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"Doh! How gullible were we to think the 2011 Mustang GT would be equipped with a twin-turbo V-6? Very. All along, it appears that Ford was planning a return of the five-oh! The 5.0-liter V-8 returns to the Ford Mustang GT in 2011 with 412 horsepower and 390 ft.-lb of torque. We&amp;#039;ve long expected the Mustang GT to get a power upgrade to better compete with the Challenger and Camaro, and this should do it. The V-8 with 4 valves per cylinder and variable valve timing (intake and exhaust) wasn&amp;#039;t necessarily expected, but we&amp;#039;re glad it&amp;#039;s here. The possibility of an EcoBoost 3.5-liter twin-turbo V-6 should well be squashed at this point, and we understand why. The new all-aluminum V-8 is a relatively inexpensive powerplant that should keep production costs down, and thus maintain the price advantage that the Mustang GT has enjoyed over its competition. And doesn&amp;#039;t a Mustang GT drive best with a V-8 soundtrack? That said, the new 5.0-liter V-8 is a jewel that revs to 7000 rpm and promises to help the Mustang GT achieve 25 mpg on the highway when equipped with the automatic transmission. Better aerodynamics is at play here, as are the 6-speed manual and automatic transmissions. Although peak power is made with premium fuel, the engine will run just fine on regular but only make about 400 bhp. Improved dynamic performance comes with the adoption of electric-assist power steering, brake components from the Shelby GT500, improved chassis stiffness and revised rear lower control arms. With all this, especially those extra 100 ponies, don&amp;#039;t be surprised if the 2011 Mustang GT sees a reasonable price hike. The remainder of the 2011 Mustang stays about the same, but new colors will be available, as well as some additional standard features. Proving the potential of this new engine is the brand-new Boss 302R. It&amp;#039;s a factory-built race car with its own part number in the Ford Performance Parts catalog and can be ordered in the same manor as a crate engine. With full rollcage, this Mustang is ready to race, and can be yours for $79,000. There is no VIN, and thus the car cannot be registered for street use, although the engine remains essentially stock. The 302R includes the usual race gear\u2014seat, springs, dampers, harness, data system, fuel cell, Brembo brakes, large wheels and slicks. Details are still being finalized for the 302R, but the first cars will be delivered in 2010 as R1 models. The R1 are what used to be the Grand-Am Koni challenge FR500C cars. A BOSS 302R1 will supplant that, and be legal to run in the Grand-Am Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge. Extra modifications to make the car competitive in that class will push the BOSS 302R1 to an MSRP of $129,000. The new cars can be seen at the Daytona season opener on January 29. "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.roadandtrack.com/car-shows/detroit-auto-show/news/a15211/advanced-coverage-2011-ford-mustang-50-gt/>