The Roush Stage 3 Mustang Is the GT500 Alternative You Can Get With a Manual
The Roush Stage 3 Mustang Is the GT500 Alternative You Can Get With a Manual
The new Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 is one of the hottest cars you can buy right now. With a 760-horsepower supercharged V-8 and a host of performance-minded upgrades, it's the ultimate Mustang flagship, capable of outrunning virtually anything else on the road. But for people who have a passion for shifting their own gears, the GT500 has one fatal flaw: It's only available with a 7-speed dual-clutch automatic. The Roush Stage 3 Mustang fixes that problem. The Roush Stage 3 Mustang Is the GT500 Alternative You Can Get With a Manual
Roush has a long history of building super-fast Fords. In addition to Mustang upgrades, the firm also sells equipment for F-Series trucks, as well as entire race-spec crate engines. The Stage 3 Mustang is one of the most extreme Roush packages available: Starting with a Mustang GT with the Performance Package, Roush adds its own Phase 2 supercharger and cold air intake, boosting the 5.0-liter V-8 to 750 horsepower and 670 lb-ft of torque—increases of 290 horsepower and 250 lb-ft over stock, respectively. The Roush Stage 3 Mustang Is the GT500 Alternative You Can Get With a Manual
And that's not all. Roush adds a larger radiator, a transmission cooler, and a differential cooler to keep temperatures in check on track, and a recalibrated MagneRide suspension to better handle the extra thrust. Outside, you'll find an entirely new fascia, with a horizontally slatted grille, new badging, and a Roush-branded splitter. Out back, there's more Roush badging and an optional trunk-mounted carbon fiber wing. The car gets unique design alloy wheels wrapped in Continental ExtremeContact tires. The interior remains mostly stock, save for a Roush shift knob if you go for the manual transmission (or red-painted paddle shifters on the auto), and optional Roush-badged leather upholstery and a "race" steering wheel.
Thanks to Roush's partnership with Skip Barber Racing School, I was able to sample the Stage 3 Mustang's full capabilities at Connecticut's Lime Rock Park as part of the school's half-day training program. It was a muggy summer day, and the track was damp for our first session out—not the most confidence inspiring situation, especially considering this car's power figures. Despite that, the Stage 3 Mustang remained surprisingly approachable, with progressive, predictable power delivery and excellent balance.
By the second session, the track was mostly dried out, meaning even quicker lap times and higher top speeds. There's no getting around it: the car is a rocket ship. It's able to erase straightaways with ease, with plenty of great noises coming from the quad-tipped exhaust—a benefit of supercharging, which doesn't muffle the engine like turbos do. It made Lime Rock, an already tiny circuit, feel like a big autocross course.
So The Roush Stage 3 Mustang Is the GT500 Alternative You Can Get With a Manual
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