In a recent video from Autotopia LA, Shawn Davis (the host of the YouTube channel) introduces Derek Whitacre and his rare 1982 McLaren Mustang M81, a car with a unique backstory. The M81 was Ford’s ambitious project to re-enter motorsports in the 1980s, originally designed as a prototype with a turbocharged 4-cylinder engine.
The goal was to build 250 of these vehicles, but the program was cut short after only 10 were produced due to high costs and internal challenges. Another part of the project, the Dealer Special Order (DSO) program, aimed to send kits to dealers for assembly, but it never fully took off.
Derek’s car is one of the few remaining examples, heavily modified from its original form. He transformed it into a driver’s car, fitting it with a Blueprint Engines 347 stroker, BBK shorty headers, Maximum Motorsports suspension, and more modern components like a T-56 Magnum transmission and 8.8 GT rear axle with 373 gears.
Watch the video to explore this rare and fascinating Mustang from the ’80s.
