I’m not surprised that it’s a Mustang, a brand of car that’s always walked the line between consumer and enthusiast, that’s going through with this great idea. We all know Mustangs like to run, but the fact is they’ve been tamed somewhat by the necessities of everyday driving. Sure, you can still get a thrill when you put the pedal down, but if you were to take it to a track day, you’d wish you had it tuned for something more serious.
The TracKey for the Mustang Boss 302, which should be available through your dealer at some point, is a red key that, when you put it into the ignition, accesses all the computer-controlled aspects of the car and re-tunes them for a race environment. Launch control, brake balance, fuel mixture, everything. It can’t turn you into a racing driver, though, so watch yourself.
I just love this, and I’m not even a car guy. The fact that so much of every vehicle is computer-controlled has never really bothered me, but I’ve always wondered why we didn’t get more customization options. Imagine if you had a few keys like this, each loaded up with specific settings. One for your track days, one for going to the store, and one for when junior wants to take it for a spin. He gets a hundred less horsepower and second-gear launches.
It’s not clear how much the TracKey will cost and when it’ll be available, but I’m looking forward to it. Hopefully this kind of thing will be available for more cars as the engine control unit gets more and more standardized.