T he modern Ford Mustang, the S550, has been with us for seven years, and it’s proving to be a bit of a tuning sensation with more and more quality upgrades appearing on the aftermarket. Various attempts have been made to Europeanise the ’Stang over the years, but the S550 is the first model to really do it properly – it follows the traditional Mustang format of being a big, brawny coupé with a rumbling V8, but the S550 also comes in right-hand drive for the UK market, so there’s no need to compromise.
Plus, like all good Mustangs, it’s supported by an army of tuning specialists – and not just in America, but now in the UK too.
The 2.3-litre EcoBoost model offers the Mustang experience at a lower cost, and there’s nothing wrong with the Focus RS DNA running throughout, but a proper Mustang needs a V8. And the 5.0-litre Coyote unit found in the Mustang GT is a true gem. Packing over 400bhp as standard, and sending all that power straight to the rear wheels, makes even a box-stock S550 an entertaining drive. But it has so much more to give if you tickle it in the right places: power can be taken to obscene levels (even on stock internals); the chassis can be tuned to road, track or drag strip (or a combination of all three); and there’s so many styling parts available (from the aftermarket and limited edition/performance models), you can really customise a Mustang to you suit your tastes .
With used prices dropping as low as £25k, that’s a whole lot of cultured Americana for not a lot of dollar. And it leaves plenty
