2020 Ford Mustang 2.3L High Performance at Lightning Lap 2021 (Car and Driver)
Sticky tires fuel a redemption story for the Mustang with half a heart.
Lap Time: 3:04.4
Class: LL2 | Base: $36,855 | As Tested: $42,070
Power and Weight: 330 hp • 3649 lb • 11.1 lb/hp
Tires: Pirelli P Zero Corsa PZC4, 265/40ZR-19 98Y
The EcoBoost Mustang's lap shows what's possible when a manufacturer fits a moderately powerful car with tires that are stickier than an IHOP syrup dispenser. When Ford's sixth-generation pony debuted for 2015, the 435-hp V-8-powered GT ran a 3:05.2 at VIR. Even down 105 horses, this four-cylinder car laps quicker.
Equipped with the $4995 2.3L High Performance engine upgrade and the $1995 Handling package, this colt makes 330 horsepower, 20 more than the base model. An active exhaust announces the car, upgraded brakes rein it in, and a limited-slip differential prevents the base Stang's favorite party trick: the one-tire fire. But for the Mustang with half a heart, the replacement for displacement comes down to the Pirelli P Zero Corsa PZC4 track tires included in the Handling kit.
(photo credit: Marc Urbano - Car and Driver)
