A Brief History of the Roush Mustang

Jack Roush’s Performance Infused Mustangs

Jack Roush knows a thing or two about performance. As the manager of numerous racing teams over the years, Roush has helped many a race car driver reach their goal of victory. Roush has also helped teams win through his performance engineering of countless engines in a variety of different vehicles.

In 1988, Roush pitched Ford on his first Mustang, a 400 hp twin turbocharged beast of a machine. Roush had hoped to form a partnership with Ford which would put his Mustangs in dealer showrooms across the country. Unfortunately Ford passed on this collaboration noting the vehicles would be too expensive to mass produce.

In 1995 Roush created ROUSH Performance Products which is located in Livonia, Michigan. The company initially offered aftermarket performance parts and crate engines, while the first custom Mustangs were outsourced. Several years later, in 1997, they began offering complete vehicle packages in-house.

First Generation:

Roush finally struck gold when he introduced his first generation of Mustangs based on the SN95's V-8 powered GT model. The cars were available in three models: Stage 1, Stage 2, Stage 3. Each stage provided more goodies, starting with the Stage 1’s exterior enhancements all the way up to the Stage 3’s full on performance package. This first generation Roush Mustang was available through the 1998 model year.

Second Generation:

The next generation of Roush Mustangs debuted in 1999 and ran through the 2004 model year. Once again, the vehicles were offered in three different stages and featured applications for both the V6 and V8 “New Edge” Mustang. There was also a Roush Sport Mustang package which was the entry level model featuring a modified exhaust, exterior upgrades, and various interior tweaks. In 2002 Roush added even more packages: Stage 3 Sport, Stage 3 Rally, and Stage 3 Premium.

Third Generation:

The third generation of the Roush Mustangs debuted in 2005 and was based on the new S197 model style GT Mustang. Packages included the Roush Sport, Roush Stage 1, Stage 2, and Stage 3. ROUSH Performance also introduced several special-edition Mustangs. Of note were the BlackJack Mustang, 427R Mustang, 427R Trak Pak Mustang, P-51A, P-51B, and the Speedster. Other special edition Mustangs included the 428R Mustang, the RTC, and a special package for the 4.0L V6 Mustang.

For 2010 ROUSH released a redesigned Roush Mustang lineup. Available options for the year included Stage 1, Stage 2, Stage 3, 427R, and the new 2010 ROUSH 540RH Mustang featuring 540 hp and 510 lb.-ft. of torque.

Roush Mustangs can be found at more than 475 Ford dealers across the United States and Canada.