The Five Coolest Ford Mustang Trim Names of All Time

Officially unveiled in April 1964 at the World's Fair in New York, the Mustang quickly became one of the Blue Oval’s most successful vehicles.

Built over six generations, it has been offered in an overwhelming number of trims. In addition to the equipment levels, powertrain options, or unique appearance packages, some also featured distinctive names that made them even cooler.

Golden Nugget

Undoubtedly the least famous entry on this list, the Golden Nugget was a special edition sold for the 1968 model year in Seattle.

All cars were hardtops, easily identifiable due to the Sunlit Gold paintwork with black vinyl tops, hood louvers, and side stripes. They also included golden plaques on the dashboard with the original owner’s name engraved on them.

Ford the limited production run, 525 units were scheduled, but only 481 were actually produced and sold that year even though customers could have one for the same price as a standard model.

Bullitt

That same year, a Highland Green GT fastback made its big-screen debut in the hit movie Bullitt starring Steve McQueen. It helped boost the Mustang’s popularity even further, becoming one of the most popular movie cars of all time.

Three other Bullitts followed in 2001, 2008, and 2019 but unlike the original, these GTs were limited-series production models sold to the public. Apart from the iconic green paint and unique appearance upgrades, each model also offered a host of performance enhancements.

Though the name comes from McQueen’s character, detective Lieutenant Frank Bullitt, it’s pronounced exactly like "bullet," which is fitting for a performance-oriented Mustang.

King Cobra

During the mid-1970s, the American automotive industry suffered due to the 1973 oil crisis. Although some manufacturers discontinued their pony cars, Ford kept the Mustang alive, building it on the economical Pinto platform.

These models mark the dark age of the nameplate, especially when it comes to performance, but there was still a V8-powered limited edition that made the mundane car look and sound better. It featured front and rear spoilers, fender flares, a reverse-facing hood scoop, and a huge snake decal on the hood similar to the Phoenix on the Pontiac Trans-Am.

Launched in 1978 as a farewell to the second generation, this variant was by no means the king of anything since it only made 139 hp. The name was no more than a marketing stunt Ford had also applied to the Gran Torino eight years earlier.

Super Snake

Based on a 1968 Shelby GT500, the first Super Snake was not exactly a trim but an epic one-off that featured a slightly modified version of the 427 cu in (7.0-liter) engine used in the Le Mans-wining GT40 Mk II.

The embodiment of a crazy idea, it was developed to promote both Shelby’s newest model and a new line of Goodyear economy tires. A limited production run of 50 units was considered, yet the exorbitant price put an end to further development.

Shelby American partnered up with Ford once again in 2008, and it has been turning regular production Mustangs and Shelbys into fire-breathing monsters to this day. The most capable of all is the modern-day Super Snake, which is even more outlandish than the standard GT500 for the 2021 model year. It comes with unique Shelby-branded interior, exterior and performance upgrades, producing no less than 825 hp of raw power.

Boss

In 1969, two new models joined the vast high-performance lineup, and both got an awesome name. These limited-edition pony cars were built as homologation models to further Ford’s ambitions in motorsport.

The 302 was developed for Trans-Am glory, while the powerful 429 was conceived to homologate a new powerplant for NASCAR use. For the 1971 model year, it was replaced by the Boss 351, but Ford subsequently dropped the badge from the lineup a year later due to poor sales.

Ford revived the name during the fifth generation, and although it looked better and was more powerful than the GT, it couldn’t go faster since its top speed was limited to 155 mph (249 kph). It was quite a disappointment for most Boss enthusiasts who were expecting the 444-hp version to give them ultimate bragging rights over other Mustang owners.