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Pictorial History of the Ford Mustang. 15 August 99
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The 1962 Mustang II concept car can be credited with starting the entire sports car revolution. The Mustang II was powered by a Ford V-4 displacing 91.4 c.i.d., and produced 109 horsepower at 6,400 rpm's. The Mustang II weighed in at a hefty 1,544 pounds! This vehicle is on display at Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn, Michigan.
The first production Mustang is on permanent display at the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn, Michigan.
1964-1/2 Mustangs were only available in two body styles: Coupe and Convertible. (Pictured: 1964.5 Convertible)
Starting in 1965,Mustangs were available in three body styles: Coupe, Convertible and the new fastback. Also new for 1965 was the GT option, pony interior and the 289K High Performance engine. (Pictured: 1965 2+2 Fastback on the Dearborn Proving grounds ).
1965 also saw the introduction of the Shelby GT 350. It was powered by a modified version of the 289K High Performance engine.
1966 Mustangs were basically unchanged from the original 1964-1/2 models - and no one seemed to be tired of the world's best selling pony car as over an increbile 549,400 were sold making it the Mustang's best year ever. In 1966, the Mustang captured 6.1% of the total cars sold in the U.S., and 78.2% of the small sports car market. (Pictured: 1966 Coupe).
1967 Mustangs changed a little for the first time. Mustangs were still offered in three body styles: Coupe, Convertible and Fastback 2 + 2. 1967's were both wider and longer, but they were still distinctly Mustang. New for 1967 was the GTA (A for automatic transmission), and the big block 390 GT engine.(Pictured: 1967 Fastback).
1967 also saw the introduction of the Shelby GT 500 (GT 500's used big block 428 engines while GT 350's used small block engines).
1968 continued with the same body styles with very little differences from the 1967's. On 01 April 1968, Ford did offer the 428 CJ engine option for all models topping off their performance campaign of domination on race tracks all over the country.(Pictured: 1968 Fastback).
1968 Shelby GT 350's used a 302 instead of a 289K - but GT 350's were available with a factory optional paxton SuperCharger.The GT 500 used the same 428 Police Interceptor - except they used only one Holley 4V carburetor instead of the two used on 1967 models. In mid year, the GT 500 changed names to the GT 500 KR (for King of the Road) and stopped using the 428 PI and used the 428 CJ instead.(Pictured: 1968 Shelby GT 500 KR).
1969 Mustangs are considered to be the most aggressive looking models ever made. For one year, the Mustang incorporated quad headlamps with distinct rear fender flares that made the car look fast just standing still.(Pictured: 1969 Mustang Sportsroof).
1969 saw the introduction of the 351 Windsor engine, the Grande, Mach 1 and the Boss 302 / Boss 429 Mustangs. (Pictured: 1969 Boss 429 Mustang).
1969 and 1970 Shelby's were available in the GT 350 and GT 500 (Ford dropped the KR off of the GT 500 after the end of the 1968 model year). The GT 500's were still powered by the 428 CJ, but GT 350's were now powered by 351 Windsor engines. (Pictured: 1969 Shelby GT 500).
The 1970 Mustang continued on the 1969's theme, and even though the body styles were changed only slightly, the changes made the cars look all together different.(Pictured: 1970 Coupe).
1970 marked the last year of production for both the Boss 302 and Boss 429 models. (Pictured: 1970 Boss 302).
For the first time since 1964-1/2, the Mustang had gone through such a design change that it no longer resembled a Mustang. Gone were the Shelby's, Boss 302, Boss 429 and 428 CJ - but the Mustang was now available with the venerable 429 CJ or in a Boss 351 model. (Pictured: 1971 Mustang Coupe).
The 1973 Mach-1 would signal the end of the performance era for the Mustang. It would also be the last time an engine larger than a 302 cubic inch would be offered until 1995.(Pictured: 1973 Mach 1).
1973 also signaled the end of the Mustang convertible. A convertible wouldn't be offered again until 1980. (Pictured: 1973 Convertible).
