The spare wheel was developed by Melbourne company Total Tyres when its national sales and product manager for wheels Rocky Corbino discovered no spare was available for the V8 version of the popular sports coupe.
The GT comes only with an inflator kit and the standard tyres are not run-flat tyres.
The EcoBoost four-cylinder Mustang uses 18-inch wheels and has a spare, but not the GT V8 that has bigger wheels to clear the larger Brembo brakes.
This lack of a spare wheel leaves Mustang owners with limited choices if they have a puncture.
Mr Corbino and Total Tyres then designed a 19-inch wheel that would clear the Brembo brake rotors on the GT and made it a space-saver design so it would fit flush beneath the boot floor.
The drawings were sent to a Chinese wheel manufacturer, which had a long-standing relationship with Total Tyres, and a mould was made for an aluminium wheel.
Mr Corbino said the mould is owned by Total Tyres and makes a 19-inch by 5-inch five-spoke wheel finished in black paint and fitted with a Kuhmo tyre.
It is intended to retail for about $700, though the final price has yet to be determined.
“We are now working with Ford Australia to include the wheel in its OE parts list,” Mr Corbino said.
“It should be very popular as there is a large number of Mustangs on the market and Australian drivers prefer to have a spare wheel in case of punctures, especially for rural areas.”
Total Tyres prepares the wheel casting when it arrives from China, including fitting the tyre and packaging it for distribution.
By Neil Dowling
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