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25 Most powerful Ford cars of all time (from 235hp to 1,200hp)

So many Mustangs…

2013 Ford Mustang Shelby 1000 SC

Ford is a rather interesting company. They jump-started car production in the 1910s, revolutionized American car industry more than once and in all that,  they developed some of the most powerful vehicles of all time. Please, enjoy learning about the Most powerful Ford cars of all time. It is quite a list.

1993 Ford SVT Mustang Cobra R (235hp)

As the first product of the newly formed Ford division Special Vehicle Team, the 1993 Ford SVT Mustang Cobra was the most powerful interpretation of the foxbody Mustang ever. However, some months after the introduction of the Cobra, SVT released the Mustang Cobra R only 107 of which were produced. Nevertheless, the car featured the same engine as the regular Cobra – 302ci V8 with 235hp. The main changes to all other Mustangs was the option for rear seat deletion and removal of all excess weight – radio, air-conditioning and sound dampening material. As a track centered car with heavy-duty MacPherson struts and Koni shocks, it was one of the most capable cars in the US of the time.

Sure, with 235hp and 280 lb-ft of torque, it was not among the most powerful Mustangs ever, but I started with it to showcase Ford’s dedication of preserving sporty and performance cars even during the “hp-hating” Eighties.

  • 0-60 mph: 5.7 seconds

2008 Ford Mustang Bullitt (315hp)

Exceptionally well received S-197 2008 Ford Mustang Bullitt was a treat for eyes and it brought back the famed movie star car to the car equation once again. With a specific Dark Highland Green, the Ford Mustang Bullitt definitely looked the part. It was complemented with a unique grille and specially crafted 18-inch wheels finished, including Bullitt-specific interior trim with Bullitt badging and special shift knob.

The most notable change was the Ford Racing engine upgrade which increased the power from 300hp to 315hp and 325 lb-ft of torque. Furthermore, the car managed with stiffer shocks, springs, and a strut tower brace. Also, the exhaust was carefully modified to provide an aural experience similar to that of the proper Mustang.

  • 0 to 60 mph: 5.0 seconds

2017 Ford Fusion Sport (325hp)

The 2017 Ford Fusion Sport was marked as a car to take on Audi sporty sedans. To challenge the Germans, Ford motivated it by a 2.7-liter turbocharged V6 EcoBoost. It is the engine powering a host of Ford models including the Ford F-150 pickup truck. In a 3,982 lbs sedan with an AWD and six-speed automatic, engine delivering 325hp and 380 lb-ft of torque can do some serious performance. You are looking here at a sedan cloaking 60 mph in 5.5 seconds from a stop.

2017 Ford Focus RS (350hp)

Ford Focus RS was one of the most anticipated Ford vehicles in this decade. Revealed by Ken Block himself, the car entered production with special four-wheel-drive, awesome suspension, new performance novelties and a hot version of the latest 2.3 liter EcoBoost. In this application the engine was tuned to develop 350hp and 350 lb-ft of torque.

This made the new Ford Focus RS the fastest Focus of all time.

  • 0-60 mph in 4.7 seconds
  • Top speed of 165 mph.

Very last version of the car – the 2018 Ford Focus RS Edition received some important additions as a new front Quaife LSD.

2018 Ford Taurus SHO (365hp)

Everybody who cares about cars thinks the same of the Ford Taurus SHO. It is a sleeper. And a good one for that matter. Sporting fine 3.5 liter EcoBoost motor linked to an AWD system, the Taurus SHO may be considered the perfect car for a cool dad. Hitting 62 mph in as little as 5.8 seconds and that for a price of just over 40 grand is quite impressive. The torque of 350 lb-ft could help a lot too.

Now, this is a really big car with length of 203 inches and weight of 4,327 lbs.

1969 Ford Mustang Boss 429 (375hp)

We wrote extensively about the 1969 Ford Mustang Boss 429 before. Just click the heading and read all there is about it. For this list, however, I can only say that the 1969 Ford Mustang Boss 429 could be the best muscle car of the era. With a production of only 857 units and specially developed 429ci engine, the car entered the history books as one of the most powerful Fords of the time. While the official numbers on the power output were kept rather low at 375hp, the real power was arguably at much more than 500hp.

