Mustang GT owners can now silence their V8s with “Quiet Start” technology.

New Quiet Start technology from Ford, dubbed “Good Neighbour Mode” by Mustang engineers, allows drivers to schedule the time of day when their Mustang GT’s V8 engine is allowed to roar and when it need to keep quiet.

“I love the sound of the V8, but it can be loud, and you can’t annoy people like that in your neighbourhood,” said Steve von Foerster, head of Ford’s user experience team in product development. “It sounds so cool, but I thought, ‘There has to be a way to give people more control over the engine’s sound.’”

While some sports cars offer active exhaust systems with on/off functionality, Mustang’s Quiet Start is the first to allow scheduling of times.

“When sounds get up into the upper-70-decibel range, that’s typically about when they start to bother people,” said Matt Flis, Ford exhaust development engineer. “With quiet start activated, the decibel level of the new Mustang GT drops by about 10 decibels, to a much more comfortable 72 decibels – about the level of a household dishwasher.”