Higher performance Ford Mustang to follow GT

FORD is remaining tight-lipped about future versions of the freshly launched Mustang muscle car, but has referred to its fifth-generation pony car as a “blank-canvas”, hinting at a faster version.

The new top-performing Mustang GT uses a highly-strung 325kW Coyote 5.0-litre V8, but that figure is likely to swell if the Mustang follows the career path of the previous generation.

Ford’s outgoing Mustang platform was introduced nearly a decade ago and in the high-performance model’s nine-year development it received a number of performance bonuses.

With an all new Mustang about to debut in 120 countries around the world, including its foray into right-hand drive markets, the 2015 model is likely to be followed by more effervescent variants.

At the global launch of the 2015 Mustang in the United States last week, Ford global powertrain technology communications manager Paul Seredynski told GoAuto the new Mustang platform was primed for performance upgrades.

“Its an all-new Mustang, its a thoroughly modern automobile,” he said. “If you look at past Mustangs there’s always been derivatives, and any company would be foolish to develop an entirely new platform without looking towards the future.”“Look at where we are now with (Shelby) GT500 and (outgoing) Boss 302. We are picking up this car - the GT - and it’s already faster than the Boss.

“With any blank canvas, any company would be foolish to be given an opportunity to create an all-new platform for their performance cars without thinking about the future.”

While turbocharging for the V8 has been ruled out, Ford could not give the final word on supercharging, and a version similar to the mighty Shelby GT500 could be the next step up for the Mustang's performance.

Previous GT500 variants used a larger US-made 4.4-litre and later 4.8-litre V8 engine to develop up to 494kW.

Another forced-induction option could be a version of the locally developed and Harrop-supercharged 5.0-litre engine as found under the bonnets of the swansong FPV GT-F and Falcon XR8.

Codenamed Miami, the forced-induction 5.0-litre produces just 10kW more than the normally aspirated Mustang when in XR8 state of tune, but as GoAuto has previously reported, the engine has the potential to produce up to 420kW.

Power-boosted normally aspirated versions could also be on the cards with a Boss 302 version a possibility to succeed the previous-generation model of the the same name.

The 'standard' 5.0-litre version almost matches the power output of the fifth-generation Boss 302 with 325kW versus the outgoing 331kW Boss, and a new arrival could venture into 350kW territory.

The figure 302 refers to the engine's capacity in cubic inches so an increase to the V8's swept-volume would require a name change too.

In the US the new Mustang will initially be available in three variants starting with an entry level normally aspirated V6.

Australia will get the top two variants with a 2.3-litre turbo EcoBoost engine and flagship 5.0-litre GT versions arriving mid-2015.