MOTOR

44 march 2015 motormag.com.au

GT350R breed so early in the sixth-
gen’s lifecycle perhaps suggests some
crucial changes afoot for the pony car
in the mid-term future. Indeed, the GT’s
naturally aspirated 5.0-litre V8 must
surely be on borrowed timed in the face
of ever-tightening emissions and fuel
consumption legislation.
If Mustang is to continue as a
global product meeting European-
lead restriction while packing proper
performance credentials, a new
powerplant must surely be on the cards.
Or perhaps right in front of our faces.
That both the GT hypercar and F-150

Raptor premiered at Detroit with 3.5

litres of twin-turbocharged power

is a bold indicator of where Ford

Performance’s head is at with future

powertrain technology. Ford even went

to pains at the January show to point out

the format’s motorsport pedigree, stating

that: “the 3.5-litre Ecoboost engine...

powers a record-setting (IMSA Tudor

Championship) Daytona racing prototype

sports car as well as Ford cars, trucks

and utilities.”

With the vast majority of Europe’s

serious performance cars moving to

downsized forced-induction engines,

it’s perhaps a case of ‘when’ rather

than ‘if’ high-spec Mustangs move to

a more-powerful yet greener turbo-six

powerplant than the current eight. It’s

certainly feasible that ‘when’ could be

well within the six-year 2020 target,

offering the Ford Performance arm the

ideal forum with which to leverage its

expertise across numerous variants.

While most of Ford Performance’s

future output is wrapped in speculation,

what’s certain is Australia’s first taste

of the brand will be the updated Focus

ST in May, followed by the much

anticipated local launch of the Mustang.

Following in early 2016 will be the

red-hot Focus RS, which has been

confirmed for Australia. While details

of the successor to 2009’s bespoke

limited-edition hatch are thin on the

ground – rumours that front-drive may

be ditched in favour of all-paw traction

are as yet unconfirmed – the revamped

RS set for world-wide release is expected

to produce in excess of 240kW from its

2.3-litre four-cylinder engine shared

with the entry-level Mustang. M

After the Mustang,

it’s the turn of

the Focus RS to

bolster Ford’s local

fast car lineup –

the second-gen

RS sold up a storm

here in 2010

Artist’s

impression

Artist’s impression

THE RED-HOT FOCUS RS HAS BEEN

CONFIRMED FOR AUSTRALIA

44 march 2 015 motormag.com.au

Or perhaps right in front of our faces.
That both the GT hypercar and F-15 0

serious performance cars moving to

downsized forced-induction engines,

Artist’s impression