5 Great Sleeper Mustangs
It is kind of hard to be a sleeper when you have the classic looks of America's favorite pony car, but some Mustangs are a lot faster than they look, and some don't look all that fast to begin with. Here's a handful that might still surprise you.
5. Mustang II
The Mustang II is, quite literally, the red headed step child in Ford's legendary pony car lineup. Most people hate them, which is why you don't see a heck of a lot of these second generation Mustangs running around. These cars were vastly underpowered from the factory, thanks to new smog laws, unleaded gas, and the oil crisis, which doesn't help their homely styling. But these light weight cars handle great (compared to the originals) and easily take V8 or turbo four cylinder power (from the Thunderbird Turbo Coupe or Merkur XR4Ti), so the Mustang II makes a great sleeper because no one ever suspects one to be fast.
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4. Mustang 2.3L Ecoboost
The spiritual successor to the Mustang SVO has emerged in the form of the Mustang Ecoboost, and like its predecessor, this new turbo 'stang will hang with its V8 twin in a drag race. Right off the showroom floor, this car will break into the 13-second quarter mile range when equipped with the performance pack, but as you might imagine, the aftermarket has already provided plenty of parts that can bump horsepower from 310 up to a GT-killing 550 or more. Few people are going to see that coming when you tell them that you drive a four cylinder Mustang, and the smaller motor in the nose means a lighter car that handles better too. Imagine what this motor could do to a lighter Mustang II.
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3. Mustang SVO
Every Mustang guy worth his salt knows what SVO means (Special Vehicle Operations), but these days, the rest of the world seems to have forgotten the uniquely styled 80's performance icon. When these 1980s turbo Mustangs first appeared, they were actually faster than the V8 model. Today, the SVO enjoys a healthy aftermarket, and its 2.3 liter turbo four can be built up to handle some incredible power figures. Plus, we guarantee at least half of the kids at your local drags won't even know what it is.
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2. Foxbody Notchback LX
Calling the Foxbody Notchback LX a "sleeper" might seem like a little bit of a stretch, since every other guy at your local drag night probably has one, but back in the day these were the cheaper, plain-Jane Mustang your hairdresser drove. Real men stepped up for the GT with the factory body kit like the one Vanilla Ice had. Even then, some people knew the LX's secret: These cars are lighter and make fantastic platforms for building fast cars, plus you could get the GT's 5.0 liter in it just by checking the right box. Finding an LX coupe in good condition these days, especially the lightest, stiffest, Notchback body style, is getting harder and harder.
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1. Lebanon Ford's 727hp Mustang
In stock form, the current Mustang GT is no slouch, and people know that, but if you roll up in a new Mustang GT modified by Lebanon Ford in Ohio, you will still amaze them. Lebanon takes brand new, stock GTs and slaps on a Roush Phase 2 supercharger, which bumps up the ponies from 435 to an astounding 727! The best part? Lebanon sells these sleepers for the bargain basement price of just $39,995. You've got the option of adding on all kinds of body mods, of course, but we'd personally leave it bone stock on the outside and go Hellcat hunting.
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