The price is likely going to be higher here than across the Tasman – but who’ll care about that?

 KIWIS intending to enjoy a special edition Ford Mustang honouring a homegrown Supercars hero will be spending more to enjoy the car than the Australian audience it’s been initially aimed at.

While pricing has yet to be set on either side of the Tasman, Ford New Zealand – which helped broker the deal to secure the impressively muscled SM17 created by Melbourne-based Herrod Performance – has indicated a Mustang GT-based fireball honouring three-times Supercars champion Scott McLaughlin will likely sit around $150,000.

 That’s about $30k above the sticker it’s reportedly expected to carry in Australia, prior to on-roads applying, and would buy two examples of the V8 GT coupe from which it derives.

That New Zealand has become a destination for the Herrod SM17 might seem a given. Though his family shifted to the Gold Coast when he was nine, McLaughlin was born in Hamilton and like all NZ entrants in Supercars, he achieves an ardent following here.

Yet that alone didn’t guarantee access to a Mustang that delivers a supercharged V8 making a Supercars-busting 578kW and 810Nm, plus a host of suspension, aerodynamic and visual improvements.

The background as to how the SM17 gained residency was explained by Ford NZ managing director Simon Rutherford.

His operation is right behind the car’s availability but it cannot represent the model directly. Which is why the distribution rights are with Team Hutchinson Ford, centred in Christchurch. Orders can be placed at any Ford dealership, but thereafter the process goes through Team Hutchinson.

Even so, Ford NZ – whose most expensive Mustang of the moment is the $97,990 Mach 1 coming next year - has been closely involved in sorting this out and is an enthusiastic backer.

Rutherford says it’s all about getting the celebration car to an audience revved up by the “McLaughlin factor”; the driver has a high profile and strong popularity in NZ, he said.

“We think it’s important to do that because Scott McLaughlin has a fanbase here for obvious reasons,” he said in explaining the sales arrangement. 

 “It would be a shame not to support customers who want that option.”

Even though it took Herrod to realise the dream, the concept could also be called Kiwi inspired in that it was McLaughlin’s dad, Wayne, who came up with the idea for a celebration Mustang.

“Scott’s dad was always telling Ford they should do a limited-edition car. Once he had wrapped up his third Supercars title it seemed like the right time to accelerate the program,” says Ryan Story, the managing director and principal of DJR Team Penske, the outfit for which McLaughlin knocked off three consecutive championships. 

The first of those was in a Falcon then the two following were with the Mustang. Story also has also been a key collaborator on SM17 with Herrod’s owner, Rob Herrod.

The car’s price tag is unlikely to deter enthusiasts wanting something truly special. Aside from the driver association, the car should be a beast.

It is not only far more powerful than the standard GT (339kW, 556Nm) or Mach 1(345kW but same torque as the GT) but also has more oomph than the No.17 Mustang GT McLaughlin has raced, but now retired from the pursue a new dream of being a top driver in America’s Indycar.

The key performance-lifting feature is a Whipple supercharger but it also has the largest intercooler available, plus bigger Bosch fuel-injectors and numerous other updates to handle the big lift in horsepower. 

There’s a performance transmission cooler on the 10-speed automatic transmission that’s optional to the six-speed manual. The auto also has a unique transmission calibration for crisper shifts.

The suspension features adjustable sway bars and an alternate tune in the magnetic ride, the 20-inch wheels are bespoke and the tyres are higher performance items than the standard V8 Mustang gets. It also has a more distinctive exhaust.

Herrod has already built one SM17 but production won’t start until January of 2021. The first New Zealand car is expected to land two months after that. It’s a limited-run product, so how many will cross the Tasman is anyone’s guess.