American Muscle vs Italian Engineering: Lamborghini vs Mustang

In the adrenaline pumping, heart racing world of motoring, both Lamborghinis and Mustangs are well known cars. The American Ponies (Mustangs) are pure muscle cars built with one idea in mind: horsepower. The Italian Bulls (Lamborghinis) on the other hand are built with precision driving in mind. One thing is for sure, both are very good cars.

The first and most obvious difference in the two is their price point. Mustangs are quite affordable when compared to other car options. These American Muscle cars start out at around 22,000 dollars. That’s not to say that upgraded versions of the car aren’t available. The roaring top-of-the-line Mustang Shelby GT 500 however costs around sixty grand. Even the most expensive mustang pales in comparison to the cheapest Lamborghini though. The Lamborghini Gallardo starts out at a staggering 190,000 dollars. The Lamborghini Venono Roadster, their newest addition to the family comes in at a whopping 4.5 million dollars. Clearly, the price point varies greatly between the two rides.

Next, the performance specs of the two vehicles must be assessed. For the sake of an easy comparison, it is important to choose two specific models. The Ford Mustang Shelby GT 500 and the Lamborghini Aventador are being compared in the rest of the article. The Mustang contains a powerful 5.8 liter V-8 engine that produces 661 horse power. What sort of fuel economy will an engine of that caliber produce? Around 15 city and 24 highway are the EPA estimates. While it isn’t exactly a hybrid, you may find that it does really beat out the Lamborghini in terms of gas mileage. The Lamborghini’s ferocious and much larger 6.5 liter V-12 engine provides only 11 mpg city and 17 mpg on the highway.

Really though, who buys a super-car or a muscle-car for it’s gas mileage? It’s all about the speed! Starting off with zero to sixty times, the Shelby GT 500 reaches 60 mph in just 3.5 seconds. This truly is a whizzing time. When the GT 500 is compared to the Aventador though, it seems rather slow. The rowdy Lamborghini will breach 60 mph in a miniscule 2.9 seconds. That is lightning quick! As far as top speeds go, the much cheaper Mustang falls short again with a supposed top speed of 190 mph. While it is tough to see how a car that goes 190 could fall short in any category, it does when compared to the much more expensive Aventador. The Lamborghini will reach an earth-shattering 217 mph.

Clearly, these are both fantastic cars. The bottom line is that Lamborghini and Mustang have both tailored their cars for two completely different audiences. Lamborghinis are made for the super-rich, the race car drivers, and the most hard-core motoring enthusiasts. For the difference in price point, you do get more. Most people are not going to have a few hundred grand laying around to buy a simplified race car. The Mustang however, is quite interesting. For thousands less, the casual motor enthusiast can get a truly great car. Mustangs have a much more practical price point and are still a great car! Both of these cars have their ups and downs. In the end they are both exquisite cars that are built for totally different types of motoring enthusiasts.