The Quickest Fords of All Time

From the 24 Hours of Le Mans to drag strips, fast Fords have long been far from the action. We've combed through our archives, sifting through the blazingly quick concept and racing cars we've tested over the years to find the quickest-ever production Ford models. Ranked from slowest to quickest, every one of these fleet Fords reaches 60 mph in 4.5 seconds or less; as in all of our quickest car roundups, quarter-mile results will serve as tiebreakers for any identical zero-to-60-mph times. Unsurprisingly, Mustangs dominate the rankings, so we've taken the quickest representative of a particular model or generation and discounted repeat accelerators.

The latest Ford Focus RS is a 350-hp, all-wheel-drive bottle rocket vaguely shaped like an economy car. Driving one is the first step to realizing your inner Ken Block, if you're into that sort of thing. The quickest example we've tested shot to 60 mph in 4.5 seconds and through the quarter-mile in 13.4 at 103 mph. Even though the Ford lost out to the Honda Civic Type R in a two-car comparison test, it remains one of the wildest hot hatches ever sold in the U.S.

By far the most exclusive car on this list (Ford produced only 300 examples), the 2000 SVT Mustang Cobra R was a hardcore special edition stripped down to devour road courses. Powered by a 385-hp 5.4-liter V-8 mated to a six-speed manual, this SVT pony was loud and raw, lacking sound-deadening material, air conditioning, a radio, and rear seats. Of the couple of test subjects we reviewed, the quickest one matched the Focus RS's 4.5- and 13.0-second times to 60 mph and through the quarter-mile but achieved a 1 mph-greater trap speed (111 mph), hence its superior ranking in this roundup.

Our long-term 2013 Mustang GT was the quickest of the mainstream fifth-generation pony cars we tested, matching the Cobra R's 4.5- and 13.0-second times to 60 mph and through the quarter-mile, as well as its 111-mph trap speed. To break those ties, we've turned to the GT's quicker zero-to-100-mph time (10.6 seconds compared to 10.7 seconds) to shake out its ranking ahead of the SVT Cobra.

The revised-and final-SVT Mustang Cobra from the seminal pony car's fourth generation packed a supercharged 4.6-liter V-8 good for 390 horsepower and 390 lb-ft of torque. Backed by a six-speed manual, the engine helped make the Cobra an altogether better machine than previous versions, and let it reach 60 mph in 4.5 seconds while covering the quarter-mile in 12.9 at 111 mph. The V-8's blower also let out an incessant whine that we said made the engine sound like a "floor polisher."

Along with its understated appearance and generous feature content, the third-generation Mustang Bullitt is a performance value. Its 5.0-liter V-8 borrows the intake manifold and larger throttle body from the Shelby GT350 to produce 480 horsepower-20 ponies more than the regular GT-and the same 420 lb-ft of torque. A six-speed manual and the GT's Level 1 Performance package are standard fare, bringing near-Shelby levels of handling prowess. While traction was less than ideal during our testing, resulting in a merely decent 4.4-second rip to 60 mph and a 12.8-second quarter-mile at 115 mph, the Bullitt's reworked active exhaust system steals the show with its melodious V-8 roar.

Notable for its adoption of an independent rear suspension-the first regular-grade Mustang to do so-the sixth-generation Mustang proved quick in GT guise. The quickest of the initial, non-Shelby, sixth-gen Mustangs (introduced for 2015, before the lineup's updating for the 2018 model year) is our 2016 GT long-term test car, which laid down a 4.3-second zero-to-60-mph run and a 12.9-second pass at 112 mph through the quarter-mile. And our test car looked positively menacing in its all-black getup.

Freshened for 2018 with a more powerful, 460-hp 5.0-liter V-8; available magnetorheological dampers; and a bunch of other updates, the latest Mustang GT is both more engaging and refined than before. While a new Performance package Level 2 setup is now available and seriously bolsters the pony car's track-day chops, straight-line performance barely budges with the standard six-speed manual gearbox: The quickest stick-shift example returned the same 4.3-second dash to 60 mph as the 420-hp 2016 GT manual, and only slightly improved its quarter-mile effort with a 12.6-second pass at 115 mph.

