Weekly Treasure: 2004 Ford Mustang Mach 1

Jun. 14, 2020 10:35 AM ET by Jay Traugott Muscle Cars / 9 Comments

Could this be a future classic?

Late last month, Ford officially confirmed the return of the Mustang Mach 1. The last time it was sold was back in 2004. The expectation is that the 2021 Mach 1 will replace the Ford Mustang Bullitt with the latest report claiming it'll have around 525 horsepower and 450 lb-ft of torque courtesy of the naturally aspirated 5.0-liter V8. For comparison, the Bullitt has 480 hp and 420 lb-ft. A full reveal is expected before the end of the year.

Now that the new Mach 1 is confirmed, we figured it'd be fun to look back at that last Mach 1, built from 2003 to 2004. Featuring the New Edge design theme of the time, this Mach 1 was built in relatively limited numbers with a total of 6,500 examples. Like the upcoming Mach 1, this one also replaced the Mustang Bullitt.

All came powered by a 4.6-liter V8 with 305 horsepower and 320 lb-ft of torque. Ford also added the high flow heads from the SVT Cobra and the intake camshafts from the 5.4-liter V8 used by Lincoln for improved mid-range torque. To handle the extra torque, engineers increased the Mach 1's chassis strength. Power was directed to the rear wheels through a five-speed manual or a four-speed slushbox. Total weight came to a reasonable 3,380 pounds.

Its performance figures, though not that incredible today, are very respectable with a 0-60 mph time of 5.2 seconds with the manual and 5.6 seconds for automatic-equipped cars. In terms of styling, the Mach 1 easily stood out compared to the GT thanks to a matte black spoiler and hood stripe, black chin spoiler, unique Mach 1 rocker panel stripes and plenty of Mach 1 badging. The wheels are a set of 17-inch polished faux Magnum 500s. However, the most distinctive visual difference from the GT was the bulging hood. Styling inspiration came from the 1970 Mach 1 and this transferred to the interior as well.

The dark grey leather seats had a 70s style "comfort weave" and gauge cluster. There was even a cool machined aluminum ball shifter, while buyers could tack on stainless steel pedals and aluminum-style dash bezels.

As expected for a retro-themed muscle car, Ford offered some very appropriate exterior color choices, including Torch Red, Dark Shadow Grey Metallic, Oxford White, and Azure Blue. In 2004, a new color became available, Competition Orange. Although there are decent New Edge Mach 1s still out there, many are high mileage, which makes sense given their age. But we found one example up for sale with a reasonable 55,504 miles on its clock.

This Competition Orange exterior and Dark Charcoal interior 2004 Ford Mustang Mach 1 has an asking price tag of $13,847 at Auto Advantage in Hendersonville, North Carolina. It's had three previous owners but has never been in an accident Fortunately, it has the manual as well. Based on these photos, it appears to be in pretty solid shape overall.

Could the New Edge Mustang Mach 1 become a future classic? Perhaps it is already.