09-13-07: We write about Roush Mustangs a lot here on TMN. We get the cards and letters asking if we are on the payroll. If that were only true. The reality is that Roush is the big company making the news, along with Shelby. This week Roush announced yet another model in their line-up; the 2008 428R.
So what does 428R stand for? Does it have 428 cubic inches? No. Does it have 428 horsepower? No. Then what? It is “paying homage” according to Roush. After all, in the history books of the Mustang, “428” has its own chapter. So after building 427R’s for 2007, the company decided that 2008 was the year to honor the 428. Next year we will be given a 429R.
"We are continuing to honor and celebrate the heritage of the proudest models of Ford racing history - the 427, 428 and 429 (engines)," stated Jack Roush. "These are iconic numbers in the Ford world and it is an honor to put them onto Roush Mustangs and insert them back into the muscle car world."
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It may or may not make sense to the casual observer and the owners of these cars will surely need to practice a spiel of marketing mumbo jumbo to answer the common questions they will get at car shows, gas stations, and cruise ins.
The 2007 427R while of the same cloth as the new 428R was highly successful for Roush last year. "The 427R is easily the most popular Mustang model that ROUSH has ever introduced to the market," said Joe Thompson, Roush Performance's vice president and general manager. "That vehicle will remain the cornerstone of our lineup, but to celebrate Ford's history of automotive breakthroughs we will build a 428R in 2008 and a 429R in 2009. These cars are intended to be a collector's edition with limited production that pays respect to Ford Muscle Car history."
The cars themselves are indeed a performance purists dream. Based on the 435 hp ROUSHCharged Stage 3 concept, the 428R is a more bare bones performance oriented variant, with less in the way of standard equipment, add ons, and frills.
The 428R Mustang is limited to 200 vehicles, and has one particularly special element, a glistening chrome powder coated supercharger. Other under-the-hood goodies include other goodies such as ROUSH billet radiator and intercooler radiator caps, oil cap, and strut tower caps. So while the 428R is supposed to be a more bare bones model, Roush splurged on the engine compartment for you.
On the exterior, Roush added their now trademark front fascia, chin spoiler, hood scoop and rear wing. New for 2008 is a set of locking hood pins and a black bar “high-flow” grille that sets the look of the car further apart from the standard GT Mustangs.
Roush also adds new front and rear shocks, front and rear springs, front and rear sway bars, jounce bumpers and a new anti-wheel hop kit. Also added are the Roush classic style 18-inch chrome cast wheels and a louder freeflowing exhaust system. Of course, the interior is has many of the touches that Roush enthusiasts and owners have come to expect.
Surely Roush will sell all 200 of the 2008 428R models they plan to build. So there are 200 owners out there who will need to rehearse their spiel to explain to onlookers and the unwashed to explain that “428” is not the engine or the horsepower rating, but a homage payment. I am sure that will be fun.
