Ford previews 2020 Mustang GT
Ahead of its arrival in November, Ford has released details on the Mustang GT for 2020.
Given styling and specification upgrades were added in 2019, there are no major additions for the 2020 Mustang, but there are new colour choices, a special appearance package and an expansion of the factory service programme.
“Customers have been asking for more ways to customise and individualise their vehicle, so we’re pleased to offer more ways of doing that,” said Ford Australia President and CEO, Kay Hart.
“These new offerings help make the 2020 Mustang really stand out, and for the first time, our Ford Service Benefits program, with our Service Price Promise, is part of Mustang ownership, too.”
Service Plus
Including the Mustang in the Ford Service Benefits programme means that purchasers of new Mustangs will be eligible for fixed price servicing of $299 (incl. GST) per A or B logbook service at participating Ford dealerships for the first four years or 60,000km.
Additionally, Ford Service Benefits includes a Vehicle Report Card, access to a Service Loan Car, Auto Club membership (incl. Roadside Assistance) and SYNC 3 sat-nav updates.
New Old Colours
Dipping into their past when selecting the colour palette for 2020, Ford has added ‘Grabber Lime’ and ‘Twister Orange’ to the paint options list. Both hues are significant in Mustang history.
Grabber Lime is inspired by Grabber Green, one of four ‘Grabber’ colours that debuted in 1969 and were exclusive to Shelby Mustangs that year. As the name suggests, these colours were designed to grab attention, being bolder and brighter than most other paint options available at the time.
The popularity of the Grabber colours saw them added to regular Mustangs for the 1970 and 1971 model years, with Grabber Blue continuing into 1972. Grabber Green was most often seen on Boss and Mach 1 Mustangs in those years.
Twister Orange pays tribute to the ‘Twister Special’ Mustang of 1970.
One of several regional special editions offered by Ford in the late 1960s and early ’70s, the Twister Special was only released in Kansas City, which is in North America’s “Tornado Alley”, hence the Twister name. Only 96 Twister Specials were produced, all of which were finished in Grabber Orange, but what makes them collectable is neither those numbers or their colour, but the fact that all were based on high-spec Mach 1 Mustangs and featured a ‘drag pack’ suspension upgrade and high-performance V8 engines.
These colours have been revived previously, with Grabber Orange available in 2007-09 and Grabber Blue in 2010-14 and 2017.
The closest match to these colours in the current palette is Orange Fury and Need for Green, both of which are likely to be discontinued for 2020.
The other new colours for 2020 are ‘Iconic Silver’ and ‘Red Hot’. What colours, if any, will make way for these new options is unrevealed, but presumably Ingot Silver and Ruby Red will go.
“These bright, vibrant retro colours are trending in design – in home furnishings, sportswear and even appliances,” says Barb Whalen, Ford colour and materials manager.
“They are fun, youthful colours that make a statement of how you want the world to see you and who you want to be.”
Fade to Black
Another new option for 2020 is the ‘Black Shadow Pack’, which is a $1,000 option exclusive to the Mustang GT coupe.
As well as a black grille, black 5.0 badge on the front guards and black side stripes, this pack includes black bonnet stripes, a black painted roof and ten-spoke “dark finish” 19-inch alloy wheels in a different pattern to the current GT’s alloys.
Choose the optional High-Rise rear spoiler and this also gets the black treatment.
“The Black Shadow pack takes the Mustang GT Fastback to another level,” says Mustang
Chief Program Engineer, Carl Widmann.
“It gives the classic Mustang lines a sinister flavor that really adds a raciness and competition look to it and harks back to some of the graphic and decal packages we’ve had in the past.”
Pricing and additional details on the MY20 Ford Mustang GT will be announced closer to the Australian release, but with no mechanical or spec changes, any price rise is likely to be minimal, if indeed prices rise at all for the new GT.
Ford dealers are now taking orders for the 2020 Ford Mustang GT ahead of the November release date.
