ROUSH 5XR Mustang GT with 525HP Supercharged 5.0 L V8

Michigan based Ford tuner ROUSH has taken on the new Mustang GT, resulting in the 2011 ROUSH 5XR Mustang. The 5XR will be limited to just 150 units and is available in either coupe or convertible body style, albeit only with a 6-speed manual transmission.

Utilizing ROUSH's R2300 ROUSHcharger (supercharger), the Mustang GT's 5.0-liter V8 will be good for 525-hp and 465 lb. ft. (630 Nm) of torque. All ROUSH components and the powertrain come with a 3 year, 36,000 mile (58,000 km) warranty.

Jack Roush, ROUSH chairman said:

"I'm always excited to get an opportunity to work on a new engine, and the Ford 5.0-liter is a great platform. It has 412 horsepower [307 kw] to begin with, but our group was able to coax out another 113 horsepower [84 kw] with the ROUSHcharger. The 2011 ROUSH 5XR runs fast, sounds great, and is another amazing addition to the ROUSH Mustang heritage."

ROUSH has upgraded the Mustang's suspension with new front struts, rear shocks and springs and front and rear stabiliser bars.

The exterior gets a square tipped exhaust, full bodykit, new front fascia with driving lamps and upper billet grille, a front chin splitter, side rocker splitters, rear valance and a three-piece boot spoiler. The whole thing sits on 20' chrome rims wearing Cooper RS3 rubber.

The 5XR also gets body stickers, unique 5XR badging inside and out and a lettery of authenticity signed by Jack Roush himself. Options include color-matched sports leather and four-piston brakes with slotted rotors.

The ROUSH 5XR Mustang will only be sold as a post-title vehicle (you have to buy a Mustang before you can get order the ROUSH modifications) and is not available in California. The recommend retail price will be US$15,390, on top of the price of the Mustang base car.

By Tristan Hankins

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Roush releases GT500-killer supercharger package for 5.0-liter Mustang GT

Roush has released its ROUSHcharger kit for the new 5.0-liter Mustang after its debut at the Woodward Dream Cruise, force-feeding performance nuts with enough induction to pump the Mustang GT's output from 412 horsepower and 390 lb-ft of torque to a monstrous, semi-warrantied 550HP and "more than 470 lb-ft" of torque. What was once strictly Ford GT and GT500 power has officially become available for the M3-hunting Joe Regular GT, all at a suggested price of $5,999.

For that price, buyers get a supercharger unit with a 90-mm pulley that creates approximately seven pounds of boost, bigger injectors, new fuel rails, a new throttle body, and a higher-flowing intake lid. A specific calibration is not provided with the unit, though.

For a Roush-calibrated unit and full warranty, interested parties will have to wait until later this year. Currently Roush offers a 90-day warranty on the parts, but installing the unit will still negate Ford's engine warranty.

Jack Roush says, "while the new Ford five-liter engine offers amazing performance right from the factory, and the new ROUSHcharger will kick it up a level...Our engineering team has worked hard to deliver a product that will satisfy the demands of the ROUSH customer on an extremely tight deadline, and they have come up with another great solution for a powertrain upgrade."

If going for pure power and not worrying about paying that SVT badge premium, this might be worth a look as soon as the warrantied version comes out.

By Phil Alex

Photo Gallery: 2011 Ford Mustang GT

MG XPower to be Well-Represented at UK's Historics Auction

Set to hit the block at the UK's Historics at Brooklands event are these two MG XPower SVs.

The carbon fiber-bodied MG XPower Sport Veloce, based on the less aggressive X80 concept, was designed by Peter Stevens (responsible, among others, for the McLaren F1 and Jaguar XJR-15) and is underpinned by a platform from Qvale's Mangusta.

Powered by Ford's 4.6 liter 4-valve Cobra V8, the standard SV made 320 horsepower with an advertised top speed of 165 mph when new.

Roughly 82 of the rear-wheel drive MG coupes were built and sold to consumers before a lack of sales forced MG to stop production. At around £75,000 when new, it's easy to see how that could happen.

The light silver example here is a 2003 model with ~9,000 miles on it and was used by MG as a development car. It's expected to bring in £18,000-£24,000.

The dark silver one in XPower Grey is a Roush-tuned 2004 SV-S (one of three) and has covered ~10,000 miles. Historics says it could fetch as much as £45,000.

Why such a difference in price? The SV-S is one of three built, getting an extra bump to 385 horsepower thanks to a Roush supercharger. With the forced induction, it can reach 175 mph and hit 60 in 4.9 seconds.

Historics at Brooklands will be taking place on June 2.

By Phil Alex

Source: Historics