Ford built its ten millionth Mustang in August 2018, more than half a century after the first one rolled off the line in Dearborn. Most of those ten million were simply good, honest pony cars. A handful did something more: they changed what the badge stood for. Some were homologation specials, built to satisfy a racing rulebook. One was a styling and performance package that turned an affordable fastback into the face of an era. The newest is a street-legal supercar built from Ford's GT3 race program, with a six-figure window sticker. These are six Mustangs that did not just sell. Each one pushed the badge somewhere it had not been before.
- Six Mustangs, six different reasons to matter: a homologation special, a sales hit, a Trans-Am champion, one of the first cars from Ford's Special Vehicle Team, a 760-hp supercharged Shelby, and a street car built from Ford's GT3 program.
- The span runs 61 years, from the 1965 Shelby GT350 to the 2026 Mustang GTD.
- Rated output grew from 306 hp in the 1965 GT350 to 815 hp in the GTD, more than two and a half times as much.
- Three of the six came out of racing: the GT350 for SCCA B-Production, the Boss 302 for Trans-Am, and the GTD from Ford's Mustang GT3 program.
Six Mustangs, one badge
The six are listed in chronological order, and every one earned its spot for a different reason. None of them is here only because it sold well, although the Mach 1 sold very well indeed.
Number 1: 1965 Ford Shelby GT350
Josh Bryan - stock.adobe.com Carroll Shelby did not design a new car. Ford shipped him Wimbledon White Mustang fastbacks with the high-performance K-code 289 V8 from its San Jose plant, and Shelby American added a high-rise intake, a big Holley four-barrel carburetor and Tri-Y headers for 306 hp, then reworked the suspension and fitted bigger brakes. Of the 562 GT350s built for 1965, 34 were GT350R race cars, and the GT350 won the SCCA's B-Production championship three years running. It proved a Mustang could be a genuine sports car, not just a sporty-looking one.
- Engine
- 289 cu in V8, high-rise intake, Holley four-barrel, Tri-Y headers
- Output
- 306 hp at 6,000 rpm
- Built
- 562 for 1965, 34 as GT350R race cars
Number 2: 1969 Ford Mustang Mach 1
The Mach 1 was not the rarest or wildest Mustang of 1969: Ford sold just 1,628 Boss 302s and 859 Boss 429s that year. It was the one buyers actually chose. The package, offered only on the SportsRoof fastback, bundled a matte black hood with hood pins and a non-functional scoop, reflective side stripes and a competition suspension, with engines from the 351 Windsor up to the 428 Cobra Jet. Ford sold 72,458 Mach 1s in 1969, against 5,396 cars with the older GT package. The name ran through 1978 and has returned twice since, for 2003 to 2004 and 2021 to 2023.
- Body
- SportsRoof fastback only
- Engines
- 351 Windsor up to 428 Cobra Jet
- Sold
- 72,458 in 1969
Number 3: 1970 Ford Mustang Boss 302
The Boss 302 exists because of one number: 305 cubic inches, the 5.0-liter engine limit for the SCCA's Trans-Am series. Designer Larry Shinoda stripped the fake rear-quarter scoops off the regular Mustang and added a front spoiler and a rear wing, and Ford rated the small-block underneath at 290 hp. On track in 1970, Bud Moore's Boss 302 team, with Parnelli Jones driving, beat Mark Donohue's Penske-run AMC Javelins to the Trans-Am manufacturers' championship, Ford's first Trans-Am title since 1967.
- Engine
- 302 cu in Boss small-block V8
- Output
- 290 hp (factory rating)
- 1970 result
- Trans-Am manufacturers' title for Ford
Number 4: 1993 Ford Mustang SVT Cobra
Ford formed its Special Vehicle Team in 1991 to develop its highest-performance vehicles, and the 1993 Cobra was one of the division's first two products, alongside the F-150 Lightning pickup. SVT gave the last Fox-body Mustang before the 1994 redesign GT-40 cylinder heads, its own upper intake and 17-inch wheels, the first ever fitted to a factory Mustang, for 235 hp. Ford built 4,993 Cobras plus 107 Cobra R models, race-ready cars with minimal comfort features.
- Engine
- 5.0-liter V8 with GT-40 heads
- Output
- 235 hp (factory rating)
- Built
- 4,993 Cobras, plus 107 Cobra R
Number 5: 2020 Ford Shelby GT500
By 2020, the question was no longer whether a Mustang could be fast. It was how much power a street Mustang could use. Ford's answer was the GT500's 5.2-liter Predator V8 with a 2.65-liter Eaton supercharger, rated at 760 hp and 625 lb-ft, which made it the most powerful Mustang yet when it launched. It came only with a 7-speed Tremec dual-clutch transmission that shifts in as little as 80 milliseconds. Ford offered no manual, arguing that no driver would be as fast on track with one.
- Engine
- 5.2-liter supercharged Predator V8
- Output
- 760 hp, 625 lb-ft
- Transmission
- 7-speed Tremec dual-clutch, no manual
Number 6: 2026 Ford Mustang GTD
The GTD is less a tuned Mustang than a street version of Ford's Mustang GT3 race car, on sale since the 2025 model year: a rear-mounted 8-speed dual-clutch transaxle for near 50/50 weight distribution, Brembo carbon-ceramic brakes, a titanium Akrapovič exhaust and a supercharged 5.2-liter V8 rated at 815 hp. In August 2024 it became the first American production car to lap the Nürburgring Nordschleife in under seven minutes, at 6:57.685, and in April 2026 a pre-production GTD Competition cut that to 6:40.835. The price matches the hardware: the first window stickers read $327,960 with destination and gas-guzzler tax.
