A Ford Mustang McLaren M81, also known as the McLaren Mustang, will go on sale in Indianapolis in May this year. Only 10 such cars were made in a collaboration effort between the two companies, a small fraction of the originally planned 250.
In addition to its exotic status, this particular sports car is in nearly pristine condition with only 895 km (556 miles) on the odometer despite being 42 years old. The selling price is currently estimated at U.S. $75,000–100,000.
The special edition was released to help promote a new engine for the Mustang series, a 2.3-liter turbocharged four-cylinder mill that came to replace one of the V8 options. Racecars armed with this engine showed decent results in national championships, and the McLaren Mustang was envisioned as their road-going counterpart.
Compared to the base car, the McLaren Mustang features a body with flared fenders, a different hood and enhanced aerodynamics all around. It rides on wider BBS rims resembling racing wheels, benefits from a reinforced suspension with Koni dampers and draws power from a boosted engine.
While the stock car made 132 PS (130 hp / 97 kW), McLaren had it tuned to 175 PS (173 hp / 129 kW). A further upgrade was available for those willing to unlock 190 PS (187 hp / 140 kW).
The car on sale is a prototype equipped with a four-speed manual transmission. All production models shipped with a five-speed manual gearbox. In the end, the M81 was considered a total market failure, with the media agreeing that it was wildly overpriced for what it was at the time.
The car on sale has largely only been used in promo events and such, explaining the low mileage. Whoever buys it will be getting a bunch of show accessories and a set of original Firestone HPR tires in addition to the aftermarket Cooper tires currently on the car.
