The 2018 Ford Mustang’s host of significant mid-cycle updates?including output gains, a new 10-speed automatic, and a Drag Strip drive mode?already had us itching to drive Dearborn’s latest pony car. Now the itch is nigh unbearable: Ford has announced a new Level 2 Performance package for GT coupe models, which, via additional aerodynamic tweaks and liberal applications of tire, should seriously improve the the Mustang’s grip levels and handling prowess.
Ford’s Mustang development team says it cooked up the high-test Level 2 setup mostly after hours as a dream-car side project. Available only on coupes equipped with the revised 460-hp, 5.0-liter Coyote V-8 and the standard six-speed manual transmission, the new package is highlighted by massive Y-spoke 19-inch cast-aluminum wheels (10.5 inches wide up front and 11.0 inches wide at the rear) shod with 305/30ZR-19 Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 high-performance tires?the same front tires as on the Mustang Shelby GT350R that cost roughly $350 apiece. Also included is a deeper chin splitter inspired by the one on the previous-generation Mustang Boss 302 Laguna Seca, which Ford said alone is good for 24 pounds of downforce at 80 mph. A small black-painted ducktail spoiler on the trunk pushes down on the car’s rear at speed with even greater force. (Ford said it plans to offer the Level 2?s big wheels and aero upgrades separately through the Ford Performance Parts catalog, too.)
The GT?s Level 1 Perfo...