ROUSH 5XR Mustang GT with 525HP Supercharged 5.0 L V8

Michigan based Ford tuner ROUSH has taken on the new Mustang GT, resulting in the 2011 ROUSH 5XR Mustang. The 5XR will be limited to just 150 units and is available in either coupe or convertible body style, albeit only with a 6-speed manual transmission.

Utilizing ROUSH's R2300 ROUSHcharger (supercharger), the Mustang GT's 5.0-liter V8 will be good for 525-hp and 465 lb. ft. (630 Nm) of torque. All ROUSH components and the powertrain come with a 3 year, 36,000 mile (58,000 km) warranty.

Jack Roush, ROUSH chairman said:

"I'm always excited to get an opportunity to work on a new engine, and the Ford 5.0-liter is a great platform. It has 412 horsepower [307 kw] to begin with, but our group was able to coax out another 113 horsepower [84 kw] with the ROUSHcharger. The 2011 ROUSH 5XR runs fast, sounds great, and is another amazing addition to the ROUSH Mustang heritage."

ROUSH has upgraded the Mustang's suspension with new front struts, rear shocks and springs and front and rear stabiliser bars.

The exterior gets a square tipped exhaust, full bodykit, new front fascia with driving lamps and upper billet grille, a front chin splitter, side rocker splitters, rear valance and a three-piece boot spoiler. The whole thing sits on 20' chrome rims wearing Cooper RS3 rubber.

The 5XR also gets body stickers, unique 5XR badging inside and out and a lettery of authenticity signed by Jack Roush himself. Options include color-matched sports leather and four-piston brakes with slotted rotors.

The ROUSH 5XR Mustang will only be sold as a post-title vehicle (you have to buy a Mustang before you can get order the ROUSH modifications) and is not available in California. The recommend retail price will be US$15,390, on top of the price of the Mustang base car.

By Tristan Hankins

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Roush releases GT500-killer supercharger package for 5.0-liter Mustang GT

Roush has released its ROUSHcharger kit for the new 5.0-liter Mustang after its debut at the Woodward Dream Cruise, force-feeding performance nuts with enough induction to pump the Mustang GT's output from 412 horsepower and 390 lb-ft of torque to a monstrous, semi-warrantied 550HP and "more than 470 lb-ft" of torque. What was once strictly Ford GT and GT500 power has officially become available for the M3-hunting Joe Regular GT, all at a suggested price of $5,999.

For that price, buyers get a supercharger unit with a 90-mm pulley that creates approximately seven pounds of boost, bigger injectors, new fuel rails, a new throttle body, and a higher-flowing intake lid. A specific calibration is not provided with the unit, though.

For a Roush-calibrated unit and full warranty, interested parties will have to wait until later this year. Currently Roush offers a 90-day warranty on the parts, but installing the unit will still negate Ford's engine warranty.

Jack Roush says, "while the new Ford five-liter engine offers amazing performance right from the factory, and the new ROUSHcharger will kick it up a level...Our engineering team has worked hard to deliver a product that will satisfy the demands of the ROUSH customer on an extremely tight deadline, and they have come up with another great solution for a powertrain upgrade."

If going for pure power and not worrying about paying that SVT badge premium, this might be worth a look as soon as the warrantied version comes out.

By Phil Alex

Photo Gallery: 2011 Ford Mustang GT

Roush Launches Second Aviation-Themed Mustang with 510HP

Using the 2009 Mustang as a base, Roush Performance has developed its second aviation-themed pony car, the P-51B which is named after the legendary World War II fighter plane. As with the previous P-51A Mustang that was introduced at the 2007 SEMA Show, the new P-51B packs a heavily modified ROUSHcharged 4.6-liter V8 engine that puts down 510 horsepower and 510 lb.-ft. of torque. Among the changes for the 2009 Mustang 'fighter' are a secondary sheave FEAD, the addition of the ROUSH 6-piston brakes, a ROUSH vent pod gauge and new Cooper RS3 ultra-high performance tires.

In terms of styling the 2009 P-51B continues Ford factory Vapor paint finish combined with yellow and red checkerboard accents that pay tribute to pilots of the 357th Fighters Group, Eighth Air Force ETO (European Theater Operations).

"The 2009 ROUSH P-51B is really the closest thing we can do to truly match the performance and styling of the fighter plane," said Jack Roush. "Just like the airplane, the P-51B Mustang has the power to outrun most anything, can turn like virtually nothing else, and will make those other 'pilots' have second thoughts before engaging in a skirmish," he added.

ROUSH says that production of the Mustang P-51B will be limited to just 51 numbered vehicles in the 2009 model with prices set at $65,800 (including destination fees and gas guzzler taxes) a piece. The few available options include a ROUSH trunk tool kit, enhanced ROUSH resonator exhaust and an Escort Passport 9500ci radar/laser defense system.