Somewhere near the top of our automotive fantasy list was a blast down a Detroit street in a Mustang with racing stripes. We checked that one off on a chilly spring afternoon, as we pressed down hard on the throttle of not just any pony car, but a Roush Mustang 380R.
We were actually in Livonia, Michigan, a few kilometers away from downtown Detroit. Even our local friends warned us to stay away from that area. Here, though, the streets looked tame, more suburban habitat than concrete jungle. We passed several small churches and schools, on the way to the factory of Roush Performance. We made our pilgrimage for a simple reason: if anyone knows how to make a Mustang faster, it’s Jack Roush and Co. What Caroll Shelby was to the Mustang in the 1960s, Jack Roush has been, from the ’80s to the present day.
Our first inclination of their expertise turned up even before we saw the factory. A deep rumble announced the arrival of our ride, a Roush Expedition. A one-off vehicle, the SUV acted as test-bed for various Roush go faster-parts. The bellowing exhaust filled our ears until we reached a sizeable automobile factory. Dozens of orange Mustangs stretched across one entire side of the factory. They’re shipped here straight from the Ford factory, awaiting their turn to be tuned and tweaked.
We had toured Ford’s enormous Rouge plant earlier in the day, and on a more subtle level, this was another indication of the vast scale of the U.S. market. An unobtrusive-looking dealer like Bill Brown Ford just down the street from Roush moves more metal than most Philippine car companies, and a “tuner” like Roush is a manufacturer in its own right.
In the parking lot were several Ford Focuses in either Stage 1 (cosmetic improvements like aero parts and wheels) or Stage 2 (exhaust and suspension enhancements) trim. Inside the plant, as many as fifty Fords were in various states of assembly, from F-150s awaiting decals and wheel upgrades, to Mustangs with the entire engine bay empty and awaiting their new powerplants. We didn’t see full-scale assembly lines, but the building is an organized hive of activity.
Modern factory this may be, but there’s also a hint of Aladdin’s cave in some of its remote corners. An inconspicuously hooded lump turned out to be a brand-new Shelby Cobra, a replica faithfully built from scratch. The company also maintains a collection of vehicles built by Roush Racing, including NASCAR racers.
Company founder Jack Roush worked for Ford as an engineer in the 1960s, and he eventually left the company to pursue his interest in engine development and motor sports. He ventured into NASCAR, SCCA Trans Am, IMSA road racing, even IRL oval racing, and achieved success in every series. Roush Performance has produced over 6,000 vehicles since 1997, and has a sizable chunk of the USD800 million annual business of making Mustangs go faster.
Awaiting us outside was the company’s then-flagship, the Roush Mustang 380R. Glaring orange paintwork and fender badges announced that this was not an ordinary GT. USD16,800 gets you a whole shopping list of upgrades, starting with the exterior. The front fascia is angrier and the two nostrils from the Cobra pop out from the hood. New wheels are slapped on, and a rear spoiler. Inside, a dash badge, aluminum pedals and white gauges are the main enhancements. And, of course, the stripes.
The 4.6 liter sohc V8 from the Mustang GT gets a supercharger, boosting output to—you guessed it—380 hp. An aluminum flywheel further improves acceleration. We must have shown a glimmer of fear at the sight of this beast, so before we had a go, Ford marketing manager Dave Gutman first showed us how it’s done. Blasting away in one gear after another, he carved through the dense Detroit traffic like you’d bite through a hot deep-dish pizza.
Then it was our turn behind the wheel. The grumble from the engine filled the cabin even at just above idle. The clutch was quick to engage; the pedal was surprisingly soft and bit progressively. Brutal acceleration is just a tilt of the right foot away.
Generating high power at frenetic revs is not what this engine is about Eight big pistons and a supercharger deliver plenty of torque on demand—515 Nm is available at a low 3000 rpm. The short throw gearbox made gear changes a mere tug away each time; we had to be firm to slot through the notchy gates.
The 380R also features suspension enhancements. Power is effectively transferred to the pavement, with no detectable wheel spin from standstill. The Mustang’s solid rear axle, a traditional element that still remains in the latest model, felt firmly planted on our mostly 90-degree turns. We tried the traffic-slicing, too; indeed, all we needed was a glance ahead, a blip of the throttle, and the 380R’s enormous reserve of power does the rest. Quick steering and nearly-zero body roll allowed us to slot into tight gaps in the highway queue.
When we visited last year, the all-new Mustang had yet to arrive. Roush has since launched its own version of a Stage 1 Mustang, looking decidedly aggressive. A new Stage 3 car is surely only months, or days, away, and it will probably remain as exclusive as the 380R. Only 200 units of the 380R were built per model year. As the sun set, gradually etching itself over our Detroit fantasy was the memory of an afternoon with one of Detroit’s fastest Mustangs.
By Jason Ang | Photos By Ulysses Ang
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