We may earn revenue from the products available on this page and participate in affiliate programs. Learn more ›
The Ford Mustang appears set to receive the 10-speed automatic transmission co-developed by FoMoCo and General Motors. Yes, muscle car fanatics, that means the Mustang and the Camaro will be more or less sharing a transmission. No, this does not mean the end of the world.
The news was sussed out by a user named darrenb on the Mustang6G.com forum; he (or she) apparently has access to the parts lookup system used by Ford dealerships, and while digging around in the system for the current-generation Mustang, he or she discovered an option for “10 SPEED AUTO TRANSMISSION (10R80)” under the drop-down menu for transmission choices. Assuming it’s not an elaborate hoax, it would appear slushbox-equipped Mustangs are about to pick up a lot more cogs.
While the system does not provide specific model year information, Ford already has the 2017 Mustang listed as the current model on its website, and the site still lists a six-speed automatic as the bnon-manual option. But if Ford has added the new gearbox to its internal dealership system, it’s unlikely to be far off. So a 2018 model year arrival seems the obvious implication.
The 10-speed automatic was always expected to make its way into the Mustang sooner or later; while Ford’s first use of it will be in the F-150, the transmission was designed for rear-wheel-drive-based vehicles across both the GM and Ford lineups. It also has found a home, in slightly different form, in the 2017 Camaro ZL1, where it’s expected to help the maximum ‘Maro try and cream the GT350 around the track by shifting faster than Porsche’s PDK gearbox.
On the other hand, the gearbox’s ability to handle the ZL1’s power output means it might be able to deal with the rumored 800 horsepower GT500 that may also arrive in 2018. We’d still go for the stick shift, obviously…but we have to admit, we’d be curious to see what it’s like to floor it in a muscle car with that much power and that many gears.
