Ford fans salivating at the thought of a supercharged 500kW Mustang V8 becoming available though Blue Oval dealers in Australia are going to be left disappointed.
After extensive testing the company says it has been unable to meet Australian Design Rule drive-by noise regulations with the Roush Performance Stage 3 supercharger kit for the Mustang’s 5.0-litre V8 engine and has dropped it from a performance upgrade kit that is to be offered with a factory warranty through dealers.
Ford Australia's Mustang upgrade kit is now expected to have an emphasis on chassis handling rather than engine power, although there should be some boost in power though, as a cat-back exhaust is still expected to be offered.
First revealed by motoring.com.au in May 2015, Ford Australia's plan to offer the Mustang supercharger kit as a factory option was confirmed 12 months ago, when company president Graeme Whickman said it was undergoing local validation testing.
The Roush Stage 3 kit boosts the Coyote V8's power from 306kW to about 500kW. It is already available to Australian Mustang owners through aftermarket tuners such as Herrod Performance and backed by a Ford Performance driveline warranty.
Ford had intended to offer the supercharger and maintain the Mustang’s three year/100,000km factory-backed warranty.
But Whickman yesterday confirmed to motoring.com.au that was not going to happen.
“As an OEM we have got some pretty stringent ADRs we have to overcome to be sure that we are bullet-proof,” he said.
“We have engaged and invested to ensure that we get there and we have not been able to achieve the ADR 81 … for drive-by.
“The other providers of the aftermarket parts work to a different standard and therefore have been able to become compliant in their parts of the aftermarket world.
“So we have had to take some of those – like the supercharger kit – off the table from a Ford-backed warranty outcome.”
Ford Australia stresses the standard warranty does still apply if you have your Mustang supercharged by Herrod or another aftermarket supplier. But it won’t pick up the bill if there is fault or damage caused directly by a modification.
Other aftermarket tuners such as Prodrive's born-again Tickford brand offer a non-supercharged power-up kit for the Mustang — which still commands a customer waiting list Down Under, where it has become the nation's top-selling sports car with more than 6200 sold last year — producing 360kW and comprising a cat-back exhaust, cold-air intake and ECU recalibration.
The decision not to offer supercharging ex-factory for the Mustang in Australia follows the disappointment of Ford’s decision to build the 392kW Shelby GT350 and 350R only in left-hand drive, and the delay in importing the facelifted 2018 Mustang – compete with 10-speed auto and more power – until mid-2018.