Smokescreen! Ford’s 2015 Mustang boasts ‘Line Lock’, a factory burnout feature

By Nick Jaynes April 21, 2014

We’ve learned many exciting things about the forthcoming 2015 Ford Mustang, including a breakdown of its aerodynamics.

While slippery bodylines are important, they don’t really want to make us stand up and applaud. Enter Line Lock.

The engineers at Ford – when designing the new pony car – finally took a moment to think about the drag racer in us all and devised a new burnout feature.

Activated through the Mustang’s onboard Track Apps, the new Line Lock feature – as you can see in the video below – allows the front brakes to hold strong while the rear brakes remain at rest while you bury the pedal furiously into the floorboards. This proves that technology isn’t just used for efficiency but also for smokey, screaming fun.

The result, as Ford representatives claim, is to warm up the rubber for a quarter-mile run. Sure, it could be used for that. It could also be used as the burnout was initially intended: as a hillbilly mating ritual.

“We’re using advanced controls technology for the all-new Mustang to provide some of our most dedicated fans with an industry-first feature they can use when they go to the track,” Dave Pericak, Mustang chief engineer, said in a prepared statement. “With electronic line-lock, customers who drive their Mustangs to work all week and then compete on the weekends will appreciate not having to modify their brake systems to be able to do effective tire prep at the drag strip.”

So, with the 2015 Mustang, you can have world-class power, interior design, technology, looks, and – thankfully – you can also create a pretty mean smokescreen.

If there’s any better way to celebrate your 50^th than with a screaming burnout, I haven’t heard of it.

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Former Digital Trends Contributor

Nick Jaynes is the Automotive Editor for Digital Trends. He developed a passion for writing about cars working his way…

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