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News

Ford Turns the F-150 into a Street Brawler

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Ford knows its audience. Build a V8 with 480 horsepower and someone will ask for 580. Build 580 and someone will ask what it would take to see eight hundred. The answer, apparently, is a factory-backed supercharger kit with a warranty and a Blue Oval stamp on the box.

Through Ford Performance, the company has rolled out a dealer-installed, Whipple-developed 3.0-liter twin-screw supercharger package for any modern machine packing the 5.0-liter Coyote V8—namely the Ford Mustang GT, the Ford Mustang Dark Horse, and the V8-powered Ford F-150. It’s less a tune and more a sanctioned escalation.

Mustang: 810 Horsepower, With a Small Catch

Let’s start with the headline number: 810 horsepower and 615 lb-ft of torque from a showroom-stock 5.0-liter Mustang. That’s Mustang GTD-adjacent territory—at least in raw output—and it comes courtesy of a 3.0-liter Whipple twin-screw blower pressurizing Dearborn’s favorite V8.

There is, however, an asterisk. To see the full 810 hp, your Mustang needs the optional active exhaust. Without it, output “falls” to 800 horsepower. If you’re upset about losing 10 hp in an 800-hp Mustang, you may need a hobby.

This isn’t a backyard pulley-and-prayer setup. The kit includes a 92mm throttle body, colder spark plugs, Shelby GT500–sourced port fuel injectors, a dual-pass intercooler, and a Tomahawk flash tool to recalibrate the ECU. In other words, it’s engineered, not improvised.

And because this is Ford, not your cousin’s tuning shop, the whole thing is designed to meet 100,000-mile durability standards. Have it installed by a dealer or certified tech and you get a 3-year/36,000-mile Ford Performance warranty. That’s the kind of coverage that makes forced induction feel almost responsible.

F-150: Street Truck Energy, Raptor R Attitude

If 810 hp feels excessive in a pony car, 700 hp in a pickup might sound unhinged. The F-150 version of the kit fits 2021–2026 model-year trucks equipped with the 5.0-liter V8, bumping output to 700 horsepower and 590 lb-ft of torque.

No, that doesn’t quite eclipse the 720 hp of the Ford F-150 Raptor R, but it gets close enough to change the personality of the truck entirely. Ford points to the F-150 Lobo as the ideal canvas—essentially handing street-truck fans the power to match the attitude.

The kit works on both two-wheel-drive and four-wheel-drive models, provided they use the single-alternator configuration. Trucks equipped with Pro Power Onboard will need an additional component to keep the electrons cooperative.

Like the Mustang setup, this one is calibrated for 91-octane fuel or better. Premium in, tire smoke out.

The Fine Print (There’s Always Some)

The F-150 kit lists at $10,250, while the Mustang package edges up to $10,500. That’s before installation, of course, but in the world of 700- to 800-hp builds, those numbers feel almost reasonable—especially with factory backing.

There is one California-shaped wrinkle. The kit is marketed as 50-state legal for earlier model years, but CARB certification for 2026 vehicles is still pending. Until that paperwork clears, 2026 buyers in California and other CARB-aligned states will have to admire from a distance.

Factory Muscle, No Apologies

The bigger story here isn’t just the horsepower figure—it’s the legitimacy. Aftermarket forced induction has always carried a whiff of risk: questionable tunes, voided warranties, fingers crossed at every cold start. Ford’s approach flips that script. This is boost with a blessing.

And it reinforces a simple truth: the Coyote V8 remains one of the most tunable, resilient engines in modern performance. Ford isn’t just acknowledging that fact. It’s monetizing it—with a warranty card tucked neatly inside.

For loyalists who believe there’s no such thing as too much power, Ford has provided an official answer. It just happens to come with a Whipple whine and a $10,500 receipt.

Source: Ford

Restomod

The Shelby GT350TR Proves There’s Still Room for One More Great Mustang Restomod

Just when it seemed like the Mustang-based restomod boom had reached peak saturation—every fastback reborn, every stripe reimagined—along comes another build that reminds us why this corner of the car world refuses to slow down. Meet the Shelby GT350TR, a sharpened, modernized reinterpretation of the classic Mustang by Oklahoma-based Trick Rides. Yes, it follows a familiar formula. No, that doesn’t make it any less compelling.

At $339,000 to start, the GT350TR clearly isn’t trying to win over casual nostalgia buyers. This is a no-compromises restomod aimed squarely at people who want their classic Mustang to drive like a modern performance car—without losing the attitude that made the original special.

As with any serious restomod, the magic begins underneath. Trick Rides ditches the original underpinnings in favor of a modern Roadster Shop chassis, instantly resetting expectations for ride quality and handling. An independent front suspension with Fox shocks brings a level of composure the original car could only dream of, trading vintage float for modern control. It’s the kind of upgrade that quietly transforms the driving experience long before you start leaning on the throttle.

The chassis revisions don’t stop there. Stiffer front and rear stabilizer bars work alongside a four-link rear suspension and a stout 9-inch rear axle. Together, these upgrades dramatically recalibrate how the Mustang behaves when pushed, trimming away much of the body roll and cornering hesitation that defined the original car. In other words, this is a classic Mustang that finally feels comfortable attacking a winding road rather than merely surviving it.

Visually, the GT350TR walks a careful line between reverence and reinvention. Trick Rides keeps the familiar silhouette intact, crafting the body panels from steel and preserving the proportions that made this generation of Mustang iconic. There’s an undeniable Eleanor vibe here, but it’s more restrained—less Hollywood hero car, more grown-up muscle with taste.

