1995 Roush Mustang

Categories: American Classic Cars | Hot Rods & Custom Cars | Muscle & Pony Cars

Text by Joe Babiasz, Photography by Al Rogers

Jack Roush is the kind of guy who stands above the crowd. He's a larger than life legend who has earned his stripes as a motorsports superstar and today is the Chairman of the Board of ROUSH Enterprises, an international corporation that employs nearly 2,000 people. His corporate empire includes ROUSH Racing, ROUSH Industries, ROUSH Performance Engineering and ROUSH Manufacturing. Clearly Jack Roush is a man passionate about high performance automobiles.

Roush's success didn't come overnight. After leaving Ford Motor Company in 1969, Roush spent his time between engine building, drag racing and teaching. In 1976 he formed Jack Roush Performance engineering where he focused his attention on engine development and motorsports racing. Then in 1988, ROUSH Racing was launched. His racing division would later go on to win titles in all three NASCAR divisions.

In 1988, Roush approached Ford to market his 400 horsepower twin turbo Mustang through their dealerships. And while Ford was enthusiastic about the product, they decided his cars would be too expensive. While disappointed, Roush continued to develop performance vehicles that eventually led up to the 1995 ROUSH Mustang. Its roots began with one component, a high performance dual-plane intake manifold developed by Jack. His goal was to sell the manifold through Ford Racing. Ford wasn't particularly interested as they had already made the decision to replace the aging 5.0-liter V8 with an overhead cam 4.6-liter V8. Having invested nearly $500,000 in its design, Jack began looking at ways to get a return on his investment. In a series of meetings, it was determined to put together a "kit of parts" that Ford dealers could install on a Mustang GT. But as luck would have it, the dealers passed on the idea. As a result, Roush opened up several installment centers throughout the nation to assemble the components.

The ROUSH Mustang was available in three stages. Stage 1 vehicles included 17-inch ROUSH wheels, special side rocker skirts, rear deck lid wing and front spoiler. For those who questioned the heritage of the car, a quarter-window decal package cleared things up. Inside, a ROUSH logo package decorated the front seats. The finishing touches were a ROUSH Dash medallion and ROUSH embroidered floor mats. Buyers could also tack on performance side exhausts and rear valance.

For those wanting more than just visuals, the Stage 2 ROUSH Mustang added a handling package. The Stage 2 received everything in Stage 1 plus a pinion snubber, rear anti-roll bar, special front and rear springs and Koni adjustable struts all around. Both the Stage 1 and Stage 2 Mustangs were powered by Ford's 5.0-liter V8 rated at 215 horsepower.

If visuals and handling weren't enough, the Stage 3 was available. The package started out as a Stage 2, then tacked on a 65mm throttle body, custom three-piece ROUSH dual plenum intake assembly, high flow air filter and special fuel rail. A custom designed cowl induction hood covered all of the niceties. Dyno tests proved an additional 47 horsepower with the additions. Optional CNC ported cast iron heads or aluminum heads could be ordered for added horsepower.

The exact number of 1995 ROUSH Mustangs is unknown but believed to be just few hundred. Only four Stage 3 ROUSH Mustangs were produced according to Ed Wayland, a key member of the ROUSH team in 1995. "Old Blue," owned by Terry Karges, is one of those four.

Jack Roush started ROUSH Performance Products in 1995
Optional GT40 aluminum heads received larger Manley 1.94-inch intake valves
Stage 2 Mustangs received 30mm front and 27 mm rear sway bars
Stage 3 Mustang with GT40 aluminum heads retailed for $5,278

Specifications
Number built