ford has officially unleashed its chevrolet camaro ss 1le fighter on the world, the new 2018 mustang gt with performance pack 2. the regular performance package 1 is a good match for the ordinary camaro ss, which is a lighter, faster car than the mustang gt, but the 1le has been unmatched in the ford stable — until now. ford has made improvements to the performance package to finally even the playing field.
i had a very brief couple of laps at the m1 concourse in pontiac, mich., a private race circuit and "garage mahal" complex for wealthy car-owning race hobbyists located on a reclaimed gm industrial site just north of detroit. the track itself is a lot of fun, and my brief spin in the new performance pack 2 revealed that the car isn't challenged in the slightest by the course. it's immensely stable, never approaching the limits of its grip. the pp2 upgrade focuses primarily on grip, suspension tuning and aerodynamics, with the goal of helping the average driver go even faster around a track than they could manage with an already capable pp1. the rest of the package is identical to the pp1 — the powertrain isn't touched, and neither are the brakes aside from some track-inspired tuning for the antilock braking system.
you can spot a pp2 by the wider wheels front and rear, wearing michelin pilot sport cup 2 tires instead of pilot sport 4s tires that come with the pp1. the front splitter is a little different, and the trunk lid spoiler is subtler, as well. for now, enjoy the gallery below of the new pp2 — but stay tuned here over the next couple of weeks, as we've got one coming for a full track test.
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