Ford Confirms S650 Mustang Will Have a Stick Option

By John Coyle - June 3, 2022

While it was more like an Easter Egg than a press release, Ford confirmed a manual S650 Mustang will be available.

Well, if you were worried about whether the next-generation Ford Mustang would come with manual transmission option? Let me set your mind at ease: The Blue Oval’s prized Pony will still be available with a six-speed stick. To be clear, this is no rumor, as the news came in straight from Dearborn itself, via a post on Twitter. And while it was more like an Easter Egg than a press release, the message is crystal clear. Just look at the picture below, where the “o” in seventh generation, has been replaced by a standard shift pattern. Seriously, it’s so obvious that even my sleep-deprived brain was able to catch it.

In all honesty, I don’t think there was too much danger of the S650 snubbing three-pedal buyers. Because while the latest example of the Shelby GT500 is only built with a dual-clutch, that’s a track focused weapon where the lightning-fast gearbox actually makes a lot of sense. After all, Formula 1 teams didn’t start using paddle shifters because they look cool. They did it because it means lower lap times. That said? I think Ford has given plenty fans who prefer to row their own loads of reasons to be optimistic.

The most encouraging bit comes from a patent filing we covered back in February, which details a clutch-by-wire system. This setup would read the position of the shifter, then engage and disengage the clutch automatically. Though importantly, it could also be switched off if the driver chooses. In my initial take, I thought the system could be used as a kind of training wheels for new stick drivers. But there are also potential advantages when it comes to mating a hybrid powertrain to a manual.

And at this point? It sure seems like the Mustang will get a hybrid drivetrain, as late last year, a Ford engineer slipped up and said as much on their LinkedIn profile. Now, whether or not it’ll be available right at release is anyone’s guess. But the potential of hybrids is impressive enough that not tapping it would be like leaving performance on the table. So I expect we’ll see it as an option on the highest spec models. Stay tuned for more news on the S650 Mustang when we have it!

Photos: Ford