Up front, the changes are more pronounced. A new grille, revised headlights, and a custom hood give the GT350TR a sharper, more purposeful face. Three-piece Forgeline wheels fill the arches just right, while side-exit exhaust pipes add a touch of race-car menace without tipping into parody. From most angles, it looks properly aggressive, though the rear end plays things a bit safe compared to the bolder front fascia. That subtlety may disappoint some, but others will appreciate the restraint.

Then there’s the powertrain, which is exactly as unapologetic as you’d hope. The headline act is a supercharged 5.0-liter Coyote V8 pumping out a reported 710 horsepower. It’s paired with a six-speed Tremec T-56 manual transmission, because anything else would feel like a missed opportunity. A custom exhaust system with Magnaflow mufflers ensures the soundtrack matches the numbers, delivering modern V-8 fury through a classic American megaphone.

For buyers who want brute force without the whine of a blower, Trick Rides offers an alternative: a naturally aspirated 7.0-liter V-8. It’s a different flavor of excess, trading forced induction drama for big-displacement swagger.

Performance upgrades would be meaningless without serious stopping power, and the GT350TR delivers there too. Baer brakes handle braking duties, with six-piston calipers up front and four-piston units at the rear, promising fade-resistant confidence to match the car’s newfound pace.

The Shelby GT350TR doesn’t pretend to reinvent the restomod formula. Instead, it refines it—modern chassis, modern power, classic looks, and just enough restraint to keep it from becoming a caricature. In a crowded field, that focus might be exactly what helps it stand out.

Source: Ford Authority

News

Ford Mustang Still Dominates the American Sports Car Market

Sports cars have never been about mass appeal. They’re indulgences—loud, low, occasionally impractical statements made by people who still care about steering feel and redlines. But even by those standards, 2025 was rough. Sales across the sports-car landscape largely collapsed last year, with only a handful of bright spots punctuating what looks like a slow retreat from the enthusiast market.

The Ford Mustang remains the genre’s immovable object. America’s best-selling sports car didn’t just hold the line—it improved it, posting a modest but meaningful 3.0-percent sales increase to 45,333 units. In a market where “up” is now an exotic concept, the Mustang’s resilience speaks volumes. Whether it’s brand recognition, accessible pricing, or the fact that Ford still bothers to market the thing, the Mustang continues to do what it’s always done: sell.

That success only highlights the pain elsewhere. Chevrolet’s Corvette, once a reliable counterweight to the Mustang’s dominance, fell hard. Sales dropped 26.4 percent year over year to 24,533 units. That’s a steep decline for a mid-engine car that still looks like it escaped from a Le Mans paddock. Supply constraints, price creep, and the fading novelty of the C8 layout likely all played a role. The Corvette is still aspirational—but aspiration doesn’t always translate to signed paperwork.

Dodge’s situation is less subtle and far more dramatic. With the two-door Challenger officially discontinued at the end of 2023 and replaced by new Charger variants, Dodge effectively reset its performance lineup. The result? Charger and Challenger sales collapsed by more than 80 percent year over year, falling from 61,810 units to just 9,562. That’s not a slump—it’s a reboot hangover. Whether buyers eventually warm to the new Charger’s mission remains to be seen, but the old-school muscle crowd didn’t follow immediately.

Elsewhere, the Japanese brands delivered the most interesting surprises. The Nissan Z quietly had a banner year, with sales jumping an impressive 73.4 percent to 5,487 units. That figure nearly doubles Toyota Supra sales, which themselves rose a respectable 12.9 percent to 2,953 cars. Even more interesting is the context: the Supra is mechanically related to the BMW Z4, which barely moved the needle at all. BMW sold 2,113 Z4s in 2025, down less than one percent from the year prior. Toyota outsold BMW by roughly 500 units—a reminder that badge engineering only works when the badge resonates.

The Mazda MX-5 Miata also did what the Miata always does: quietly succeed. Sales climbed 7.7 percent to 8,727 units, making it one of the few sports cars besides the Mustang and Z to post a gain. Lightweight, affordable, and blissfully unconcerned with horsepower wars, the Miata continues to thrive by sticking to fundamentals.

Not everyone was so lucky. Volkswagen’s hot hatches took a hit, and pricing is the obvious culprit. Golf GTI sales fell 24.4 percent, while the Golf R dropped 20.9 percent. Tariffs pushed the R past the $50,000 mark, while the GTI now starts near $36,000—roughly $6,000 more than it cost in 2020. That’s a tough sell for cars once defined by attainable performance. Enthusiasts noticed, and many walked.

Subaru had an especially rough year. WRX sales plummeted 41.1 percent to 10,930 units, a decline Subaru attributed to production priorities at its Gunma Prefecture plant, where Foresters—particularly the Hybrid—took precedence. Translation: sedans got sidelined. The BRZ didn’t fare much better, with sales down 13.8 percent to just 2,881 units. Subaru even raised the BRZ’s starting price by nearly $1,000 for 2025, offering a new Sport mode for manual cars as consolation. Buyers weren’t impressed. Toyota’s mechanically similar GR86 sold nearly three times as many units despite its own 13.0-percent decline.

Step back, and the picture becomes clear. Sports cars aren’t dead—but they are shrinking. Rising prices, shifting manufacturing priorities, and a market increasingly obsessed with crossovers have squeezed a segment that already lived on the margins. The winners are the cars that either offer something truly unique (Miata), carry massive cultural weight (Mustang), or hit the sweet spot between nostalgia and modernity (Nissan Z).

Everyone else is fighting gravity.

For enthusiasts, that makes every surviving sports car feel a little more precious—and every sales report a little more sobering.