Company founder Jack Roush worked for Ford as an engineer in the 1960s, and he eventually left the company to pursue his interest in engine development and motor sports.  He ventured into NASCAR, SCCA Trans Am, IMSA road racing, even IRL oval racing, and achieved success in every series.  Roush Performance has produced over 6,000 vehicles since 1997, and has a sizable chunk of the USD800 million annual business of making Mustangs go faster.

Awaiting us outside was the company’s then-flagship, the Roush Mustang 380R.  Glaring orange paintwork and fender badges announced that this was not an ordinary GT.  USD16,800 gets you a whole shopping list of upgrades, starting with the exterior.  The front fascia is angrier and the two nostrils from the Cobra pop out from the hood.  New wheels are slapped on, and a rear spoiler.  Inside, a dash badge, aluminum pedals and white gauges are the main enhancements.  And, of course, the stripes. 

The 4.6 liter sohc V8 from the Mustang GT gets a supercharger, boosting output to—you guessed it—380 hp.   An aluminum flywheel further improves acceleration.  We must have shown a glimmer of fear at the sight of this beast, so before we had a go, Ford marketing manager Dave Gutman first showed us how it’s done.  Blasting away in one gear after another, he carved through the dense Detroit traffic like you’d bite through a hot deep-dish pizza. 

Then it was our turn behind the wheel.  The grumble from the engine filled the cabin even at just above idle.  The clutch was quick to engage; the pedal was surprisingly soft and bit progressively.  Brutal acceleration is just a tilt of the right foot away.

Generating high power at frenetic revs is not what this engine is about   Eight big pistons and a supercharger deliver plenty of torque on demand—515 Nm is available at a low 3000 rpm.  The short throw gearbox made gear changes a mere tug away each time; we had to be firm to slot through the notchy gates. 

The 380R also features suspension enhancements.  Power is effectively transferred to the pavement, with no detectable wheel spin from standstill.  The Mustang’s solid rear axle, a traditional element that still remains in the latest model, felt firmly planted on our mostly 90-degree turns.  We tried the traffic-slicing, too; indeed, all we needed was a glance ahead, a blip of the throttle, and the 380R’s enormous reserve of power does the rest.  Quick steering and nearly-zero body roll allowed us to slot into tight gaps in the highway queue.

When we visited last year, the all-new Mustang had yet to arrive.  Roush has since launched its own version of a Stage 1 Mustang, looking decidedly aggressive.  A new Stage 3 car is surely only months, or days, away, and it will probably remain as exclusive as the 380R.  Only 200 units of the 380R were built per model year.  As the sun set, gradually etching itself over our Detroit fantasy was the memory of an afternoon with one of Detroit’s fastest Mustangs.

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