Ford Mustang History
By
LATEST ARTICLE
January 2012 Car Sales Are Strong--Except At GM
While nearly every automaker reported brisk, upbeat sales numbers for the first month of 2012... Read More
January 2012 Car Sales Are Strong--Except At GM
While nearly every automaker reported brisk, upbeat sales numbers for the first month of 2012... Read More
- #10LEADERBOARD RANK
- 4884ARTICLES CONTRIBUTED
- 96COMMENTS POSTED
209 views
The Ford Mustang is one of the most recognizable cars on the planet--and one of the most successful cars ever sold by any automaker, with more than 9 million copies passing through Ford showrooms.
On sale continuously since early 1964, the Mustang was conceived by Ford, under automotive legend Lee Iacocca's direction. The two-door coupe was meant as a "personal car" that would bring styling flair and a new image to what essentially were mechanicals from the compact Ford Falcon.
The Mustang made its world debut at the 1964 World's Fair in New York on April 17, 1964. Within four months, Ford had sold 100,000 copies, and by 1966, the Ford Mustang coupe and convertible logged more than a million sales. Most Mustangs were powered by six-cylinder engines, but V-8 versions grew in popularity as the Mustang developed a muscle-car personality in models like the Shelby GT350 and GT500 and the Mach 1. Basic Mustangs were affordable transportation; the V-8 cars quickly escalated the musclecar wars, pitting Ford's best against the Chevy Camaro, Pontiac Firebird, and the Plymouth Barracuda. A fastback body style added a graceful new look to the stable in 1967, and trim and performance packs of every stripe greeted each new model year in the Mustang's infancy.
By the time a new Mustang took shape in 1971, safety and emissions rules were eviscerating all the musclecars. Power peaked with the 1971 Mustang Mach I, and fell each year until Ford took the drastic step of downsizing the car into the 1974 Mustang II. Lighter and much shorter, this Mustang also shared running gear with the Ford Pinto. A sales hit at first, the Mustang II dented the name and the reputation--and Ford quickly planned a new car, spun from the new Ford Fairmont's rear-drive platform.
The "Fox" platform Mustang arrived in showrooms in 1979, and soldiered on in that basic form until 1993. Along the way, the four-cylinder brought back V-6 and a V-8 companion. The V-8 became the GT in 1983; convertibles returned to the lineup in 1983; and a turbocharged SVO began its short life in 1984. In the late 1980s Ford planned a front-drive Mustang replacement, but before it launched the vehicle it changed direction. The rear-drive Mustang got revised sheetmetal, while the front-drive coupe emerged as the 1989 Ford Probe. Performance models included the Cobra R and SVT editions, as Ford progressively rebuilt the Mustang's reputation for performance.
In the 1990s, the Mustang migrated from the by-then outdated look of the 1993 model, to the heritage-themed styling of the 1994-2004 edition. It also rode on a heavily revised chassis that eventually settled on V-6 and V-8 engine combinations. The 5.0-liter V-8 went away, replaced by the durable, powerful 4.6-liter V-8--but the Mustang retained its live-axle rear end. Reshaped and refined in 1999, the Mustang drove on and on until it had outlived the Chevrolet Camaro and Pontiac Firebird--which ended production in 2002--and until a new Mustang was ready for the 2005 model year.
With the 2005-2009 Mustang, Ford finally exorcised the Mustang's reputation for clumsy live-axle handling and dated structural engineering. The new car proved tight, well-built--not to mention great-looking, an ideal blend of modern and heritage styling themes. With revamped six- and eight-cylinder engines, new automatic and manual transmissions, a new convertible edition, and Shelby and Bullitt editions along the way, this Mustang sold hundreds of thousands of copies each year while other competitors like the Nissan 370Z and Hyundai Genesis Coupe emerged from their respective drawing boards.
For 2010, Ford carried over most of the Mustang's mechanicals, while smoothing its sheetmetal with a more forward-canted grille and by installing a much better interior. In 2011, the Mustang receives new powertrains--with the V-6 earning a 31-mpg highway fuel economy rating, and the V-8 bringing back the "5.0" badge, along with 412 horsepower. Supercharged Shelby GT500 editions are now the most powerful Mustangs on the road, but a special racing edition brings back the Boss 302 designation--and charges ahead with a 444-horsepower, normally aspirated 5.0-liter V-8, less curb weight, and a TracKey package that lets drivers dial up performance on closed circuits.
