I saw a 2021 Mach 1 today in downtown Rochester, MI and spoke to the lady engineer.

[Strokerswild]

I don't hate the new Mach (not at all), I just think it's sort of a half-assed effort. I was just hoping for something like the '03-'04 was, with a bespoke engine (in essence an NA Cobra) that put it smack between the GT and Terminator Cobra of the day, along with the special trim. I don't think the shaker would play well with the S550 design, but at least they made the effort back then on the gotta-have-it features.

I was super excited about the resurgence of the model and remember thinking about it the night before the reveal. The next morning it was a letdown (for me) to find that it was more or less an evolution of the Bullitt with terrible color offerings. Not the modern day equivalent of the '03-'04 I was psyched to see.

I just can't get that excited about it. Now, this would be different if I didn't already have an S550 with the 5.0, mind you. My '15 hasn't even hit 10K miles and is probably only worth $25K on trade on the best of days, so I just don't see any way to justify the $35K ticket. It's just not a big enough leap for this guy. Meh, I'd rather keep my '15 and find a minty '04 Mach for the fleet and keep the difference.

The guys springing for them will love them, no doubt.

 

[jake_zx2]

I don't hate the new Mach (not at all), I just think it's sort of a half-assed effort. I was just hoping for something like the '03-'04 was, with a bespoke engine (in essence an NA Cobra) that put it smack between the GT and Terminator Cobra of the day, along with the special trim. I don't think the shaker would play well with the S550 design

I really don’t understand why people feel this way. The 2021 Mach 1 is MORE than the 03-04 was. We can compare below:

03: Upgraded engine (hand-me-down from N/A cobra with some changes) - 21: upgraded engine (hand-me-down from Bullitt)
03: custom front air dam and upper grille - 21: custom front splitter and upper/lower grille
03: slightly upgraded suspension but no significant change from base GT - 21: SIGNIFICANTLY upgraded suspension from base GT
03: subframe connectors - 21: GT500 front and rear upgraded subframes
03: custom wheels - 21: 3 custom wheel options (1 hand-me-down design, the rest bespoke)

03: custom hood with shaker - 21: no change
21: Upgraded transmission (GT350 hand-me-down) - 03: no change
21: custom front fascia - 03: no change
21: Suspension alignment components (toe links, camber plates, etc) - 03 no change

That’s not a comprehensive list, but that covers all the major stuff and shows that the only thing that the 03-04 REALLY had over the 2021 was the shaker. So, as you can see, the 2021 Mach 1 certainly IS as differentiated as any previous variant, if not moreso. The 03 Mach 1 NEEDED the engine upgrade, as the 2v V8 was an absolutely abysmal engine. But the Coyote is arguably the absolute best V8 you can buy under $100k these days, and there’s not much need to upgrade it... so Ford upgraded the REAL weak link in the S550 and ditched the MT82. Its following the same exact principle. Just because you don’t get to tell people how special your engine is doesn’t mean it isn’t an incredible Mach 1... after all, the 69 Mach 1 had LESS engine options than the GT of the same year

 

[jake_zx2]

The funny thing is, I was the exact opposite of you. Prior to its release, I really thought it WAS just gonna be a Bullitt with some stickers and badges. Yet, after it was revealed and all the details were provided, I loved what they came up with... so much so that I sold my 18 GT in preparation for buying the car

I think the people who are disappointed by it are only disappointed because they were expecting something that they should’ve known would never happen

 

[Strokerswild]

We'll never see eye to eye on the topic....

When the '03 Mach broke cover, I owned my '01 Bullitt. Despite having its own bespoke intake manifold (shared with no other model) and a pile of other goodies, I still wanted that Mach for what it was over my Bullitt GT. Major difference between the two. There just isn't enough difference between a GT and Mach for me today. If I hadn't been relocating and buying a new house at the time, I would have pulled the trigger on the Mach.