With such rarity, exceptional looks and massive power, 1969 Ford Mustang Boss 429 for sale today can fetch a price of half million bucks.

2000 Ford SVT Mustang Cobra R (385hp)

When introduced it was the fastest Ford Mustang of all time. Developed by Special Vehicle Team of Ford, the 2000 Mustang Cobra R sported an engine developing massive 385hp from 5.4 liter V8. However, the sheer power was only one part of the story – much as it was with the first Cobra R from 1993. 2000 SVT Mustang Cobra R came stripped of all excess weight becoming quite nice track performer. After all, it had track focused suspension, new aero package and special brakes. With only 300 units produced, it is one of the most cherished names in whole of Mustang history.

As for the performance, MotorTrend tested model managed to do this:

  • 0-60 mph: 4.4 seconds
  • 60-0 mph braking: 109 feet
  • 1/4-mile @ MPH: 12.9 seconds@110.8 mph

2003 Ford SVT Mustang Cobra (390hp)

Unlike the Cobra R introduced only three years before, the 2003 SVT Mustang Cobra did not feature a naturally aspirated engine. In this case, SVT introduced the 2003 Mustang Cobra with a 4.6 liter V8 sporting an Eaton supercharger. This, of course, made the V8 quite powerful. 390hp and 390 lb-ft of torque in a Mustang feels massive today. Back then, it was incredible. Ford produced 13,476 units in total. 5,082 Convertibles and 8,394 coupes. Motor Trend tested it. Enjoy the results:

  • 0-60 mph: 4.8 seconds
  • 60-0 mph braking: 116 feet
  • 1/4-mile @ MPH: 13.01 seconds @ 110.7 mph

1964 Ford Fairlane Thunderbolt (425hp)

“Win On Sunday, Sell On Monday.” Back in the Sixties this was the winning formula for American muscle car producers. In short, one should build a car to win a race on Sunday and people would rush on Monday morning to buy it. This is exactly what the famed 1964 Ford Fairlane Thunderbolt had to achieve. The Thunderbolt is a heavily differentiated car compared with the standard Fairlane. Detroit Steel and Tubing worked on a car trying to fit a massive 427 big block V8 under the hood accepting 289s. Well, it worked like charm. Only 100 units were produced. Official horsepower rating for the 427 big block was 425hp. Realistically, this thing pushed close to 500hp.

1963 Ford Galaxie 427 (425hp)

In the midst of muscle car era, Ford developed quite an impressive car – the 1963 Galaxie and fitted it with the 425 Ci V8. Now, the 427 plaque did come as a nod to NASCAR’s 427-cid limit. The car was available as the Galaxie 500 and the 500XL with the new semi-fastback roofline. That aside however, this is a list about the most powerful Ford cars of all time and please check out these numbers:

  • 425 bhp and 480 lb-ft of torque,
  • 425hp power output with two 652-cfm Holley four-barrels,
  • 11.5:1 compression and an aluminum manifold

2017 Ford Super Duty Diesel (440hp)

I had to include a diesel on the list. Not any diesel, mind you. This is the one used for Ford Super Duty cars. It is the most powerful one. Power Stroke turbo-diesel 6.7-liter V-8 engine for the 2017 Ford super Duty Diesel gives out mad 440hp and frankly, incredible 925 lb-ft of torque. With all the power and might, some of the Ford Super Duty versions tow rating was rated at incredible 32,000 pounds.

2013 Ford Mustang Boss 302 (444hp)

As the uprated version of the 2012 Ford Mustang GT, the 2013 Mustang Boss 302 came with an enhanced five-liter V8 engine. New heads, newly developed camshaft and additional forged pieces on the inside made the engine develop 444hp. With 380 lb-ft of torque, the 2013 Mustang Boss 302 is capable of reaching 62 mph in 4.3 seconds and it is capable of competing with some performance coupes coming from Germany. BMW M3 of the time! I am looking at you. Nevertheless, the 2013 Ford Mustang Boss 302 definitely deserves to be part of this list.

