Rarity is a hot topic among Mustang enthusiasts. At a typical show, you can find groups standing near a Boss 429 or a ’93 Cobra, arguing about the rarity of their favorite Mustang. Discussions become more intense as someone from each group argues the merits of their claim. In the end, both sides walk away convinced they’re still right. But what makes a Mustang truly rare?

Out of the millions of Mustangs produced, are Shelbys considered rare? After all, thousands were produced. Are Boss 429s rare? Only hundreds of them were produced. What about those Mustangs with production numbers lower than the number of eggs you find in a carton at your grocery store? That would seem to qualify as rare.

Since the debut of the Mustang, there were hot models available each year until a triple blow came in the form of government emission regulations, skyrocketing insurance rates for performance vehicles, and the decision by Henry Ford II to get out of racing. The year 1971 saw the last of specialty Mustangs catering to the go-fast crowd. Sure, there were attempts in the ’70s to have an appearance of performance, but, alas, that is what it was — an appearance.

Donald Petersen wanted to change that. He had a philosophy that designers should be so proud of their work that they would want to park their creation in their driveways. Three months after becoming president of Ford Motor Company, Petersen green-lighted a build of Mustangs unlike anything seen in the previous nine years. A revitalization of the Motorsports program began with a team effort between Ford and McLaren Engines of Livonia, Michigan. And it all began with a batch of Mustangs at the tail end of 1980 production.

Originally, the plan was to build 249 of these specially prepped Turbo 4-cylinders for the ’81 model year to be sold at Ford dealers. In the end, only the nine ’80 models were produced. But what was produced was amazing when you consider the obstacles Ford was up against. The economy was in the toilet. It was so bad, it would cost the President of the United States his job. So, anything built would have to rely on as many off-theshelf parts as possible. And there weren’t a lot of off-the-shelf parts, given the dearth of performance in the Ford camp. Too, there were those pesky emission laws and the requirement to EPA-certify all engines to be sold to the domestic market. The Turbo-4 was having difficulties in this area.

The stock turbocharged 2,300cc motor put out a mere 130 hp, which was actually greater than the 119 hp of the only V-8 available, a 255ci mill. The 302 V-8 was dropped in 1980 due to government CAFE (Corporate Average Fuel Economy) standards. The McLaren-prepped Turbo-4 managed an impressive (for those days) 190 hp.

While special emphasis was put on making sure there was serious power coming from the engine, a good deal more was put into reducing aerodynamic drag, optimizing the suspension and braking, and creating a comfortable greenhouse environment.

The front end of the McLaren M81 featured flared fiberglass fenders and an aero-header along with a specially scooped hood. In keeping with the off-the-shelf parts philosophy, Fairmont Police stabilizer bars were used in conjunction with stiffer coil springs. Brakes were upgraded to the larger V-8 calipers on the front. Fully adjustable Koni shocks helped complete the suspension package. Special Firestone HPR radials gave the Pony sure footing.

Inside, a Racemark steering wheel was substituted for the stocker. Special Recaro LS bucket seats were employed. These seats offered much better body support than the Recaros from the ’79 Pace cars. The instrument panel contained Stewart-Warner gauges for precision monitoring of the engine vitals. Like Shelbys of old, an SCCA-approved roll bar was installed for serious racing. While the stock turbocharged engine was fixed at 5.5 psi of boost, the McLaren Mustang featured adjustable boost up to 12 psi. I’m assuming this invalidated the factory warranty.

Seven of the Mustangs were produced in orange, which was McLaren’s team color. One of them was done in gray, the complementary McLaren color. Finally, one was painted black. However, don’t expect to find them still finished in their original color. When Kendal Coker got hold of the No. 9 car, he found it painted white. There was orange underneath the Ford panels, but the front end, installed by McLaren, had no evidence of orange paint on it.

By performance standards of both the ’60s and today, the M81 was slow. Quarter-mile time trials performed by Motor Trend magazine were a snail-paced 17.37 seconds. The car hit the traps at less than 80 mph. But the media coverage revealed a crowd of faithfuls were waiting for Ford to once again be First On Race Day.

A tip of the hat goes to Ford for venturing into this area at a time when Chrysler was about to go under without government intervention, and AMC needed Renault to keep them going. Ford was in its own financial straits. Although the M81 never saw production in the ’81 model year, it revitalized the Ford crowd and paved the way for the reintroduced GT in the ’82 Mustang and the ’84-’86 SVO, along with the Cobra that would come a few years later in the Fox series. The future of Ford’s Mustang may have pivoted on the M81 Mustang, the rarest of them all.