Ford has created factory-built racers that were based on their production cars for many years. Many of those racers have originated as Mustangs and several of those have included Cobra R models. During the summer Ford brought back another variant of the Mustang.
Usually the NHRA Stock Car drag racing only allows vehicles built with factory-specification powertrains to compete. Yet, now the rules are about to change and they will be allowing vehicles built with aftermarket cars to compete as well.
ROUSH is taking advantage of this new development and two versions of their supercharged powertrains have already been approved to race in the Stock and SuperStock classes. The two versions are the V8 engine that produces 510 horsepower taken from the P-51A and the V8 engine that produces 430 horsepower taken from the Stage 3 Mustang.
Ford has built many production cars and factory-built racers during the last four decades. What most of them don’t know is that most of these racers were derived from the Mustang. Since the middle of the 90’s these racers have include the Cobra R’s and a few variants of the FR500.
Ford Racing is stepping up the competition and offering the 2008 Mustang FR500S as an affordable factory built race car that has been created to enter the club of racers. It was debuted at the 2007 SEMA Auto Show.
The car, which retails for $75,000, will also be the centerpiece next year of a new Mustang spec series, the Ford Racing Mustang Challenge for the Miller Cup. The FR500S joins its FR500C and FR500GT siblings in the Mustang racing stable.