: That’s interesting, man. […] "'Pin It")
Four-Door Mustang Rumors Swirl After Ford Benchmarks Charger SRT Hellcat
Photo: Ford
Last week, eagle-eyed spy photographers snapped photos of Ford benchmarking a 2021 Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat in Dearborn. This has led to a resurgence of the rumor that Ford is planning on trotting out a four-door Mustang sometime down the line. In the words of Jeffrey “The Dude” Lebowski (albethey heavily sanitized): That’s interesting, man. That’s interesting.
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Back in 2018, Mustang6G reported that Ford sent reps to an event for dealers with news of a four-door Mustang powered by a turbo V8. Nothing has come of this in the nearly three years since — Ford has since revealed the 760-horsepower Shelby GT500 and turned its focus toward EVs with the likes of the Mustang Mach-E.
Will Ford challenge the Charger Hellcat with four-door Mustang?
Photo: Stellantis
But Ford benchmarking a Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat is, in the words of The Dude again, interesting, man. As Ford Authority reported on Friday:
“[T]his Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat is definitely owned by Ford, as it was clearly spotted turning into a Ford facility, in addition to sporting the telltale yellow sticker on its rear window.”
The closest Ford has to a Charger SRT Hellcat competitor is the Mustang Shelby GT500, which is a more direct rival of the Challenger. The 2021 Mustang Shelby GT500 outmuscles the SRT Hellcat in terms of horsepower, putting down 760 horses to the Hellcat’s 717. However, the Shelby GT500 is less powerful than the Charger SRT Hellcat Redeye Widebody, which cranks out 797 horsepower and 707 lb-ft of torque.
Ford making interesting choices with Mustang brand
Does this mean anything? It’s hard to say. Ford likely wouldn’t have much reason for building a Mustang sedan that outpowers the Charger apart from bragging rights. But that seems to be the guiding principle behind the upcoming Raptor R, which will likely get the Shelby’s engine in an effort to knock the Ram 1500 TRX off its throne. And given how Ford’s whole goal with the new Bronco is beating Jeep, it’s fair to say the Blue Oval just really has it out for Stellantis. (Probably because of the name.)
But as the Mustang Mach-E has shown, Ford is willing to make interesting choices with its brand — even when it’s a choice that isn’t particularly popular with purists. Like the Bronco brand, Ford will likely continue to leverage the cache of the Mustang name by building it out as a sub-brand. And, who knows, maybe that will include a four-door Ford Mustang sedan.
Ford is likely also toying around with the idea of an all-electric Mustang fastback and/or convertible. Dodge confirmed earlier this year that it will build an electric performance vehicle, which could be a Charger or Challenger EV, by 2024.
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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.