ROUSH Stage 3 BlackJack Mustang (Production)

We've known for a while that the Stage 3 BlackJack Mustang would be coming soon from ROUSH. Jack Roush himself designed the car and drove the prototype as his personal whip during the 2006 NASCAR season before selling it at the Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale auction last month.

The BlackJack begins life as a standard Mustang GT, which then gets the ROUSH engine treatment we've all come to know and love. In this case, a ROUSHcharger (a.k.a. supercharger) with a smaller pulley and other engine mods bumps the 4.6L V8 all the way up to 430 horsepower. In terms of aesthetics, the BlackJack stands out with a seven-piece ROUSH body kit that's painted in high-gloss black with a matte black racing stripe running down the center of the vehicle. The "Stage 3" in the name comes from the car's Stage 3 suspension package that replaces the standard Ford fare beneath the skin. Likewise, the interior gets a typical ROUSH makeover, including a carbon fiber dash trim package, white gauge faces and a short-throw shifter with a, what else, black shifter ball.

Unfortunately, ROUSH was only able to provide us with one pic of the Stage 3 BlackJack Mustang. We expect this car to sell on its looks more than anything and a few more angles would've been nice. ROUSH is only producing a limited run of 100 units at an as-yet-to-be-announced price, so we doubt they'll have trouble selling out.

[Source: Autoblog]

Follow the jump for the official press release.

PRESS RELEASE:

MENACING ROUSH STAGE 3 BLACKJACK MUSTANG SET TO STALK THE HIGHWAYS

LIVONIA, Mich. (February 19, 2007) – If Batman owned a Mustang, the new 2007 ROUSH Stage 3 BlackJack would most certainly be the ride of choice for the Caped Crusader. This menacing 430 horsepower tone-on-tone limited edition pony car comes straight from the mind of Jack Roush himself and is set to stalk the streets of Gotham City, and the rest of the country.

Jack Roush had the vision, and the ROUSH Stage 3 BlackJack Mustang is the result. He personally developed the content of this black-on-black car, and a prototype build was his vehicle of choice while at many of the NASCAR Nextel Cup events during the 2006 season. That particular Mustang recently ended up on the Barrett-Jackson auction block as an extremely collectible one-of-a-kind car. Now, ROUSH Performance is set to offer a limited edition run of 100 ROUSH Stage 3 BlackJack Mustangs, all of which have been pre-sold through their ROUSH-authorized Ford dealer base.

"I am involved with all the vehicles that ROUSH Performance builds, but the Stage 3 BlackJack is really the first one which was entirely my design and I am quite proud of how well it turned out," said Jack Roush. "When I drove the prototype around the NASCAR tracks last season it got a lot of attention, mainly due to the intimidating theme of the car. Of course, the distinctive rumble of a ROUSHcharged™ V-8 engine turns a lot of heads, too."

Jack Roush's heritage as the winningest name in racing reverberates throughout the vehicle, starting with the powertrain which is what ROUSH Performance is so well known for. The polished ROUSHcharger™ system with a smaller pulley boosts the horsepower to 430 (with 400 lb.-ft. torque) which is the most in the history of the company. This system includes a Roots-style M90 supercharger, 38 lb.-hr. fuel injectors, ROUSH-designed intake manifold, intercooler assembly with radiator and a custom ROUSH ECM calibration to maximize optimal fuel and spark.

Aesthetics were also a big part of Roush's vision for the Stage 3 BlackJack, starting with the matte black 21-inch stripe across the center of the black paint and the addition of the seven-piece ROUSH aerobody kit. Polished billet aluminum accessories, such as radiator, oil and strut tower caps, can be found throughout the engine compartment which contributes to the exciting package for street or track driving. Enthusiast drivers will immediately notice the handling of the vehicle has been improved by the addition of the Stage 3 suspension package which swaps out the stock front struts, rear shocks, front and rear springs, front and rear sway bar and jounce bumpers for ROUSH-engineered high performance versions.

Roush was also adamant about including the new ROUSH wheel hop reduction kit to help the rear wheel performance in low traction conditions. This is the only wheel hop kit on the market with a minimal NVH (noise, vibration and harshness) hit and no reduction in bushing life. Other manufacturers trade off anti-hop for a lot of noise, harshness and poor durability of the joints. The stopping rate is greatly improved with the addition of the ROUSH brake kit, a 14-inch, two-piece slotted rotor with four-piston calipers on the front and slotted rear rotors.

Interior upgrades include charcoal leather seating with an embroidered Stage 3 BlackJack logo, white electroluminescent gauges, billet aluminum pedal kit and short throw shifter with black shifter ball. The car comes standard with the ROUSH carbon fiber design dash trim kit and embroidered floor mats. Even the door sills have been upgraded in this model.

A ROUSH Stage 3 BlackJack serialized badge is riveted to the engine compartment, along with a Stage 3 signature badge which is personally engraved with the signature of the ROUSH Performance technician which hand-assembled the vehicle in the company's Livonia, Mich., facility. To further validate the 100 cars, each will come with a Certificate of Authenticity signed by Jack Roush.

Once you get behind the wheel you will immediately see why we claim that "Between a race car and a road car... Is a ROUSH car."

Posted in: FoMoCo,Ford,Motorsports