Most recently, when people were talking about a Ford Mustang, they were probably talking about the electrical Mustang Mach E.
And the enthusiasts were suffering every single time, because for them, the Mustang-name means a big, bulky V8.
And that's something that this Mustang Mach One has. So what is a Mach One? Well, it's the Mustang GT, but with a 5.0-litre V8 in the front.
It's tweaked slightly different, it's got different vents and it's got some parts from the GT350, like the inlet manifold.
And we're talking about 460 horsepower here. You can get it both with a manual gearbox or a ten-speed automatic.
Today, I'm driving the manual version, and it looks very promising. And I've got a surprise as well, because later we'll be driving something...
even more extreme.
A very important difference between the Mach One and the regular Mustang GT, is that the Mach One has actually been developed in Europe.
And as luck would have it, I'm driving on Ford's very own test track in Lommel, where their cars are tested for European roads.
You can really notice they've tweaked the engine. The additional horsepower is all the way up there in the revs.
When you get around 6.000 RPM, the revs shoot up and you'll hear the atmospheric V8 roar.
There's no compressor or turbocharger damping the noise. This is a true man's car.
And I'm very glad that I'm driving the version with manual gearbox, because it's a very sticky manual. It really connects you to the...
technology. Ford says that the gearbox becomes even better when you reach 3.000 driven kilometres with it.
Right now, it's still a gearbox which you have to handle somewhat carefully. But it's a lovely piece of equipment.
And I'm not driving on backroads in the Netherlands, but on a track, so I won't have complaining people who think I'm too wild.
I do have to take it easy with the tires, Ford said.
But let's get back to the gearbox. It offers an amazing feeling but it has a very long final gear.
The steering itself is very good for an American car. Very easy to control, just like the 460 horsepower.
The steering is quite precise for a car with a huge V8 in the front, and the only thing you have to do is put your foot down.
You can feel really well what's happening. It's just very controllable.
This is supposed to be the most puristic Ford Mustang in the whole world, so that also means Europe. And what does it cost?
Well, with the automatic gearbox, it'll set you back around €113.000, whilst the manual gearbox will cost €115.000.
That's €10.000 less than the new BMW M4, with a manual gearbox and 480 horsepower.
And with this car, you don't have to explain as much. I mean, almost everyone likes the way this car looks.
Anyway. I'm going to drive the Ford Shelby GT500 now. 770 horsepower. Only available across the pond. Unfortunately.
Fortunately however, this is actually available here. And it's a whole lot of fun as well.
And this feels like I'm tasting a forbidden fruit. It's the Shelby GT500, and it's one of the wildest cars I've ever driven.
Without a doubt. It's powered by a supercharged 5.2-litre V8 producing 760 horsepower. That's crazy, and it's only available in the USA.
And the name GT500 is legendary. Everybody remembers the Shelby GT500's from the sixties and the seventies.
This is the newest version, and it has a double clutch gearbox. One that has been developed by a Belgian company.
And it's really extreme. When you drive it, you'll immediately realize that the only proper gearbox for a racey car like this,
is a double-clutch gearbox. It's absolutely phenomenal. I just drove it on the road course,
and the tires were slippery enough to drift, so when the back came around I put my foot down and it was sliding about.
A true power explosion. It's incredibly wild, and thus it's not for us Europeans. But it sure is something I'll never forget.
It's a car of which you'll know it's one of the last there will ever be. Who knows what the future will hold for a dinosaur like this.
They've called this configuration 'Predator', and I can really get behind that. It's that extreme.
It does 0-100 km/h in three seconds and a little bit. That's not that impressive, but it's an American car, so it's all about the...
quarter-mile. And it does one in less than eleven seconds.
I don't have the words for it. The Mach One does the quarter mile in 12,7 seconds, so it's a tad slower. But still incredibly quick.
But if you compare the Mach One to this GT500, it's a very, very tame little car. This is something you might never ever see again.
It's so incredibly special to drive.
Right. That's it for the fast Mustangs today. In time, we'll test the Mach One more thoroughly when it's on Dutch plates.
That has a manual gearbox as well, so expect a comprehensive video. And when it comes to this Shelby...
It was here, it was driveable, I drove it, and I will never forget that I did.