Ford Mustang GT S550

The Mustang GT S550 occupies an unusual corner of the Dream Car Garage catalogue: its used price rank is 500th of 600 cars, meaning it sits above only 100 cars for cost, yet it arrives with the character of a naturally aspirated V8 sports car. That contrast is the reason it deserves attention. It is not positioned by outright catalogue dominance, with power ranking 385th and top speed ranking 414th, but by the combination it brings together.

Its defining distinction is the pairing of a naturally aspirated V8 with rear wheel drive. Only 56 of the 600 cars share the naturally aspirated V8 formula, and only 132 combine a V8 with RWD. The Mustang GT S550 therefore belongs to a specific mechanical group rather than simply chasing the highest figures available. Its 5.0 litre V8 produces 435 bhp and 542 Nm, reaching 100 km/h in 4.3 seconds and continuing to 250 km/h. Those numbers place it faster than 239 cars in the catalogue from a standing start, while showing that its appeal comes from balance as much as from headline statistics.

The 2015 Ford Mustang GT S550 is a 2+2 seater fixed-head coupé from the United States, with a specification built around a V8 engine layout and rear wheel drive. At £35,000 used, it sits in a part of the collection where the entry cost does not directly follow the usual pattern of maximum speed or power. Its cost per bhp is £80, another way to see how much mechanical substance is being offered for the money. Ford's presence in the catalogue totals 14 cars, within a wider collection where 31 cars come from the USA. The manufacturer itself was founded in 1903.

For a collector, the Mustang GT S550 represents a deliberate choice rather than a simple pursuit of the highest catalogue rankings. The trade-off is clear: this is not the car chosen for the strongest power position, the highest velocity, or the most expensive place in the garage. It is chosen for the uncommon combination of a naturally aspirated V8, RWD layout, coupé shape, and accessible used price. Selecting it means accepting that some numbers will be surpassed by other cars, while keeping a machine whose specification occupies a much narrower space among the 600.