 

[GreenS550]

I really don’t understand why people feel this way. The 2021 Mach 1 is MORE than the 03-04 was. We can compare below:

03: Upgraded engine (hand-me-down from N/A cobra with some changes) - 21: upgraded engine (hand-me-down from Bullitt)
03: custom front air dam and upper grille - 21: custom front splitter and upper/lower grille
03: slightly upgraded suspension but no significant change from base GT - 21: SIGNIFICANTLY upgraded suspension from base GT
03: subframe connectors - 21: GT500 front and rear upgraded subframes
03: custom wheels - 21: 3 custom wheel options (1 hand-me-down design, the rest bespoke)

03: custom hood with shaker - 21: no change
21: Upgraded transmission (GT350 hand-me-down) - 03: no change
21: custom front fascia - 03: no change
21: Suspension alignment components (toe links, camber plates, etc) - 03 no change

That’s not a comprehensive list, but that covers all the major stuff and shows that the only thing that the 03-04 REALLY had over the 2021 was the shaker. So, as you can see, the 2021 Mach 1 certainly IS as differentiated as any previous variant, if not moreso. The 03 Mach 1 NEEDED the engine upgrade, as the 2v V8 was an absolutely abysmal engine. But the Coyote is arguably the absolute best V8 you can buy under $100k these days, and there’s not much need to upgrade it... so Ford upgraded the REAL weak link in the S550 and ditched the MT82. Its following the same exact principle. Just because you don’t get to tell people how special your engine is doesn’t mean it isn’t an incredible Mach 1... after all, the 69 Mach 1 had LESS engine options than the GT of the same year

I sold my 2019 Bullitt in preparation of purchasing the Mach 1. So I would love to hear your comparison of the differences between the Bullitt and the Mach 1. The only Tremec I ever drove was my 2007 five speed Mustang GT.

 

[jake_zx2]

I sold my 2019 Bullitt in preparation of purchasing the Mach 1. So I would love to hear your comparison of the differences between the Bullitt and the Mach 1. The only Tremec I ever drove was my 2007 five speed Mustang GT.

Essentially, it comes down to:

Different suspension tuning
Different chassis tuning
Different EPAS/ABS/Advancetrac tuning
Upgraded aero
Different bodywork
Upgraded trans (plus new trans option introduced)
Additional coolers

And the Tremec is a MASSIVE step up from the MT82. It can hold about the same amount of power (or maybe a bit more), but it has a direct mount shifter rather than the MT82’s remote mount. The remote mount shifter is the primary cause of lockouts on 2018+ models, which ultimately leads to broken shift forks. It just isn’t a precise shifter and has too much binding in the high RPMs

 

[shogun32]

My '15 hasn't even hit 10K miles

what do you DO with your car? Just stare at it? I do that many miles in 6 months and some people do a lot more.

 

[Strokerswild]

what do you DO with your car? Just stare at it? I do that many miles in 6 months and some people do a lot more.

Honestly, sometimes I wonder why I own it. It's a fair weather weekend toy, but I also have another 'fun car' plus four motorcycles. So it doesn't get driven a lot.....

Not to mention, living in Minnesota you might get non-winter conditions seven months of the year.

 

[GreenS550]

Essentially, it comes down to:

Different suspension tuning
Different chassis tuning
Different EPAS/ABS/Advancetrac tuning
Upgraded aero
Different bodywork
Upgraded trans (plus new trans option introduced)
Additional coolers

And the Tremec is a MASSIVE step up from the MT82. It can hold about the same amount of power (or maybe a bit more), but it has a direct mount shifter rather than the MT82’s remote mount. The remote mount shifter is the primary cause of lockouts on 2018+ models, which ultimately leads to broken shift forks. It just isn’t a precise shifter and has too much binding in the high RPMs

Have you seen any information about the ratios in the transmission? Is Ford still going to have two overdrives on that Mach 1?

 

[jake_zx2]

Honestly, sometimes I wonder why I own it. It's a fair weather weekend toy, but I also have another 'fun car' plus four motorcycles. So it doesn't get driven a lot.....

I can relate to this. If I don’t count my cross-country road trip, I think I may have put about 1500 miles on my Mustang in my last year of owning it. I have 2 other fun cars, and I only really take them out when I’m in the mood for a cruise, so all of them get driven pretty rarely

Have you seen any information about the ratios in the transmission? Is Ford still going to have two overdrives on that Mach 1?

I don’t think there has been any officially published information, but it’s safe to assume that it’ll be the same ratios as the GT350 (meaning single overdrive, very well stacked ratios)

 

[ssmith891]

Agreed Jake. So sick of people thinking the GT350 is the most special car ever because it's a Shelby. Parts Bin? So is the 350, look at the interior, its the same as my 15GT
I'm not saying the GT350 isn't special because I love the car but lets get real, it a special edition Mustang just like the Mach 1 is
I drove the GT350 and its awesome but not really any faster than my GT driving around on public streets.
Why so much hate on this car??