- Engine
- 5.2-liter supercharged Predator V8
- Output
- 815 hp, 664 lb-ft
- Nürburgring
- 6:57.685 in 2024, first American production car under 7 minutes
Whichever one is in your garage
A numbers-matching 1965 GT350 and a daily-driven modern GT need the same thing when they are parked: something between the paint and the weather until the next drive. Whichever generation is sitting in your driveway or garage, the cover should be matched to your exact car.
Questions owners ask
Which Mustang on this list is the fastest?
The GTD. Its supercharged 5.2-liter V8 makes 815 hp, the most of the six, and in August 2024 it became the first American production car to lap the Nürburgring Nordschleife in under seven minutes. It is also by far the most expensive: the first window stickers read $327,960 with destination and gas-guzzler tax.
What made the 1965 Shelby GT350 different from a regular Mustang?
Ford supplied white K-code Mustang fastbacks, and Shelby American gave the 289 V8 a high-rise intake, a Holley four-barrel carburetor and Tri-Y headers for 306 hp, then reworked the suspension and added bigger brakes. Thirty-four of the 562 built for 1965 were GT350R race cars.
Was the 1993 SVT Cobra the first car from Ford's Special Vehicle Team?
It was one of the first two. Ford formed SVT in 1991, and its first products arrived for the 1993 model year: this Cobra and the F-150 Lightning pickup. The Cobra closed out the Fox-body generation before the redesigned 1994 Mustang arrived.
Did the Boss 302 actually race?
Yes. Ford built it to meet the SCCA Trans-Am series' 5.0-liter engine limit, and in 1970 Bud Moore's Boss 302 team beat Mark Donohue's Penske-run AMC Javelins to the Trans-Am manufacturers' championship.
Sources (17)
- The 1965 Shelby GT350 started as Wimbledon White K-code fastbacks from Ford's San Jose plant; Shelby American added a high-rise intake, a Holley four-barrel and Tri-Y headers (306 hp at 6,000 rpm), relocated the front A-arms and fitted bigger brakes (Kelsey-Hayes front discs, Galaxie rear drums); 562 were built for 1965, 34 of them GT350R race cars; B-Production champion three straight years. en.wikipedia.org
- SCCA required 100 cars to be built for the GT350 to race (homologation); only 34 R-models were built. rmsothebys.com
- The 1969 Mach 1 was offered only on the SportsRoof body, with the 351 Windsor standard and options up to the 428 Cobra Jet; standard equipment included a matte black hood with hood pins, a non-functional hood scoop, reflective striping and competition suspension; 72,458 sold in 1969 against 5,396 GTs; the name ran from 1969 through 1978 and returned for 2003 to 2004 and 2021 to 2023. en.wikipedia.org
- Ford sold 1,628 Boss 302s and 859 Boss 429s in 1969; first Mustang production began March 9, 1964 at the Rouge complex in Dearborn. en.wikipedia.org
- The Boss 302 was built to homologate for Trans-Am's 5.0-liter (305 cu in) limit; Larry Shinoda removed the fake rear-quarter scoops and added a front spoiler and rear wing; rated at 290 hp; in 1970 Bud Moore's team with Parnelli Jones beat Penske's AMC Javelins (Mark Donohue) to the manufacturers' championship. en.wikipedia.org
- Ford won the Trans-Am over-2-liter manufacturers' title in 1966, 1967 and 1970 (Chevrolet in 1968 and 1969), so 1970 was Ford's first title since 1967. en.wikipedia.org
- The 1993 SVT Cobra made 235 hp with GT-40 heads and a unique upper intake, had 17-inch wheels (the first on a factory Mustang), and was built as 4,993 Cobras and 107 race-ready Cobra R models. en.wikipedia.org
- Ford's Special Vehicle Team was established in 1991 to develop its highest-performance vehicles; its first products were the 1993 Mustang SVT Cobra and the 1993 F-150 SVT Lightning. en.wikipedia.org
- The 2020 Shelby GT500 used a 5.2-liter Predator V8 with a 2.65-liter Eaton Roots-type supercharger, rated 760 hp and 625 lb-ft, and was the most powerful Mustang at the time of its release; 7-speed Tremec dual-clutch, no manual offered. en.wikipedia.org
- The 2020 GT500 came only with the Tremec 7-speed dual-clutch (TR-9070), which shifts in as little as 80 milliseconds; Ford said a manual would not be as fast on track. tremec.com
- The 2026 Mustang GTD makes 815 hp and 664 lb-ft from a supercharged V8, uses a rear-mounted 8-speed dual-clutch transaxle for near 50/50 weight distribution, Brembo carbon-ceramic brakes and a titanium Akrapovič exhaust, and was the first American production car to lap the Nürburgring in under seven minutes. ford.com
- On December 10, 2024 Ford confirmed an official Nürburgring lap of 6:57.685 for the Mustang GTD, the first American production car under seven minutes. motorauthority.com
- The 6:57.685 lap was driven in August 2024 and announced December 10, 2024. caranddriver.com
- On April 17, 2026 the pre-production Mustang GTD Competition lapped the Nordschleife in 6:40.835. fromtheroad.ford.com
- The Mustang GTD is a street version of Ford's GT3 race car, introduced August 17, 2023 for the 2025 model year; Nürburgring laps of 6:57.685 (2024), 6:52.072 (announced May 2025) and 6:40.835 (GTD Competition, April 2026). en.wikipedia.org
- The first Mustang GTD window sticker showed a $318,760 base price, $327,960 with the $5,500 destination charge and $3,700 gas-guzzler tax. jalopnik.com
- Ford built its ten millionth Mustang, a 2019 GT convertible, at the Flat Rock plant on August 8, 2018. thedrive.com