2017 Ford F-150 Raptor (450hp)

Finally, we are entering the world of super powerful Ford machines. This is possibly the hottest Ford truck ever. Enter the 2017 Ford F-150 Raptor, truck so well endowed with power, off-road goodies and performance you can imagine it conquering any desert out there.

Unlike previous iterations, the new Ford Raptor disposes with a 3.5 liter V6 EcoBoost developing startling 450hp and 510 lb-ft of torque. Now, all that power most certainly is well used thanks to a 10-speed automatic with manual shifting mode. This thing can haul hard and fast – 60 mph in 5 seconds. Eat that.

2018 Ford Mustang GT (460hp)

Redesigned 2018 Ford Mustang S-197 generation gained an all-updated five liter V8. Unlike the one in the pre redesigned version, the latest 5.0 develops 460hp and 420 lb-ft of torque. This made the 2018 Ford Mustang GT a freaking 11-second car. Let me say that again:

Stock 2018 Ford Mustang GT (with Drag Mode enabled) will cover a quarter of a mile in 11.835 seconds.

As for raw performance numbers, the 60 mph can be cracked in 4 or so seconds. Insane for a non-Shelby Mustang.

2015 Ford Falcon FPV GT-F 351 (470hp)

With only 500 units produced, the FPV GT-F is definitely one of the most thrilling and unique Ford cars to ever be offered in Australia. It is, of course, a high-end version of the Falcon – its swan song model.

Regardless, Ford Performance Vehicles did remap the five-liter engine of the GT giving this machine additional grunt. The power surged to 470hp and 420 lb-ft of torque making the FPV GT-F match the power of some of the famous Falcon GTs from the past.

While Ford did not release the performance figures for it right away, they did, in fact, infer the 2015 FPV GT-F can get to 60 mph in 4.7 seconds. Nevertheless, do not hold your hopes of seeing one on the roads even if you visit Australia. These are destined to be really valuable sometime in the future. Does that mean they will sleep in a garage for a long time? Sure!

2011 Shelby GT350 (525hp)

All white with blue stripes. Of course, it is the Shelby GT350. In this case the one from 2011. Celebrating the 45th anniversary of the first one, the 2011 Shelby GT350 introduced us to a supercharged five-liter Coyote V8 developing healthy 525hp. Mating it with the six-speed manual, Borla exhaust and a whole set of suspension upgrades, this particular Shelby GT350 is capable of sub 4 second 0-60 mph time. At a drag strip, early models finished the quarter of a mile in 12 seconds at almost 125 mph.

2018 Shelby Raptor (525hp)

I am not really sure why would anyone need something more ostentatious in truck terms than the Ford Raptor. However, Shelby is sure why. They revealed a fine 2018 Shelby Raptor supply tuned up and drizzled with even more power. In this case, the 3.5-liter V6 develops 525hp and 610 lb-ft of torque. That is 100 lb-ft of torque more than what one can get in the stock Raptor form.

Shelby will produce only 500 units with every one of them priced at almost $120,000. For so much more money, you will get the two-stage shock system, bigger wheels and tires, light bars, and an upgraded interior.

2017 Ford Mustang Shelby GT350 (526hp)

As a modern interpretation of the famed GT350 nameplate, the 2017 Mustang Shelby GT350 drizzled us with a new flat-plane crank 5.2 liter V8 that sounds simply astounding. That, however, isn’t its biggest asset. The flat-plane-crank motor delivers mad 526hp and 429 lb-ft of torque. This makes it possible for the Shelby GT350 to be this high on our list and, again, more importantly, to do this on the streets (or on the track):

  • 0-60 mph in 4.2 seconds,
  • A quarter of a mile pass in 12.4 seconds at 118 mph.

2006 Ford GT (550hp)

Reinventing the famed name from the Sixties, Ford managed to craft a car the whole world went nuts for – the 2006 Ford GT. Some liked it, others did not, but the truth is that the machine powering the GT is one of the most powerful Ford has ever produced. The 5.4 liter V8 uses a Lysholm twin screw-type supercharger for the maximum power output of 550hp and 500 lb-ft of torque. Tipping the scales at 3,351 lbs, the Ford GT isn’t exactly a heavyweight car. So, massive power and not much weight to carry around. Some did report hitting 60 mph in 3.3 seconds with it. All with a top speed of 205 mph.

