"Getting power while meeting emission regulations; this is now a game of inches," a Ford engineer says, holding up a cylinder head from the 2015 Mustang GT's 435-hp V8. The intake valves on the latest version of the 5.0-liter engine, he explains, are .011 inches larger than those on the old Boss 302.

So much for hyperbole, huh?

The latest Mustang is the most important ever, and that's exactly why Ford has brought us to its Dearborn Development Center for a brief Q&A session. Along with official horsepower and weight figures, here are some other interesting numbers we coaxed from a group of 2015 Mustang powertrain and chassis engineers.

READ MORE: 2015 Ford Mustang - Official power, torque, and weight figures released

52 (percent)

Though it gains a few pounds compared with the outgoing model, this 2015 Mustang carries its burden more evenly. In EcoBoost guise, weight distribution is 52/48 front-to-rear; wearing 5.0 trim, it's slightly more nose-heavy at 53/47. Still, that's a vast improvement over the previous 57/43 split, and the closest any production Mustang has ever come to perfect 50/50 allocation.

READ MORE: 2015 Ford Mustang starts at $24,425 - Full pricing info and order guide

135 (hp/liter)

With 310 hp, the 2.3-liter EcoBoost Mustang now lays claim to the highest specific output of any Ford production car, ever. That's 7 hp more per liter than the $34,990 Volkswagen Golf R we drove last year. There are plenty of choice bits in this oversquared (87.5x94) mill—forged rods, Mahle pistons, a 5-bearing crank, a twin-scroll turbo, sodium-filled exhaust valves, steel ring carriers, and a composite cam cover. Tuners will have a field day with this one.

READ MORE: 5 things we learned riding shotgun in the Ford Mustang EcoBoost

911 (Porsche)

Ford says it benchmarked the 2015 Mustang GT against Stuttgart's ass-engined hero, as well as the venerated BMW M3. While company reps wouldn't divulge lap deltas between its newest pony and those German thoroughbreds, one Dearborn engineer confirmed a rumor we've been hearing for a year: When equipped with the Performance Pack, the 2015 Mustang GT becomes "consistently faster" around a track than the departed Boss 302. This comes thanks to numerous changes, including a lightweight aluminum hood/fender combo, the long awaited IRS and Torsen rear, and new control arm-mounted deflectors that create brake-cooling air channels, a la the Boss 302 Laguna Seca. We're also told to expect the '15 GT to offer "at least equal or better" raw numbers for stopping distance and skidpad grip when compared against the 302.

READ MORE: Spied! The 2016 Shelby GT350 looks and sounds amazing (pics & video)

9 ¾ (inches)

That's the size of the new, beefier axles in the Mustang GT—aluminum pieces for manual transmission models, iron for autos. Ford says these components still fit within its tried-and-true 8.8 packaging and that, in order to offset weight gain, the GT automatic uses a redesigned torque converter that's 5 lbs lighter than the 2014 equivalent.

READ MORE: 2015 Mustang GT gets standard line lock as part of the Track Apps suite

4250 (rpm)

All of the new Mustang GT's 400 lb-ft of torque arrive before 4300 rpm, with peak power arriving at 6500 rpm, prior to a 7000 rpm redline. Most impressive, though, are the cylinder heads: Ford says the 5,0's new cast units flow at the same rate as the Boss 302's CNC pieces. Achieving this took over 100 redesigns of the intake and exhaust ports (Ford tried 4 designs before settling on the original Coyote V8 back in 2011) and a new intake cam design, which has been pinched from the perilous, track-only Cobra Jet.

Oh, and we got a chance to hear the 2015 GT in person, at full-tilt, under load. Verdict? The same sensual, gravel-raking battle cry we've come to know and love.

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