The Shelby GT500 based on the fifth-generation Mustang debuted for 2007 with a 500-hp supercharged V-8. That figure swelled to 540 horses for 2010 and then to 550 in 2011 when a new aluminum 5.4-liter mill replaced the original iron-block unit. A six-speed manual was the only transmission choice, and improvements in chassis tuning resulted in a better driving snake. Acceleration figures were inversely related to the increase in power, with the 2011 GT500 coupe being the quickest of the 5.4-liter cars, retuning a best of 4.1 seconds to 60 mph and a quarter-mile in 12.4 at 117 mph.

The 2012 to 2013 Boss 302 variant of the fifth-gen Mustang lives near the top of the ultimate pony car rankings (at least, we think so). Offered in standard and track-focused Laguna Seca versions, it built upon the 412-hp Mustang GT with a massaged, 444-hp 5.0-liter V-8 backed by a six-speed stick, along with chassis and driveline updates that lent it a significantly sharper driving character. Of the three examples we've tested, a standard 2012 model with its unique exhaust cut-outs uncorked was the quickest: Zero to 60 mph came in 4.0 seconds flat while it posted an identical 12.4-second quarter-mile at 117 mph. The Boss also put its power to the ground more effectively than the more powerful Shelby GT500

Singing an unmistakable wail thanks to its flat-plane-crank 5.2-liter V-8, the current Mustang Shelby GT350 is a serious, 520-hp driver's machine. It may not be the quickest in a straight line or the easiest to drive every day, but it has personality for days, especially in its immensely capable GT350R guise. Largely thanks to the added grip of the R's wider, stickier Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 rubber, the track-focused model proved the fleetest example we've tested, sprinting to 60 mph in 3.9 seconds and through the quarter-mile in 12.2 at 119 mph-0.3 and 0.2 second (and 1 mph) quicker than our long-term, non-R 2017 GT350.

As the only automatic-equipped car on this list, the 2018 Mustang GT with Ford's optional 10-speed transmission is not nearly as engaging as the manual versions that we prefer, but it is quicker. Returning a sizable half-second advantage over the 2018 manual-transmission Mustang GT to both 60 mph and through the quarter-mile, the GT automatic reached those benchmark speeds in 3.8 and 12.1 seconds, the latter with a trap speed of 120 mph. More important, that pace also just beats out the latest Chevrolet Camaro SS fitted with General Motor's version of the same gearbox, which was codeveloped by Ford and General Motors.

The modern Ford GT supercar steals headlines with its wild design, even-wilder price tag, and its legitimate racing pedigree, but many forget that it wasn't Ford's first effort in this space. The 2005 GT, with its classic GT40-inspired looks and 550-hp supercharged 5.4-liter V-8, was a legitimate exotic that could run with, and occasionally beat, its contemporaries from Ferrari, Porsche and Lamborghini. It was also far more attainable than today's version, as well as more comfortable and forgiving to drive. The quickest example of the earlier GT we tested edged out multiple supercars by a healthy margin in a six-car comparison test, bolting to 60 mph in 3.6 seconds and covering the quarter-mile in 12.0 flat at 123 mph.

With the arrival of the 2013 Shelby GT500 and its 662-hp supercharged 5.8-liter V-8-then the most powerful pony car engine ever-the Mustang went into full weapons-grade mode. Chassis refinements promised sharper handling to go along with the GT500's claimed 200-mph top speed, though this speed-focused variant wasn't nearly as driver-focused as lighter hot-rod Mustangs such as the Boss 302. Unsurprisingly, traction issues made the burly Mustang feel rather skittish on the road, but it could still lay down a 3.5-second wallop to 60 mph on the way to an 11.8-second quarter-mile at 125 mph.

It's surely no surprise that today's carbon-fiber, half-million-dollar Ford GT supercar tops our roundup of the quickest-ever Ford models, given its 647-hp twin-turbo 3.5-liter V-6 motivating a trim 3381 pounds. With its lightning-quick-shifting seven-speed dual-clutch automatic, track-focused hardware, and racing-derived aerodynamics, the modern GT is a proper speed machine with legitimate race-winning credentials (see Ford's Le Mans class victory in 2016). While it's more at home turning lap times than racing for pink slips, it is by far the quickest production car the Blue Oval has churned out: zero to 60 mph in 3.0 seconds flat with a blazing quarter-mile pass of 10.8 at 134 mph.