Ford Mustang Cars

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About Mustang

Ford's Mustang is America's original pony car, and it has followed a formula that remained the same since the car's introduction in mid-1964: long nose, short deck lid, stylish interior, and a variety of engines to suit both performance enthusiasts and daily commuters. Five generations have included everything from the basic 6-cylinder grocery getter to the high-performance Shelby, Boss, and Cobra Jet cars of the 1960s, as well as the iconic 5.0 (five-liter) of the 1980s and 1990s. It's quite possibly the most popular American collector car on the market today.

1965-1973

The original "pony car", or personal coupe, and the greatest marketing coup of all time: Ford sold one million Mustangs in less than two years, which was a record at the time. The brainchild of Lee Iacocca, the original 'Stang was launched as a notchback coupe or convertible in mid-1964 as a 1965 model (often called the 1964½) on a 108-inch wheelbase. At first, unspectacular sixes and unmodified Falcon underpinnings made for a package that was in reality pretty unremarkable, but available 260 and 289 V8s nearly made up for the car's chassis shortcomings. Later versions saw updates that fixed many of the handling issues seen in the early cars. Mustang's first generation saw several redesigns, starting in 1967, and again in 1969 and 1971.

1974-1978

With the gas crunch in full swing, Mustang got a major redesign for the 1974 model year, shrinking its size considerably. Known as the Mustang II, the car was only offered in two body styles: a 2-door hard top and a three-door hatchback. The new car was a full 490 pounds lighter than the 1973 model, and performance was also downsized to match.

But the Mustang II was a big hit, and 1975 saw the reintroduction of Ford's 302 V8. The Mustang Cobra II, inspired by Shelbys of the past, was introduced in 1976, and it offered a little performance. A further evolution of that, the King Cobra, was introduced in 1978, and was the first Mustang to feature what would become an iconic symbol for Mustang lovers: the 5.0 badge.

1979-1993

The third generation Mustang (known to insiders as the Fox platform because it shared underpinnings with the Ford Fairmont) was an unexpected turnaround from the Mustang II. It featured clean styling, larger dimensions— but lighter weight—and a choice of hatchback or notchback styles (with the convertible returning in 1983).

Engines were carried over with the addition of a turbocharged 140-hp to 200-hp 4-cylinder power plant. Suspension was MacPherson front with a live rear, a handling package was optional. GT, Cobra, LX V8 and SVO versions are the best, but the 5.0 convertible is fun for the money.

1994-2004

An updated version of Ford's Fox platform led the way for the fourth generation Mustang, which got an all-new rounded look for 1994. The 5.0L engine returned again, but a 3.8 V6 was also available, and later models received two versions of Ford's modular 4.6L V8: an overhead cam version for the GT, and a dual-overhead (and later supercharged) version for the SVT Cobra.

1999 saw a styling update, which added some harder contours and coincided with the Mustang's 40th anniversary, and later years saw the addition of several other option packages, such as the Cobra R, Bullitt edition, and the Mach 1.

2005-2011

2005 saw a major update to the Mustang platform, now in its fifth generation. New retro styling aimed at reminding buyers of the fastback Mustangs of the late 1960s, and the Fox platform, used since 1979, was dropped in favor of an all-new design. Shelby Mustangs rejoined the lineup for the first time since 1970, starting with the GT-H in 2006, the Shelby GT in 2007, and the monstrous GT500, which in its newest form, features an all-aluminum 5.4L V8 making 550 hp.

In 2010, a face-lifted version was introduced, with revised body lines and an all new 5.0L V8 engine.

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