Mustang remains one of the most powerful brand names in the auto industry thanks to a combination of nostalgia and personalization that resonates with customers.
Jim Owens, the current Mustang brand manager, says Ford plans to offer three specialty models with links to Mustang’s long history as well as up-to-date flourishes.
For the ’22 model year, the Mustang family is growing to include a new Mustang Shelby GT500, limited-edition Mustang Shelby GT500 Heritage Edition and the first-ever Mustang Coastal Edition in both coupe and convertible body styles, according to Owens, who showed off the new versions at an informal gathering along Woodward Avenue in suburban Detroit.
Paying homage to the original 1967 Shelby GT500, the limited run of ’22 Mustang Shelby GT500 Heritage Edition (pictured, left) fastbacks will be finished in classic Brittany Blue exterior paint with two different Wimbledon White exterior stripe options: painted Over-the-Top racing stripes with GT500 logo, or vinyl Over-the-Top racing stripes with vinyl side stripe featuring GT500 logo.
The Mustang Shelby GT500, designed and engineered by Ford Performance, features a first-in-class 7-speed dual-clutch transmission, race-bred control strategies and advanced drive modes.
Dealers will begin taking orders for ’22 Shelby GT500 models, including the new Shelby GT500 Heritage Edition, on Nov. 15, with the vehicles going on sale next spring.
The ’22 Mustang Shelby GT500 has a starting U.S. price of $72,900, (not including $1,195 destination fee and $2,600 gas guzzler tax). The Shelby GT500 Heritage Edition package is available for an additional $2,140.
Like the all-new Ford F-150 Raptor pickup, the upcoming and first-ever Bronco Raptor, plus the Le Mans-winning Ford GT Supercar, the Mustang Shelby GT500 also will be available in Code Orange, the exclusive Ford Performance paint color.
The Code Orange paint helps emphasize the “engineering attributes” of the new Mustang Shelby Heritage Edition, which includes a track package with carbon-fiber wheels and rear-deck wing, Owens says.
Owens says Mustang also is expanding its special editions by adding for the ’22 model year the all-new Coastal Limited Edition package (pictured above, below), which will be available on the 310-hp Mustang EcoBoost Premium fastback and convertible.
The Coastal package adds 19-in. machined-face aluminum with tarnished dark-painted wheels and vinyl side stripes that trace down the vehicle and come up over the hood. A signature Mustang rear fender side scoop, black grille, pedestal rear spoiler, Coastal lighted sill plate and Coastal instrument panel badge complete the package.
The Coastal Edition is exclusively available in Brittany Blue, a light blue that traces its origins back to the 1960s, as well as Cyber Orange and Rapid Red, Owens says.
While Ford has sold more than 10 million Mustangs in the past half-century, individual customers have continued to personalize their cars to make them their own, inspiring Ford’s designers and engineers, Owens says.
The ’22 Mustang EcoBoost Premium has a starting U.S. price of $32,225, (not including $1,195 destination fee), and the Coastal Limited Edition package is available for an additional $1,995.
