Photo: Ford
The Mustang Shelby GT350 and Mustang Bullitt will die so that the 2021 Ford Mustang Mach 1 can live. At least that’s what a leaked Mustang VIN decoder guide suggests.
Mach-E Club forum member machstanggot ahold of and posted a document very similar to the one portending the 3.5-liter V6-powered 2021 Ford F-150 Hybrid. It reveals that both the Shelby GT350 (and quicker GT350R) and the limited-edition Mustang Bullitt are biting the proverbial bullet for the 2021 model year. The latter is not so surprising given that Ford’s licensing of the Bullitt name was expected to expire after the 2020 model year.
Perhaps more importantly, the doc seems to confirm that the Mustang Mach 1 will make its glorious comeback within the next year. While there’s no powertrain listed for that Mustang, the fact that there are two 5.0-liter V8 engines listed suggests it could carry on the legacy of the Mustang Bullitt’s tuned-up 480-horsepower Coyote V8. Unfortunately, the demise of the GT350 and GT350R seems to mean the end for the 526-horsepower 5.2-liter flat-plane crankshaft V8. Rest in power, Voodoo.
New from Ford: 2020 Ford Escape gets four powertrain options, bold new look
Ford Mustang Mach 1 tags in for Bullitt again
Photo: Ford
If this proves to be true, this wouldn’t be the first time the Mustang Bullitt paved the way for the Mach 1 to come roaring back to life. When the Bullitt ended its comeback run in 2003, it was promptly replaced in the lineup by the Mach 1 — though as Motor Trend notes, that Mach 1 received a drastically different engine from the Bullitt.
The decision to bring back the Mach 1 would certainly lend some logic to the renaming of the Mustang Mach-E. When it was first announced in 2018, Ford committed to calling the all-electric SUV the Mach 1; enthusiast outrage seemingly forced Ford to change course and settle on the Mach-E name, which still left some of people feeling awfully sore. It does present the unique conundrum of having two vehicles in the lineup at the same time with practically the same name, but Ford will probably just cross that bridge when it gets there.
More Ford Performance: New Ford Explorer adds high-powered ST variant
Kyle S. Johnson lives in Cincinnati, a city known by many as “the Cincinnati of Southwest Ohio.” He enjoys professional wrestling, Halloween, and also other things. He has been writing for a while, and he plans to continue to write well into the future. See more articles by Kyle.