The rumor that Ford would eventually put an EcoBoost motor into the Mustang was confirmed last week at a speech Ford Chairman Bill Ford Jr. gave at Princeton University. Though he didn’t give any details, the automotive media is speculating that Ford will likely put the3.5L V6 EcoBoost used in the Lincoln MKS and Ford Taurus SHO beginning with the 2012 Mustang.  The question then becomes, does the EcoBoost Mustang become the default GT offering, reserving the 5.0L modular V8 for the Cobra variant, and the existing normally-aspirated V6 as the base-level engine? Others speculate the EcoBoost Mustang would be its own designate, but the likelihood of there being yet another Mustang/engine combo seems slim considering CEO Alan Mulally’s tendency to slim down options and streamline costs. Of course the last time we saw a turbocharged Mustang was the 1984-1986 SVO series of 4-cylinder fuel sippers. Of course the SVO was barely a 200 horsepower motor that was greeted with mixed feelings from Mustang purists. With gas prices potentially reaching towards $5 a gallon by this summer, who knows maybe a 4-cylinder turbo Mustang that achieves 35+ mpg highway would be a hit.

Could the Taurus 3.5L V6 Ecoboost engine end up in the Mustang?