Image via Complex Original
Let's make one thing clear right off the bat: this is about street-legal production Mustangs. So, no, the recent Cobra Jet models will not be making an appearance on this list. And the Saleen Mustangs are considered aftermarket (much like Calloway Corvettes), so they won't be on here, either. Which leaves—well, an awful lot of Mustangs.
The Ford Mustang was originally introduced on April 17, 1964, nearly 50 years ago to the day. The sixth generation model was unveiled in December. In between there have been literally countless badass Mustangs, from the GT to the Mach 1 to the Bullitt, made to honor Steve McQueen's ride from the eponymous movie. And those are just some of the ones that DIDN'T make this list. Carroll Shelby's creations are on here, as are the Boss beasts of the late '60s. (If a particular model carried across multiple years, we selected what we felt to be the ultimate incarnation.) As for the rest? Check out The 10 Most Badass Production Mustangs Ever.
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10. 1993 SSP
Horsepower (Listed): 205
Starting in 1979, Ford produced a Mustang specifically for police highway patrol units, designated the SSP (Special Service Project). Equipped with (as far as we know) a standard 5-liter engine, the SSPs were primarily built to be more no-frills and last longer, with upgraded suspension and brakes. Most of them were the notchback body style. An original ad proclaimed "This Ford Chases Porsches For a Living," but never actually specified whether it ever caught any. The Mustang SSP was discontinued following the 1993 model year.
9. 1965 G.T. 350
Horsepower (Listed): 306
The first Shelby Cobra built in 1962 was the ultimate balance of power and weight, a British AC Ace sports car powered by a heavily massaged 260 cubic inch Ford V8. The next step was a 289, then a wildly excessive 427 big block. In 1965, Ford let Carroll Shelby have a crack at the still-new Mustang. What he produced was the G.T. 350, a 289-powered fastback massaged from 271 up to 306 horsepower. It was race-ready from the factory, available in any color you wanted (as long as it was Wimbledon White), with the battery moved to the trunk and a full-size spare tire replacing the rear seat. Even without the optional magnesium-center Cragar mags, the 1965 model was the lightest G.T. 350 made. Just 562 were produced.
8. 1969 Boss 302
Horsepower (Listed): 290
Ford created the "ponycar" category (hence the name) with the introduction of the Mustang in 1964, but they didn't dominate it for long. The Chevy Camaro was introduced in 1967, and its 327 small-block—and 396 big block—trumped the Mustang's 289 in terms of both displacement and power. Enter the Boss 302. Developed in secrecy and introduced in 1969, the Boss 302 was equipped with (natch) a 302 that put out a reported 290 horses—although in reality it was probably closer to 400. In effect, this was the first Mustang 5.0. Built to compete in the SCAA Trans-Am series, a Boss 302 did dethrone the Camaro Z/28 in 1970. The fact that the Boss 302 was developed by Larry Shinoda, a former GM employee, must have made Ford's victory extra sweet.
7. 1968 Shelby Cobra GT 500KR
Horsepower (Listed): 335
The ultimate of the first-generation Shelby Mustangs, the "KR" in the Shelby Cobra GT 500KR name stood for "King of the Road," and there were 428 cubic inches backing that up. The Cobra Jet 428 was a take on Ford's Police Interceptor engine, featuring a single four-barrel carb and a much more free-breathing exhaust and intake than prior versions. Rated at just 335 horses, the CJ no doubt put out far more power than indicated, a common enough occurrence with late '60s muscle cars. A drop-top version was available for extra swag. This was the last true Shelby Mustang of the '60s and '70s—and probably the best.
6. 2000 SVT Cobra R
Horsepower (Listed): 385
The fourth-generation Mustang seems destined to be but a footnote in Mustang history, as its retro-inspired styling was crushed by the truer '60s feel of the fifth-generation model. But that's not fair to the SVT Cobra R, which was introduced in 1993. It reached its apex in the 2000 model year. Much like the G.T. 350, the Cobra R was offered in just one color (Performance Red) and stripped of all unnecessary accoutrements, from the stereo to the sound-deadening material. If it didn't help it go faster, out it went. It's a race car in street clothing.
5. 2014 GT500
Horsepower (Listed): 662
After a 36-year hiatus, the Shelby name returned to Mustangs in 2006. The initial models were mostly cosmetic mods, with just 25 more horses than the regular Mustang GT. But things escalated quickly. The 2014 GT500 is the latest version of a model initially introduced in 2011, featuring the same supercharged 5.8 liter engine that pumps out 662 horsepower and a brutal 631 foot-pounds of torque. This all in a package just 50 pounds heavier than the 1969 Boss 429 (which we'll get to in a bit). With a top speed of 202 miles per hour, the competition is no longer just Camaros and Corvettes.
4. 1968 Cobra Jet
Horsepower (Listed): 335
The no-frills version of the GT 500, the 1968 Mustang Cobra Jet featured the same 428-cubic inch powerplant with none of the Cobra's identifiers. Just about all that advertised the big block under the hood was a black hood scoop and stripe—and few challengers ever saw the front end for long. Cobra Jet Mustangs destroyed the competition on the strip at the '68 NHRA Winternationals, but probably did even more damage in street trim. A Cobra Jet in coupe form (as above) with standard steel wheels and dog dish hubcaps would have been a mean sleeper.
3. 2012 Shelby American Shelby 1000 Street Legal
Horsepower (Listed): 920
One would think a Shelby 1000 should be twice as powerful, twice as fast, twice as bad-ass as a Shelby GT 500. One would not be far off. The Street Legal version of the 2012 Shelby 1000 is rated at 920 horses, with predictable stiffening and strengthening to the chassis and suspension. The Track S/C version put out 1,100 horses and apparently topped out at 269 mph, but seems like a questionable choice for city driving. Or getting it out of the driveway, for that matter. MSRP was $150,000, speeding tickets not included.
2. 2013 Shelby GT500 Super Snake
Horsepower (Listed): 850
The 2013 GT500 Super Snake may not only be the ultimate Shelby Mustang, but the ultimate street-legal production Mustang, period. Available in either white or black with triple gold stripes (well, the first 50 were anyway), the Super Snake has an 850-horsepower version of the 5.8 from the "regular" GT500. It also has the classic muscular look of a vintage Shelby—which means it's less of a sleeper than the 1000, but at the same time it looks much meaner at highway speeds. Plus, let's be honest: For most people, the difference between 850 and 920 horses won't ever come into play.
1. 1969 Boss 429
Horsepower (Listed): 375
Back in the late '60s and early '70s, the key to muscle car dominance was simple enough—take the biggest engine you could find and stuff it into the smallest car you could fit it in. This was primarily a racing tactic, but since a certain number of production versions of the car had to be sold to make it legal for certain types of racing—among them NASCAR and SCCA—a few lucky consumers got to drive a thinly disguised race car on the streets. Hence the Boss 429, a heavily modified '69 Mustang stuffed firewall to radiator and fender to fender (the engine bay actually had to be widened) with a 7.0 liter semi-hemi Chrysler killer. Rated exceedingly conservatively at 375 horses, the 429 could push the nearly two-ton Mustang to 175 mph. No ABS or Brembos here, just sheer cubic-inch brute power. Only 859 models were produced in '69, with 499 the following (and final) year.
