Somewhere near the top of our automotive fantasy list was a blast down a Detroit street in a Mustang with racing stripes.  We checked that one off on a chilly spring afternoon, as we pressed down hard on the throttle of not just any pony car, but a Roush Mustang 380R.

We were actually in Livonia, Michigan, a few kilometers away from downtown Detroit.  Even our local friends warned us to stay away from that area.  Here, though, the streets looked tame, more suburban habitat than concrete jungle.  We passed several small churches and schools, on the way to the factory of Roush Performance.  We made our pilgrimage for a simple reason: if anyone knows how to make a Mustang faster, it’s Jack Roush and Co.  What Caroll Shelby was to the Mustang in the 1960s, Jack Roush has been, from the ’80s to the present day. 

Our first inclination of their expertise turned up even before we saw the factory.  A deep rumble announced the arrival of our ride, a Roush Expedition.  A one-off vehicle, the SUV acted as test-bed for various Roush go faster-parts.  The bellowing exhaust filled our ears until we reached a sizeable automobile factory.  Dozens of orange Mustangs stretched across one entire side of the factory.  They’re shipped here straight from the Ford factory, awaiting their turn to be tuned and tweaked.

 We had toured Ford’s enormous Rouge plant earlier in the day, and on a more subtle level, this was another indication of the vast scale of the U.S. market.  An unobtrusive-looking dealer like Bill Brown Ford just down the street from Roush moves more metal than most Philippine car companies, and a “tuner” like Roush is a manufacturer in its own right.

In the parking lot were several Ford Focuses in either Stage 1 (cosmetic improvements like aero parts and wheels) or Stage 2 (exhaust and suspension enhancements) trim.  Inside the plant, as many as fifty Fords were in various states of assembly, from F-150s awaiting decals and wheel upgrades, to Mustangs with the entire engine bay empty and awaiting their new powerplants.  We didn’t see full-scale assembly lines, but the building is an organized hive of activity.  

Modern factory this may be, but there’s also a hint of Aladdin’s cave in some of its remote corners.  An inconspicuously hooded lump turned out to be a brand-new Shelby Cobra, a replica faithfully built from scratch.  The company also maintains a collection of vehicles built by Roush Racing, including NASCAR racers.

This unimposing structure houses one of America's most recognized and sought-after Ford tuners: Roush. They do everything from Focus to Mustang to NASCAR and even IMSA!

Inside, the Roush factory is every bit as methodical and efficient as Ford's own Rouge plant albeit in a smaller scale. Dozens of Mustangs await the Roush treatment as Jason gets a guided tour.