When we first saw the 2018 Ford Mustang last week, Ford was being coy about exact specifications. Both the GT and the EcoBoost will get horsepower and torque increases Ford said, though the automaker didn’t reveal big those increase will be. But we have a theory, based on what seems like a sneaky hint from Ford Mustang GT
Autoguide first noticed a tweet from a Ford communications rep, pointing out easter eggs in an image of the 2018 Mustang’s new digital gauge cluster. Note the odometer, 1964.5 miles, a reference to the Mustang’s first model year, and 289 miles of fuel range, a nod to the displacement of the biggest V8 in the first Mustang GT
But look at those bigger numbers. A big four and a big 55. What could that mean?
Autoguide thinks this is a hint that the 2018 Mustang GT will have 455 horsepower. We’re inclined to agree. Automakers tease information like this in product pictures from time to time. For example, Dodge hinted at the Hellcat’s 707-hp figure by showing the radio tuned to SiriusXM’s 70’s on 7 channel.
Currently, the 5.0-liter V8 in the Mustang GT produces 435 horsepower. For 2018, the 5.0 gets both direct- and port-fuel-injection, and a higher compression ratio, so a 20-horsepower increase seems plausible. Ford Performance also sells an aftermarket calibration pack for the current Mustang GT that uses a combination of software tuning and GT350 hardware to boost horsepower from 435 to 472.
We asked Ford spokesman Mike Levine, who tweeted the gauge image, whether this was the case. He sent us a picture of a gauge cluster with a big seven and a big 55, adding “we’ll share more details about the new Mustang closer to launch.”
In that case, we can’t wait for the 755-horse Mustang which is definitely, absolutely, totally happening.
