What Is The Highest Horsepower Engine Ever Put In A Ford Mustang From The Factory?

The Ford Mustang has been doing the rounds for over 60 years. It first launched back in the mid 1960s, and base models kicked out a measly 120 horsepower from a 200ci (3.2-liter) inline six, whereas the 289ci (4.7-liter) HI-PO V8-equipped examples made do with a much more meaningful 271 horses. Fast forward to the modern day, and even the base model inline-four EcoBoost Mustang blows the top-dog 289 out the water, with 315 horses on offer.

In between the arrival of those very first Mustangs, and the immensely competent models we see on sale today, an almost infinite number of engine, transmission, and body configurations have been offered within the Mustang model range. Some, like the Pinto-powered Mustang II's of the '70s, are best left in the history books, whereas some still hold up to this day, like the legendary SVT Cobra R, which produced 385 horsepower, and the much more recent, 500 hp Dark Horse.

However, if it's performance you're after, one Ford Mustang stands head and shoulders above the rest — the GTD. No, not the diesel Golf, rather a track-tuned, $300,000+, 815-horsepower monster which Ford released earlier in 2025. This is the most powerful Ford Mustang ever released by the Blue Oval, by quite some margin.

In all honesty, it's not very difficult to make a powerful Mustang. Just buy a standard one, slap a supercharger on it along with a few other bolt-on mods, and you're looking at 700+ horsepower easily. However, building a high-power Mustang that performs well on track and comes with a manufacturer-backed warranty is a taller order.

In order to reach that impressive 815 horsepower output, Ford really pulled out all the stops with the GTD. Under the hood sits a supercharged 5.2-liter V8 engine, which features Ford's first ever dry-sump oil system, a titanium exhaust system, revised intake and exhaust, plus a reduced supercharger pulley. 

The result is a powerful V8 which revs all the way to 7,650 rpm, and a Mustang which can top out at an unbelievable 202 mph. The Mustang GTD's Chief Program Engineer, Greg Goodall, said he and his team had "been laser focused since day one to make Mustang GTD the first-ever supercar with world-class performance and the soul of a Mustang." Safe to say that Goodall delivered, as not only does the GTD offer supercar-rivalling performance, but it's unmistakably a Mustang too, with that familiar silhouette and famous V8 soundtrack.

In an effort to really demonstrate the pace and performance of the GTD, it was sent to the fabled Nürburgring, with the goal of completing a lap below seven minutes. A final time of 6:52.072 was set, just three seconds behind that of a 992 Porsche 911 GT3 RS.

Even though this article focuses primarily on the most powerful Mustang offered from the Ford factory, it would be doing the model a disservice to not look at some of the seriously potent renditions offered from tuning companies. Least of all Shelby American, which has a long and illustrious history with the model, starting in the '60s with GT350 and GT500 models.

The most powerful Mustang to wear the iconic Shelby badge is the GT500 Code Red, and it's based upon the 2020 — 2022 GT500 model. For $224,995 — plus the price of a GT500 — Shelby will supply you with a 1,300 horsepower Mustang, which is effectively the output of a GTD and a Dark Horse combined. It might not sport the same track capabilities as the carefully honed GTD, but it can deal with a quarter-mile in just 8.59 seconds.

This power comes courtesy of a pair of turbochargers, plus uprated components throughout. Everything from the intake system through to the engine management system has been modified, and it sports a wide bodykit and carbon fiber accessories to complete the look. To achieve the heady 1,300 horsepower figure, the 5.2-liter V8 must be fed E85 fuel. On 93 octane pump gas, it produces a much more reasonable 1,000 horsepower — still trumping the GTD on a dyno.