot, as it happens, because the GT500 has a piffling 771hp and Clive Sutton can beat that, handsomely. In fact, the CS850GT is so powerful that it even beats itself; it doesn't have 850hp, as its name suggests. It has an incredible 859hp according to Clive Sutton, with a bit of help from Whipple - a name I just love because I cannot hear it without hearing the voice of Edmund Blackadder.
Anyway, enough of my idiocy. Whipple is the California-based outfit that makes the colossal supercharger that, above all else, is responsible for the power hike. There are some other engine mods, though, such as the whacking great intercooler and Quad Active Xforce exhaust, which also help produce the mighty Mustang's power and its accompanying 665 lb ft.
And that's not all. It would be irresponsible to crank up the 5.0-litre V8 to that degree without fiddling with the bits that stop it going boom, or its famous groundspeed speedometer from becoming a Federal Aviation Administration requirement. So a host of other items have been swapped or improved, including uprated engine mounts, a polished aluminium coolant tank, a new oil cooler and a beefed up oil pump with Boundary chromoly billeted gears. You also get a Barton short-shift six-speed manual gearbox. On top of that, this CS850GT has different front and rear anti-roll bars, a Steeda G-Trac K-Member Brace shoring up the front chassis legs, an IRS subframe bushing kit, billeted aluminium drop links and adjustable rear toe links. It needs to stop, too, so that side is dealt with using DBA brakes and Hawk pads.
Naturally, the styling has not been left alone. It comes with 20-inch Vossen custom wheels and an awful lot of carbon-fibre moulded into a GT500-aping look. There's even more carbon on the inside, which, unusually in a Ford, is real and looks very smart. As does the bright red, billeted starter button. Now I'm not naturally given to highly modded cars, but even I think this car looks pretty menacing without looking overdone in its tasteful slate grey paint job and smoked lights.
You can have a bespoke CS850GT built to order, or, if you can't wait to feel the full force of 859hp, this one is available in the PH classifieds for £135,000. It sounds a lot of money for a Mustang but, think of it this way: a week or so ago we tested the new Ferrari 296 GTB with 830hp and that cost £241,000, so the Clive Sutton bang-for-buck ratio is actually pretty reasonable by comparison. Enjoy.
SPECIFICATION | FORD MUSTANG CS850GT
Engine: 4,951cc, V8, supercharged
Transmission: 6-speed manual, rear-wheel drive
Power (hp): 859
Torque (lb ft): 665
CO2: N/A
MPG: N/A
Recorded mileage: 101
Year registered: 2020
Price new: £115,000
Yours for: £135,000
1 / 5