2018 Ford F-150 V8 Roush and Ford Performance (640hp)

Roush car reached the list too. See, Ford Performance and Roush are known for their collaborative efforts in creating more powerful Ford cars without voiding warranty. In this case, I am writing about the 2018 Ford F-150 V8 Roush and Ford Performance truck who did receive a new supercharger improving the power output to barely sane 640hp and 60 lb-ft of torque. Roush and Ford Performance managed to hit this number starting with 395hp and 400 lb-ft of torque V8. This does not void the Ford warranty and the supercharger job itself does get a 36,000 miles warranty too.

2017 Ford GT (647hp)

GIF courtesy of DriveTribe

Unlike the car from 2005, the new Ford GT lost the massive V8, but it did gain the most extreme version of the 3.5-liter EcoBoost. Tuned up to 647hp and 550 lb-ft of torque, the EcoBoost in the Ford GT can propel this track focused, highly aerodynamic car to 60mph in 2.8 seconds. Now, I thought of posting a nice pic of the 2017 Ford GT here, but I remembered how cool it looks from outside when the car hunkers down into a track mode. In that case, enjoy the GIF. Perfection. Simply, perfection.

2013 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 (662hp)

Five years ago, this 2013 Shelby GT500 was the fastest Mustang you could get. Proudly named the GT500 it received a fascinatingly powerful 5.8-liter, supercharged V8 with 662hp and 631 lb-ft. Heck, it is more powerful than what you may get in the latest Ford GT (get back and see that thing hunkering down-I still can’t get it out of my head).

With so much power, the 2013 Shelby GT500 managed to deliver a performance worthy of supercars. 60 mph in 3.5 seconds and top speed of 200+mph.

2018 Ford Mustang GT V8 Roush and Ford Performance (700hp)

 

Right about now, we are getting to the big boys. This one is especially interesting – the 2018 Ford Mustang GT touched up by the Roush and Ford Performance. It spruced to life just about the same time as that 640hp 2018 Ford F-150 V8.

Using a 12 psi supercharger, the power was increased to 700 hp and 610 lb-ft of torque.

All this without voiding the warranty. Damn.

Roush and Ford Performance gifted the car with a new pump, new heat exchanger, and reservoir, lower intake manifold, 87-millimeter throttle body, a new air inlet, and a cloud-based calibration flash delivery system. All of it needed for proper functioning of the machine.

2017 Ford Shelby F-150 Super Snake (750hp)

Well, I really thought that the 525hp Raptor would be the most powerful truck on the list, but I forgot about this gem. It is the 2017 Ford Shelby F-150 Super Snake gem only 150 of which will ever be produced. The car can be had for just a tad under 100 grand, and you’ll get a Ford F-150 with a supercharged five-liter V8 developing, frankly insane, 750hp. Do not expect it to be the best off-roader. Suspension, styling, height and engine were thoroughly perfected for use on the roads. This thing is even available with four or two wheel drive. Warranty? Yes – 36,000 miles

2013 Ford Mustang Shelby 1000 S/C (1,200hp)

This thing is based on the 2013 Shelby GT500. Imagine that.

After taking apart the GT500 5.8-liter supercharged engine, Shelby managed to improve almost every single part of it. In short, the most powerful Ford on out list gained a new 4.0-liter supercharger, new rods, pistons, and rings, a new fuel system, new cooling system and more. Taking the mods to the extremes, Shelby magicians managed to squeeze 1,200hp.

Yeah! I do not know what else to add.

1,200hp!









About Safet Satara

I do not have spare time. All there is is car time. 12 years and counting. I am a Central European gearhead, but you are probably thinking - aaa a disposable Borg drone! Well, actually, I like to dress up like James Bond too. The only thing I need to be him is an Aston Martin (and I love DBS more than DB5 because, reasons). That's something I guess.

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