How About a 727-Horsepower 2016 Mustang for Under $40K?
During the golden age of muscle cars, dealerships across the country were more than happy to make your performance car even hotter. With expertise gained from local drag strips, dealers like Yenko Chevrolet in Pennsylvania, John Fitch in Connecticut, and Galpin Ford in Los Angeles would transform stock cars into their own unique regional models, and some have since gone on to become legends in their own right. But those days are largely over, and other than some interior bits and graphic packages, there aren’t many dealerships left that are willing to crack your brand new car open and tinker with it before you drive it off the lot.
Luckily, it feels like we’re living in the great golden age of cheap horsepower, so that doesn’t seem necessary anymore. The Shelby GT350 packs 526 horsepower, and can be had for under $60K. For a little more, you can drive away (for the love of God, carefully, please) with one of the Dodge Hellcats, the 707-horsepower duo that set the performance car world on its ear. But now, a Ford dealer in Ohio is putting all the high horsepower “bargains” to shame with a 727-horsepower Mustang GT. The best part, you can drive it off the lot — with no money down — for $39,995. Oh, and they deliver to anywhere in the country, too.
According to Lebanon Ford of Lebanon, Ohio’s website:
Lebanon Ford Performance (LFP) has found a way to build a 727 horsepower – 2016 Mustang GT for: $39,995. This is not a misprint and you are not buying a pre-owned vehicle. This is a brand new, 2016 GT with a ROUSH Phase 2 Supercharger. When we are finished, you are a set of tires, a few suspension tweaks and a good driver away from a 10.95 quarter mile. The best part, we can do it all with $0 down, pending credit approval. Your car will be built and ready to roll within a week and can be shipped to your drive way, any where in the United States.
Starting with a base $32,995 Mustang GT, the performance department bolts on Roush’s Phase 2 Supercharger, which lists for $7,549.99. If you’re doing the math, that adds up to $39,944.99, netting Lebanon a cool $50.01 in profit. Of course, the base car gets you 727 horsepower, and not much else. The dealer is more than happy to beef up the rest of the car for you, which in our humble opinion probably isn’t a bad idea.
Speaking with The Drive, LFP’s Roush parts manager Charlie Watson described how the dealer figured out how to win the horsepower war for less. Lebanon wanted to “… focus on establishing a nationwide base of enthusiasts rather than making huge profits on each car” — something we don’t think it’ll have much trouble doing.
On top of installing the supercharger, LFP will cover everything from brakes to suspension components, to wheels and body kits. It even offers two-tone leather interiors to further set its cars apart. These modifications are popular, and most of the Mustangs end up leaving the lot for around $45–$50K, with a few cars reaching close to the $60K mark. Still, compared to the competition, it’s one hell of a bargain.
It remains to be seen whether or not a Lebanon Mustang can keep up in the corners with a GT350, or really scare the wits out of a Hellcat. But LFP stands behind its work; it offers a three-year, 36,000 powertrain warranty that will be honored at any Ford dealership in the country. With that peace of mind, we’d love to get behind the wheel of one and see what it could do at the dragstrip, just like its dealer-special ancestors did half a century ago.
