The greatest Ford Mustangs of all time

10. Ford Mustang II King Cobra (1978)

No list of great Mustangs is complete without controversy, and the Mustang II King Cobra earns its place not through outright brilliance, but historical importance. Born in the emissions-strangled, fuel-crisis mid-1970s, it was underpowered and awkward, yet it kept the Mustang alive when bigger, thirstier performance cars were disappearing altogether.

With its wild graphics, spoilers and cartoonish aggression, the King Cobra was an attempt to inject excitement into a difficult era. It may not be fast, but without the Mustang II, there may not have been a Mustang at all.

9. Shelby GT500 (2020-)

At the opposite end of the spectrum sits the modern GT500: supercharged, dual-clutch-equipped and violently quick. With more than 760PS (559kW) and genuine supercar performance, it is the most powerful road-going Mustang Ford has ever built. It’s less raw than the Shelbys of old, but devastatingly effective — proof that even six decades in, the Mustang can still punch holes in the performance establishment.

8. Shelby GT350 (2016-20)

Modern Mustangs have never been faster, yet few deliver the sense of theatre of the latest GT350. Its 5.2-litre flat-plane-crank V8 spins past 8,000rpm and produces a sound unlike anything previously fitted to a Ford badge. Matched with razor-sharp steering, colossal brakes and a genuinely track-honed chassis, this was the Mustang that pursued finesse with the same intensity as outright power and proved it could master both.

7. Shelby GT500 KR (1968)

If the GT350 was a scalpel, the GT500 KR was a sledgehammer. Powered by the mighty 428 Cobra Jet, the “King of the Road” represented Shelby’s ultimate big-block Mustang: brutally fast, visually imposing and dripping in late-1960s excess. It wasn’t subtle and didn’t pretend to be. This was muscle at its absolute zenith.

6. Roush Stage 3 Mustang (2013-14)

Jack Roush has been extracting speed from Mustangs for decades, but the 2013–14 Stage 3 cars stand as one of the purest expressions of his philosophy. Built around Ford’s Coyote V8 and force-fed by a supercharger, power soared north of 568PS (418kW), and Roush fitted independent rear suspension and a limited slip differential. Stiff, loud and unapologetic, these were Mustangs built by racers rather than marketers.

5. Ford Mustang GTD (2024)

The seventh and current-generation Mustang however, got even more crazy. Not only is it now going racing at Le Mans and Daytona with the new Mustang GT3, there’s also a road version on the way. Called the GTD, after the IMSA GT3 class, this really is a Mustang like no other. 

It gets a transaxle gearbox, inboard suspension, an 800PS (588kW) 5.2-litre supercharged V8, carbon fibre bodywork, and GT3-inspired aero. So, this is a Mustang with the power and performance of a proper supercar and for the first time, too, the price. Buyers of the GTD won’t be parting with any less than £230,000 for the privilege of owning it. But you just know it’s going to be an unbelievable machine.

4. SVT Cobra R (2003)

Believe it or not, Mustang history includes long fallow periods. The Mustang II and much of the early Fox-body era dulled the badge’s edge, but the SVT Cobra R marked a turning point. Based on the SN95/New Edge platform, it was a road-legal track car in the purest sense: 5.4-litre naturally aspirated V8, 385PS (283kW), no rear seats, no radio and no concessions to comfort. With just 300 built, it signalled Ford’s renewed seriousness about Mustang performance.

3. Shelby GT350 (1965)

Carroll Shelby didn’t refine the Mustang — he transformed it. The original GT350 stripped away civility and added race-bred aggression, turning Ford’s stylish coupé into a legitimate competition machine. Side-exit exhausts, Wimbledon White paint and a snarling 289 V8 created the template for every performance Mustang that followed.

2. Ford Mustang Boss 429 (1969)

Built to satisfy NASCAR rather than customers, the Boss 429 was barely domesticated. Its huge semi-hemispherical V8 required a re-engineered front end and hand-finished assembly by Kar Kraft. Only 1,358 were produced, making it one of the rarest and most valuable Mustangs ever — a muscle car with genuine motorsport purpose.

1. Ford Mustang GT Fastback (1965–66)

Everything starts here. The early Mustang GT Fastback didn’t just launch a model line, it created an entire segment. With its perfect proportions, fastback roofline and optional high-performance V8s, it combined style, accessibility and performance like nothing before it. Add its motorsport success and immortal pop-culture moments, and the result is clear: no Mustang matters more. Sixty years on, it remains the definitive expression of what a Mustang should be.