The Mustang was once again restyled in 1974. The Mustang II was downsized in an attempt to return to the Mustang's original roots, and while it is often ignored by most Mustang clubs, it was one of the best selling Mustangs ever offered. Mustang II's were only available in two body styles: Coupe and Fastback. (Pictured: 1974 Coupe).
The 1975 Cobra II might have only been a graphics tape package, but it sold well and made the Mustang II look like a real performance car. . .even if it only had a 302-2V engine.(Pictured: 1975 Cobra II).
Mustang II's were also offered with T-tops as well.(Pictured: 1977 Fastback).
Cobra II models continued to sell very well for Ford. (Pictured: 1976 Cobra II).
The most sought after of all Mustang II's are the 1978 King Cobras. King Cobras, like the Cobra II's were just a paint and graphics package but their beauty made up for the 302's lackluster performance.(Pictured: 1978 King Cobra).
1979 saw the introduction of another new 'Fox' Mustang design whose body style would last through to 1993. The only two body styles available remained the coupe and fastback - but the Mustang "II" designation was now gone.(Pictured: 1979 Mustang Coupe).
1980 saw the return of the convertible for the first time since 1973. Once again, the Mustang was offered in three body styles: Coupe, Convertible and Hatchback.(Pictured: 1980 Convertible).
1981 saw the return of the Cobra - but it was once again just a tape package.(Pictured: 1981 Fastback).
1982 saw the return of the Mustang GT and the 5.0 was finally in some type of performance trim. Consumers and Ford started to coin the phrase "The Boss is Back". (Pictured 1982 GT 5.0).
1983 saw the popularity of the 5.0 convertible start to boost Mustang into a new performance market.Beginning in late 1983, the Mustang SVO was introduced as a 1984 model.(Pictured: 1983 Convertible 5.0).
1986 would be the last year for the 302-4V carbureted engine, but it's performance earned the reputation from Police agency's and competition on and off the track. (Pictured: 1986 Coupe 5.0).
1986 ended the production of the SVO Mustang (Special Vehicle Operations) which began in 1984. The SVO's were powered by a 2.3 turbo charged and intercooled 4 cylinder engine that produced over 200 horsepower.(Pictured: 1984 SVO).
1987 saw the introduction of the 302 fuel injected engine which propelled the Mustang as the preferred choice of street racers around the country.(Pictured: 1987 GT 5.0 Fastback).
In 1988, more people were ordering the Mustang LX models with the same 5.0 engine as found in the GT for both a savings in sticker price and weight...which made them a little faster than the GT's.(Pictured: 1988 Mustang 5.0 Hatchback).
1993 was the end of the long production run for the 'Fox' Mustang as the body was basically unchanged since 1979. Mustangs equipped with the 5.0 engine remained popular and not only propelled Ford back into the performance segment, it put them into the forefront of it.(Pictured: 1993 Convertible 5.0).
1994 saw the introduction of a long awaited new body style (SN95) that retained the 5.0 302, but with reduced performance - the new model 'SN-95' was an instant hit with Mustang fans and signaled another new era. In 1996, the 4.6 SOHC replaced the 5.0 in the GT while the 4.6 DOHC became standard equipment in Cobra models. (Pictured: 1994 Hardtop).
'SN-95' Mustangs were now only offered in two body styles: hardtop and convertible.(Pictured 1997 Convertible).
The most exotic Mustang since the 1969-1970 Boss 429's are the Cobras which are powered by a 4.6 Quad Cam all aluminum V8. (Pictured: 1998 Cobra). The 1999 'SN95' Mustangs were introduced on 03 Sept.98 by Jim O'Connor, Ford Division president, (left) and Janine Bay, Mustang chief program engineer. The '99 Mustang features improved power and performance, dramatic ride and handling characteristics, and notable design enhancements. And for the first time, Mustang offers an optional all-speed traction control system.
1999 Mustang Trio: Base (left), SVT Cobra (center) and GT (right).
1999 Mustang Cobra. Only Cobra models have rear yellow tail-lamp turn signal indicators.
The most popular Mustang continues to be the base model. COPYRIGHT 1999 BlueOvalNews.com ALL RIGHTS RESERVED |
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