Ford has brought its one-off V10 Mustang prototype back to life a quarter of a century after it was first built, and the rejuvenated experimental muscle car is now significantly more powerful than it was in its original guise. The recommissioned machine, which resembles a mildly modified 1999 Mustang GT, recently recorded more than 510 horsepower at the wheels during dynamometer testing.
The figure translates to roughly 600 hp at the crank, a substantial increase over the outputs the car achieved when it first made headlines two decades ago. Contemporary testing reported 426 hp at the wheels and 400 lb-ft of torque, with the prototype running the quarter mile in as little as 11.93 seconds at 117 mph. The source of the power gain is not entirely clear, although the car now appears to wear a modernised intake system, which alone could account for solid gains.
The engine itself is arguably more interesting than the numbers. The experimental 351-cubic-inch (5.8-litre) unit was essentially Ford's aluminium 4.6-litre Modular architecture stretched by two cylinders, complete with double-overhead-camshaft heads derived from the Cobra R. It is unrelated to the larger 6.8-litre V10 that Ford built for trucks at the time, despite sharing the same brand name. The V10 measured less than four inches longer than the V8 it was based on, and the engineering team had to use two engine control units because Ford did not produce a single ECU capable of managing the odd-firing configuration. A T56 six-speed manual transmission sends power to a 9-inch rear axle.
For years, the one-off prototype largely sat out of sight, occasionally coming dangerously close to disappearing altogether. The Ford Heritage Fleet recently worked with members of the original engineering team to recommission the car, replacing electronics and going through systems that had not received much attention in decades. Once everything was working properly, the natural next step was to strap the car to a dynamometer to measure its output.
Ford has built plenty of unusual Mustangs over the past six decades, but few can match the sheer absurdity of this particular machine. It looks like a standard late-1990s GT from the outside, yet beneath the Cobra R hood sits a naturally aspirated V10 that the company never put into production. Despite the engine never reaching a showroom, Ford has kept the car in its possession and has clearly decided it is worth preserving for future generations to enjoy.
The restoration also carries a certain freedom that the original project never had. When the prototype was first assembled, engineers had to justify the expense of building a one-off experimental vehicle. This time around, nobody has to explain to the accounting department why the car is being brought back to life.