Autoblog

Click above to watch the Saleen S281 and Roush 427R do battle

While Saleen and Roush have always been competitors for the dollars of Mustang lovers everywhere, the two companies have somehow managed to co-exist for decades. But which makes a better Mustang? Former FIA F300 driver Derek Hill of Web Rides TV had the opportunity to pit the Saleen S281 against the Roush 427R to see which legendary pony car tuner would come out on top.

At first, the battle of the two supercharged Mustangs doesn't look like a fair fight. The S281 has 465 hp and 425 lb-ft, some 30 more horsepower and 25 more lb-ft than the 427R. The S281 also weighs 300 lbs. less than the more visceral 427R. As New York Giants fans can attest, however, just because one team looks better on paper, when the game is being played, anything can happen. Hit the jump to view a video of the 427R against the S281 in 0-100-0, slalom, and on-track tests. The video is incredible, and the two vehicles aren't nearly as evenly matched as you might think.

[Source: Web Rides TV]

Click image for hi-res gallery

Roush has come out with a new variant of its ground-pounding 427R. the 427R Trak Pak Mustang is designed for drivers who want to track their road cars on race weekends and such. Naturally, a host of changes have been made which differentiate the Trak Pak from the standard 427R. The 427R's plenty powerful (435 hp/400 lb.-ft.), but to make it really track-ready, Roush bestowed the Trak Pack with improved cooling, enhanced chassis rigidity, a fully-overhauled suspension, upgraded 6-piston brakes, and a new aero kit with an optional adjustable rear wing (as shown above). New 18" wheels, extra-sticky rubber, and unique graphics cap off the 427R Trak Pak's imposing look. The interior is similarly upgraded with a performance gauge package, shift light, short-throw shifter, leather sport seats, and aluminum pedals. Roush expects many buyers to use the 427R Trak Pack as a daily driver in addition to flogging it on a closed course, hence the presence of the comfort items like the leather seats. Pricing's been set at $58,245 and production will be limited to 100 cars, which will start becoming available later this summer. Follow the jump for the complete skinny from Roush, which calls the 427R Trak Pak its best-handling Mustang ever.

[Source: Roush]

We were sad to see our time with the ROUSH 427R come to an end, but all the crying, whining, and pouting that we engaged in after turning over the keys paid off when ROUSH Performance Products offered to give us a tour of its massive facility.

Actually, to be precise, the sprawling complex that Fisher Body once called home is only one of the 18 ROUSH buildings in the Detroit area. Clearly, we're talking about a lot more than a couple of guys turning wrenches in a pole barn, so click through and take a trip with us to see what the folks at ROUSH are involved in on a day-to-day basis.

Needless to say, ROUSH Performance Products didn't need to ask twice when it offered to put its recently-introduced 427R in the Autoblog Garage for a week. We immediately caught the next ride to Livonia, MI to grab the keys, and did our best impression of respectable journalists. The facade of responsibility lasted all of two stop lights, after which we were laughing like maniacs who had just robbed a gun store. And just why were we so happy to get our hands on this machine? The answer is quite simple - the man who's name appears in more than twenty locations on the 427R has a bit of a reputation for making cars go fast. After some time on the street, at the track, and on the dyno, we can say that the reputation is well deserved.

Editor's Note: As far as we know, Autoblog was the first outlet in the world to get its hands on a ROUSH 427R for review, and there's only one person on the team we would allow to handle this much horsepower: Eric Bryant. He didn't disappoint, having produced the most thorough In the Autoblog Garage review ever that includes not only the normal areas of review, but also dyno runs to verify ROUSH's power claims and a trip to the dragstrip where this pony was thoroughly flogged. PLUS there's a video of the whole review after the jump.

While most racing fans probably recognize Jack Roush's name from his teams' success in NASCAR, the man in the hat got his start in drag racing and holds a number of national championships in that sport. It should then come as little surprise that the first half-dozen components in ROUSH Performance Products' new Competition Line are aimed squarely at the quarter-mile crowd.

Heading up the new lineup is a two-piece upper trailing arm relocation bracket, which works in conjunction with adjustable-length upper trailing arms (with spherical bearings) to move the instant center of the rear four-link. This increases the anti-squat and improves traction while reducing wheelhop. An adjustable-length Panhard bar (also with spherical bearings) keeps the rear axle centered when the ride height is changed, while relocation brackets allow the use of a heavy-duty cast "girdle" axle cover (a popular modification with drag racers). Brackets are offered to relocate the rear sway bar to allow the use of small 15" wheels and drag tires. With the use of dedicated drag tires comes an NHRA requirement for a driveshaft safety loop, and so ROUSH is offering up one of those as well. A second wave of components is on the way, but no word yet on when they might drop.

Even with ROUSH's typically high level of engineering, proper validation is always a must, and so the team proceeded to rack up some 135 trips down the strip in the process of performing track testing. Yea, we're sure that it was really tough convincing employees to put in those hours.

[Source: ROUSH Performance Products; press release is posted after the jump]