I’d wager that as long as Ford didn’t neuter the car like they did with the PP2 (they have no reason to now, seeing as the GT350 is discontinued), the auto car will put down faster lap times than the GT350, and the manual will be even, or at worst, a couple tenths behind. We already know it’ll put down higher lateral grip, and it’ll put down better braking numbers. The question Mark lies in whether the 20hp along with the significantly improved gearing will be enough to make up for the PP2’s deficit in acceleration, and whether Ford will tune the suspension to be as compliant as the GT350’s

Agreed, ChitownStang. I put a Power Pack II on my '15 GT Premium and have all the hp & torque of the GT350. Brakes and suspension can be bumped up if I wanted. I love the car, but the Mach 1 is a special edition Mustang, just as much as my first car -- '69 Mach 1 -- was a special edition. Which is why I'm getting the new one. And for the haters, if you're not interested that's fine. But why throw the hate?

Alright...let’s just get this out in the open:

Have any of you owned a GT350? Not driven your buddy’s, not test driven, not ridden in, actually owned one?

 

[jake_zx2]

Alright...let’s just get this out in the open:

Have any of you owned a GT350? Not driven your buddy’s, not test driven, not ridden in, actually owned one?

Nope, don’t need to. Never had a desire to after driving one

But I’ve since driven multiple, including on track, which is more than most GT350 owners can say... So I don’t really know what high ground you’re trying to stand on here

 

[Laztug]

Do you remember what upgrades the original '69 Mach 1 had in regards to the normal Mustang GT?

They offered a 428scj, 4v 351w, not sure if the 351c was exclusive to the mach1.
New edge mach1s and cobras came with 4v heads , gts came with 2v.

The Mach 1 already has a 5.2. It's called the GT350! You can get one used for less than a new Mach 1!

Not a fan of the fpc 5.2.
Ford already produces a cpc coyote based 5.2. Why not throw gt350 intake, gt brakes/ suspension on a car and call it a day?

Who wouldn't want a boost ready 10r80/tremic N/A 5.2?
At the end of the day there is nothing we can change now. The damage is done, and the decision was made. We are stuck with an overpriced parts bin GT and ford is calling it a mach1.
I guess this is Fords F U to the people who petitioned calling the mache a mach1.

 

[GreenS550]

I can relate to this. If I don’t count my cross-country road trip, I think I may have put about 1500 miles on my Mustang in my last year of owning it. I have 2 other fun cars, and I only really take them out when I’m in the mood for a cruise, so all of them get driven pretty rarely



I don’t think there has been any officially published information, but it’s safe to assume that it’ll be the same ratios as the GT350 (meaning single overdrive, very well stacked ratios)

They offered a 428scj, 4v 351w, not sure if the 351c was exclusive to the mach1.
New edge mach1s and cobras came with 4v heads , gts came with 2v.



Not a fan of the fpc 5.2.
Ford already produces a cpc coyote based 5.2. Why not throw gt350 intake, gt brakes/ suspension on a car and call it a day?

Who wouldn't want a boost ready 10r80/tremic N/A 5.2?
At the end of the day there is nothing we can change now. The damage is done, and the decision was made. We are stuck with an overpriced parts bin GT and ford is calling it a mach1.
I guess this is Fords F U to the people who petitioned calling the mache a mach1.

Please read my earlier post. The 69 Mach 1 was a car with old fashioned engine including the 428 which has roots in the 1950s. The difference between the 427 MR and the 428cj was significant. 427 had hardened valve seats, sodium filled exhaust valves, hollow intake valves, crossed bolted block, steel crank, forged pistons, The 428 CJ or SCJ was a much cheaper engine to produce. Cast crank, pistons, crappy heads, smaller valves 2 bolt block, etc. The car itself was a glorified falcon and handled like crap.
This Mach 1 is more refined in every way.

 

[Laztug]

Please read my earlier post. The 69 Mach 1 was a car with old fashioned engine including the 428 which has roots in the 1950s. The difference between the 427 MR and the 428cj was significant. 427 had hardened valve seats, sodium filled exhaust valves, hollow intake valves, crossed bolted block, steel crank, forged pistons, The 428 CJ or SCJ was a much cheaper engine to produce. Cast crank, pistons, crappy heads, smaller valves 2 bolt block, etc. The car itself was a glorified falcon and handled like crap.
This Mach 1 is more refined in every way.

What are you trying to get at?
are you trying to compare a 2021 mach1 to a car from the 1970s? I am pretty sure an f150 will run laps around a 1970 mustang.