Modern Mustang Mechanicals

In the mid-1990's, Ford made the move away from the old-style, push-rod, V8 that was designed in the 1960's. Over the years, the 5.0 (302) V8 had gone through many mechanical upgrades, and could still hold its own on the streets, but it was time for an update. The overhead-cam V8 from the full size Ford would be the new Mustang engine. In 1996, the Mustang Cobra got a double-overhead-cam, 32 valve V8, a spiced up version of a Lincoln engine. This was a major change. For us long-time Mustang racers, it would take some adjusting of our driving style. The new V8 had a very different power curve, peeking at a much higher RPM. To get the most out of it, you had to drive it more like a European performance car, than the American muscle car we were used to. In recient years, with the current 5.0 V8, they have managed to tune in plenty of low end torque, to go along with the high RPM horsepower. Kind of the best of both worlds.

My 1996 Mustang Cobra on the Drag Strip in 1997.