Vehicle Description
Please visit www.ClassicsBeyond.comto view all the pictures of this
vehicle. History of the 2003 Ford Mustang Mach 1During the 1990s,
the preeminent performance Mustang was the SVT Cobra. Following the
departure of the Fox chassis in 1993 and the arrival of the SN-95
in 1994, Ford also sought to eliminate the 302, which would not
occur until the 1996 model. Drawing on its newly developed OHC
architecture engines known as the Modular, SVT created the 1996 and
up Cobra around several variations of the 32 valve, all aluminium
4.6 liter (281 CID) V-8. The 32-valve 4.6 V8 used in the Mustang
Mach 1 was originally introduced in the 1993 Lincoln Mark VIII,
however for the Mach 1 it was re engineered with a free flowing
exhaust and intake manifold to increase the engine by 30
horsepower. Below the SVT in performance was only the GT,
reintroduced in 1982 with the 302 HO "5.0", later turning to the
16-valve SOHC V-8 in 1996. The sales on the new SN-95 style cars
increased, so that by 2002, Mustang sales topped the combined sales
figure of the Firebird and the Camaro. With GM's withdrawal from
the "Pony Car wars" in 2002, Ford had a free hand at the whole
market but nonetheless created what was arguably the fastest stock
Mustang up to that point in time with the 2003?2004 SVT Cobra.
However, concerns over a price gap between the GT and Cobra, as
well as interest in keeping sales up before the release of the all
new 2005 S197 Mustang prompted the creation of two unique mid-range
performance models: The 2001? Bullitt GT and the 2003 and 2004 Mach
1 both credited to Team Mustang led by Art Hyde and Scott
Hoag.Following the stir caused by the retro 2001 "Bullitt" (a
lightly modified 2001 GT, named for the famed chase Mustang driven
by Steve McQueen in the film Bullitt) Ford saw the value of
heritage in the Mustang name and as a follow up, sought to revive
the Mach 1 name. While similar to the Bullitt in the use of the
Cobra's 13 in (330.2 mm) Brembo front brake rotors, unique Tokico
gas shocks and struts, and lower and stiffer springs, the Mach 1
received a huge performance gain over the base GT and even the 265
hp (198 kW) Bullitt in the form of a unique variant of the DOHC
32-valve 4.6 Liter Modular V8. Commonly known by Mach 1 owners as
an "R" code DOHC, (for the unique VIN engine R code) this
all-aluminium engine features the same high flow heads as the
2003?2004 SVT Cobra, 2003?2004 Mercury Marauder, 2003?2005 Lincoln
Aviator, and the 2003?2009 Australian Boss 5.4 L V8s (see Ford of
Australia Boss 5.4 L), the engine also has intake camshafts sourced
from Lincoln's 5.4 Liter "InTech" V8 to provide more mid-range
torque. The Mach 1 engine had a 10.1:1 compression ratio in
contrast to the 1999 and 2001 Cobra's 9.85:1, and the Mach 1 was
equipped with a Windsor Aluminum Plant or WAP block unique from the
Teksid aluminium blocks used in the 1996?1999 Cobras. The Mach 1
also featured a relatively high redline of 6,800 rpm (5-speed cars)
and fuel cut off at 7,050 rpm or 5800 rpm (4-speed automatic).
While on paper the 305 hp (228 kW) ratings seem a loss when
compared to the 1999 and 2001 SVT Cobras which produced 320 hp (239
kW), in practice the Mach 1 engine produced similar peak horsepower
and substantially more torque.Further differences included the use
of Ford's 8.8 in (223.5 mm) solid rear axle with a 3.55 final ratio
(As opposed to SVT's Independent Rear Suspension) also the
availability of a 4 speed automatic in addition to the Tremec
sourced 5 speed manual. Factory steel "Box" cross section subframe
connectors were also added to increase chassis strength for both
the added handling and to deal with the prodigious torque over the
stock GT. Style wise, the Mach 1 was very distinct from other
Mustangs as it drew heavily from the 1970 Mach 1. In addition to
the matte black spoiler and hood stripe, flat black chin spoiler,
Mach 1 rocker panel stripes and Mach 1 badging on the rear, there
were also faux Magnum 500 polished 17?8 alloy wheels. A retro
themed interior was included with well bolstered dark grey leather
seats featuring 70's style "Comfort Weave" textures, a 1970s style
gauge cluster and a machined aluminium shift ball. An optional 18G
interior upgrade package included stainless steel pedals, a 4-Way
head restraint, aluminum finished shift boot trim ring and door
lock posts, and aluminium look bezels on the dash. The most
noticeable difference visually from other Mustangs was the bulging
hood with cut-out and the return of a semi-legitimate "Shaker
Hood". While physically identical in placement and function (the
scoop is said to be built on the same tooling as the 1970 Mach 1)
it only provides a portion of air to the motor routing to the air
box ahead of the MAF. It does function well as a cold air "snorkel"
and a partial Ram Air at speed.2004 saw only minor cosmetic changes
to the Mach 1. 2004 Mach 1s can be identified by bare aluminium
finished valve covers, as opposed to the 2003's black finished
covers. Outside, 2004 Mach 1's wear 40th anniversary tags ahead of
the doors while the 2003 has the traditional Mustang Running Pony
and Tri-Color bar. The lone interior change was the deletion of the
overhead "cargo net" mounted on the headliner. Despite
pre-production rumors, the horsepower and torque ratings were not
increased in 2004. Power rating was 305 hp (227 kW) and 320 lb?ft
(434 N?m).Unlike many limited edition cars 2003 Mach 1 owners had a
variety of stand out colors from which to choose. Originally, the
cars were offered in Black, Dark Shadow Grey Metallic, Torch Red,
Zinc Yellow, Oxford White and the Mach 1?only Azure Blue. In 2004
Zinc Yellow was dropped as an option and replaced with a more
vibrant yellow called Screaming Yellow, as well as an all new color
called Competition Orange.With such improvements in power and a
relatively light curb weight of 3,380 lb (1,533 kg), the 2003
Mustang Mach 1 posted magazine test numbers that were impressive
given its $29,305 price tag. Magazine tests by Motor Trend found
numbers from 13.88 seconds at 101.9 mph (164.0 km/h) for the
automatic equipped 2003 Mach 1 with a 5.6 seconds 0?60 mph, up to
the five speed's 13.5 seconds at 105 mph (169 km/h) with a 5.2
second 0?60 mph (97 km/h) time.[22] All this while maintaining a
decent 63.5 mph (102.2 km/h) on a 600-foot (180 m) slalom and 0.85
g's on the skidpad, though the higher CG of the larger DOHC motor
has created a tendency to understeer more than the IRS equipped
SVTs and lower CG and lower curb weight Bullitt GTs with the same
basic suspension and brakes.Limited in production, the 2003 and
2004 Mach 1s ended with the New Edge body platform, the
discontinuation of the Fox framed unibody, and the introduction of
the first new frame design since 1979 the s-197 with 9,652 2003's
and 7,182 2004's being built, contrary to the Mach 1 originally
being advertised as a one-year limited run model with production
set at 6,500 cars.
