The GT500 Mustang is an absolute brute of a car. It packs a cross-plane crank handbuilt Supercharged 5.2 liter V8 with 760hp and 625 lb-ft of torque. It is Ford’s answer to the Hellcat Redeye and it is one hell of a car. Unfortunately, if you live in Europe, Australia, New Zealand, or anywhere but Noth America or Middle Eastern countries, you can’t have one, unless you import it. However, if you live in Britain, you’d find that importing a GT500 isn’t exactly the smartest idea since it is LHD, which is suited for countries that drive on the right. The UK drives on the left which is an issue.
Luckily, somebody thought about all of this. A someone called Clive Sutton who you can basically call the British Caroll Shelby. Now, Clive Sutton is an exclusive UK car dealership that specializes in selling American imports. These include the C8 Corvette, Dodge SRT Hellcat, and the Cadillac CTS V. However, for many years now they have been tuning the RHD UK Ford Mustang, and the CS800 is their wildest yet.
The CS800 is based on an ordinary Ford Mustang but unlike an ordinary Ford Mustang, it has 825hp (ironic since the name of the car is CS800) and 660-pound feet of torque. It hits 60 in just 3.8 seconds and flat out does 195 mph.
How on earth does it have more power than a Shelby GT500? Well, the answer is a massive Whipple supercharger, throttle bodies, and a high-flow injector. These are simple things that really make this car very fast.
So then, the CS800 is more powerful than the GT500. However, things do get better when you realize that the CS800 has a proper gear stick in the middle. That gear stick also has a knob that says “1,2,3,4,5,6.R” and it moves in an H-pattern. You get what I’m talking about here.
Unlike the GT500, which uses a 7-speed dual-clutch transmission, the CS800 uses an old-school 6-speed manual gearbox. It is then a properly old-school muscle car that Europeans can buy.
So is it any good then? Or is it a far cry from the GT500?
It Isn’t Cheap.
No, the CS800 is not cheap at all. Real work has gone into it to make it as fast and as cool as possible. This includes an enhanced body kit, bigger alloys, a nicer interior, a huge exhaust system, and more. This isn’t some hillbilly car then at all, hence why in the UK at least, prices start at £63,000.
However, since you can customize the CS800 to your specification (colors, leather choice, etc) prices can go upwards of over £100,000 which is nuts. A GT500 starts at almost $73,000, which is just over £54,000. But of course, you cannot get a GT500 in the UK for that much at all. In fact, Clive Sutton does have a GT500 currently for sale, at £125,000.
In the UK at least, the CS800 is a lot better value for money. However, it isn’t what you call cheap at all since for the same kind of money you can get a sportier 911 Porsche or even a second-hand nearly new Audi R8.
If you have a Mustang already, you can take it in for a CS800 conversion. Prices for that aren’t cheap at all, but far less than if you purchased the car and the conversion together.
picture via: autocar.co.uk
It Is Ludicrous.
There is no other RHD car on sale in the UK that sounds or feels as good as the CS800. In fact, I would say it is the last of its kind and nothing in the world can compare.
It’s a supercharged, RWD, V8, manual beast with over 800hp. The only other 800+ hp RWD car that springs to mind is the Ferrari 812 Superfast which is a car that will try to kill you if you’re not gentle. The CS800 is a very different car from the 812, as in it is cheaper and more simple. However, one similarity it has the 812, is personality.
The CS800 has a lot of personality. It is aggressive, it is rebellious. It’s like a Harley Davidson but in car form. You could be a boring accountant, but hop into the CS800 and you turn into a badass. It is a car that will scare everyone, even the toughest alpha males.
The exhaust sounds deadly. Start it up cold, and it is like awakening a dead star. You can control the exhaust via a Bluetooth mobile app which is pretty clever. It has two modes, quiet and noisy. In quiet mode, the flaps are shut and the car sounds like a typical Mustang. However, put it into noisy mode those flaps open and you lose your hearing. This is one very loud car and I wouldn’t be surprised if it is the loudest new car on sale in Europe.
It Is Easy To Live With.
The CS800 is a very easy performance car to live with. It may drink fuel like a camel, but it still is pretty practical. The CS800 seats four, it has a decent-sized trunk and despite having 825hp and RWD, the CS800 isn’t too hard to handle. Servicing is also pretty cheap too since it is a Ford Mustang at the end of the day.
the interior is very spacious and luxurious. The seats heat or cool you and the trim is all finished in carbon fiber. You get Apple car play on the new CS800 too which makes the whole car a lot easier to live with. The power is effortless too, so overtaking is quite easy. You don’t have to wait for turbo-lag or any of that malarkey on these things. Just press the gas and you’re gone.
To Conclude.
This is a car that would never be built by any other manufacturer. Clive Sutton has taken a problem that literally only a few people have and solved it. Want a GT500 Mustang in the UK? The CS800 is your closest bet.
It may not handle as well as a GT500, but who cares? This thing is all about fun and that exhaust sounds incredible. The old-school 6-speed manual gearbox is a beauty and it makes the car feel so much more special. This is one of the very few new cars on sale today that have a top personality and soul.
It is a car that you will fall in love with. It may have its flaws, but it truly is one of a kind. The price may put you off, but trust me you won’t find anything like the CS800 elsewhere at any price point.