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Ford Mustangs: Sports Cars, Convertibles And Muscle Car
By:
Published: August 3, 2007
Everybody has different qualities they look for when picking out a car. Some people have a need for speed, some crave a powerful engine, and some could care less how the car performs as long as it has a sleek design. Then of course, there are the drivers who want it all, and the only cure for someone aching to get behind the wheel of a fast, cool car with plenty of 'giddy-up' in the engine, is a Ford Mustang.
The Ford Mustang's love affair with American youths began in 1964, when the first Mustang rolled off the assembly line. The brainchild of Ford Product manager Donald Frey, the Mustang began as a sort of Frankensteinish monster of a car patching together components from the Ford Falcon and the Fairlane beneath a new, slick body shell. Available as either convertibles or hard tops, the early Ford Mustang did not take long to accelerate past the competition with over a million sold in only 18 months.
Rival companies such as GM and Chrysler took a short while to catch up with the sports car craze the Mustang began, producing the Barracuda, Camaro, Firebird and Corvair Monza to compete with the popular Ford. Though they each found their own various successes, the bar setting Mustang got the last laugh. The small, powerful sports car breed has become known as the 'pony car,' named after the model that started it all.
Over the years the Mustang has gone through a series of transitions. During the early 70s, the Mustang began to annually put on a little weight, resulting in a heavier muscle car with large 375 and 429 engines to match the expanding frame. While some enjoyed this new breed the Mustang had evolved into, Ford received numerous requests to return to its original, smaller form.
When lee Iacocca took over Ford in 1974, he headed the new Mustang II type, which borrowed from the existing Ford Pinto and returned the car to its smaller, sportier roots. While it initially received praise, the Mustang II was considered to be only a mediocre performance car. However, the next few years brought about the Cobra II and King Cobra Mustang models, which helped make the five years between 1974-1978 produce four years that ranked in the top ten of all-time Mustang sales.
The next big makeover for the Mustang in 1979, when the Fox Body platform replaced the old models. These muscle cars gave a longer, larger look and feel but weighed around 200 lbs less than the previous Mustang II. This third generation of Mustang began a 15 year span during which Ford brought back the popular Mustang convertible. In 1983, the Ford Mustang broke a ten year convertible drought to compete with Chrysler convertibles that had been introduced the year before.
The next jump in design would not occur until 1994, when the 'SN-95' model ushered in the fourth era of the Mustang. The goal was to bring back certain aspects of the Mustang's early style while transitioning to a rear wheel drive system, which resulted in a heavier car with increased horsepower. 1995 was a year that Ford also produced 250 Cobra R type Mustangs, widely considered to be the best performing Mustang ever. Lasting roughly eight years, this generation of Mustangs included the final updates to the Cobra model in 2003.
The final, and current generation of Mustang began in 2005, and uses the new D2C platform. While other Mustang generations have been known to dip into their past a little for design inspiration, the new Mustang's "retro-futurism" style borrows heavily from the old mold with a shell that harkens back to the original model of the sixties while still looking edgy and modern. With ever increasing performance standards and a foxy new look, the new Mustang is sure to live up to the lofty expectations of its storied past.
Sources:
"Ford Mustang." Wikipedia. 24 July 2007. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc.. 25 July 2007. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ford_Mustang.
"History: Third Generation." Muscle Car Club. 2007. Musclecarclub.com 25 July 2007. http://www.musclecarclub.com/musclecars/ford-musta ng/ford-mustang-history-3.shtml.
Hunnicutt, Bob. "History of Mustang Performance: SN95." 11 February 2007. 25 July 2007. http://home.pon.net/hunnicutt/history_94_04.htm.
The Ford Mustang's love affair with American youths began in 1964, when the first Mustang rolled off the assembly line. The brainchild of Ford Product manager Donald Frey, the Mustang began as a sort of Frankensteinish monster of a car patching together components from the Ford Falcon and the Fairlane beneath a new, slick body shell. Available as either convertibles or hard tops, the early Ford Mustang did not take long to accelerate past the competition with over a million sold in only 18 months.
Rival companies such as GM and Chrysler took a short while to catch up with the sports car craze the Mustang began, producing the Barracuda, Camaro, Firebird and Corvair Monza to compete with the popular Ford. Though they each found their own various successes, the bar setting Mustang got the last laugh. The small, powerful sports car breed has become known as the 'pony car,' named after the model that started it all.
Over the years the Mustang has gone through a series of transitions. During the early 70s, the Mustang began to annually put on a little weight, resulting in a heavier muscle car with large 375 and 429 engines to match the expanding frame. While some enjoyed this new breed the Mustang had evolved into, Ford received numerous requests to return to its original, smaller form.
When lee Iacocca took over Ford in 1974, he headed the new Mustang II type, which borrowed from the existing Ford Pinto and returned the car to its smaller, sportier roots. While it initially received praise, the Mustang II was considered to be only a mediocre performance car. However, the next few years brought about the Cobra II and King Cobra Mustang models, which helped make the five years between 1974-1978 produce four years that ranked in the top ten of all-time Mustang sales.
The next big makeover for the Mustang in 1979, when the Fox Body platform replaced the old models. These muscle cars gave a longer, larger look and feel but weighed around 200 lbs less than the previous Mustang II. This third generation of Mustang began a 15 year span during which Ford brought back the popular Mustang convertible. In 1983, the Ford Mustang broke a ten year convertible drought to compete with Chrysler convertibles that had been introduced the year before.
The next jump in design would not occur until 1994, when the 'SN-95' model ushered in the fourth era of the Mustang. The goal was to bring back certain aspects of the Mustang's early style while transitioning to a rear wheel drive system, which resulted in a heavier car with increased horsepower. 1995 was a year that Ford also produced 250 Cobra R type Mustangs, widely considered to be the best performing Mustang ever. Lasting roughly eight years, this generation of Mustangs included the final updates to the Cobra model in 2003.
The final, and current generation of Mustang began in 2005, and uses the new D2C platform. While other Mustang generations have been known to dip into their past a little for design inspiration, the new Mustang's "retro-futurism" style borrows heavily from the old mold with a shell that harkens back to the original model of the sixties while still looking edgy and modern. With ever increasing performance standards and a foxy new look, the new Mustang is sure to live up to the lofty expectations of its storied past.
Sources:
"Ford Mustang." Wikipedia. 24 July 2007. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc.. 25 July 2007. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ford_Mustang.
"History: Third Generation." Muscle Car Club. 2007. Musclecarclub.com 25 July 2007. http://www.musclecarclub.com/musclecars/ford-musta ng/ford-mustang-history-3.shtml.
Hunnicutt, Bob. "History of Mustang Performance: SN95." 11 February 2007. 25 July 2007. http://home.pon.net/hunnicutt/history_94_04.htm.
