Dodge and Mitsubishi, Ford and Mazda, and even Tesla and Toyota were all working on different projects. They have teamed up to create some of the most influential and important cars history has ever seen. Unfortunately, it doesn’t always work. One such partnership existed between two titans at opposite ends of the industry: McLaren and Ford. Ford was up to its neck in the production of street cars, despite having had many successes in racing, while McLaren was all about racing and hadn’t built a single street car . These manufacturers teamed up to develop the McLaren Mustang, a street car that almost defined exclusivity but didn’t last and now remains a page in automotive history.
What is the McLaren Mustang?
Ford logo | Jakub Porzycki / NurPhoto via Getty Images, McLaren F1 logo | Xavier Bonilla / NurPhoto via Getty Images
Some of you may remember the Mustang SVO. It debuted in 1984 as a turbo-charged inline four-fox body. It had five-hole wheels, disc brakes, a limited slip differential and KONI suspension. The SVO was a brilliant car in every way. However, the first turbocharged Mustang was announced in 1979 with 132 horsepower from its 2.3-liter in-line four-cylinder. It used a single overhead camshaft and a cast iron cylinder head. All Ford needed now was a way to effectively advertise the turbo Mustang. In the mid-1970s she turned to one of her partners, the only big McLaren, to build a Mustang that could compete on the ideal line against proven sports cars from Porsche and BMW.
The British racing team laden with papayas was already successful in Formula 1 with Ford as an engine supplier and was the team to beat in the CAN-AM racing series in the mid-1960s. When they got down to the little four-cylinder Mustang, of course, things went badly. The McLaren Mustang had its internal engine components balanced with new forged pistons, connecting rods and a newly slotted cylinder head. Its turbocharger made up to 190 hp for a 0-60 time of 10 seconds. In other words, it wasn’t super fast. It has adjustable KONI suspension, disc brakes (does that sound familiar?), And stiffer stabilizers.
The McLaren Mustang escaped racing success
The McLaren Mustang reached P21 in the 1981 Daytona 24 Hours, but surprisingly, this wasn’t its ticket to the guillotine. It was expensive, but ultimately SVO engineers didn’t want to share the limelight with McLaren and pressured Ford to stop developing the McLaren Mustang. It is unmistakable at first glance, not least because of its unusual coloring. The car had a different bumper, flared fenders and a unique hood.
Is there any hope of finding a McLaren Mustang for sale?
The short answer isn’t likely. Only 10 were made, making it one of the rarest mustangs of all time. However, if one shows up it can’t break the bank. In 2016, a McLaren Mustang with only 5,000 miles on the dash was sold for $ 36,250 on Bring a Trailer. It’s not much for such a rare car, maybe because it’s dark enough to be a mystery? Whatever the case, if you have an extra $ 40,000 lying around and come across one on eBay, don’t hesitate.
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