Ford confirms Mustang Mach 1’s comeback

It is now official that the mysterious Ford Mustang discovered and photographed back in January is the resurrected Mach 1 sports car that will hit the showrooms later this year.

The unusual test vehicle spotted in January had a Shelby rear wing, Brembo brakes, Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 305/30 R19 tires, Sparco seats and a roll cage. Rumors started circulating back then that the car is a new Mach 1 in disguise, especially because of the added grille air intakes that looked uncannily like the secondary headlights of the classic car.

The New Mach 1 will arrive packing a 5.0-liter naturally aspirated engine and occupy a middle position between its GT and Shelby siblings. The former makes use of the same basic engine and has 466 hp (347 kW) and 569 Nm (420 lb-ft) of torque at its disposal. The latter benefits from a larger 5.2-liter mill that churns out 533 hp (397 kW) and 588 Nm (434 lb-ft). There is a special edition called Bullit sitting in between the two, rated at 487 hp (363 kW).

The Mach 1 traces its history to over half a century ago. The muscle car had been in production for only ten years, and made a brief comeback in 2003 with the fourth Mustang generation.