History of the mustang ii second generation mustang cj. In fact, it broke previous first year sales records with 418,812 units. Ford mustang 3rd gen 19791993 performance car guide. The complete book of chevrolet camaro, 2nd edition. The thirdgeneration mustang received its first facelift in 1983, with a rounder nose and a narrower grille. Gateway classic cars of atlanta is proud to present this 1992 ford mustang gt for sale. Numerous optional packages available to upgrade the suspension, appearance and performance. With unprece dented success, the original pony car captured the enthusiasm of what became known as the mustang generation, car buyers of every age who found in it both economy and style. The ford mustang ii was still a pony car, an affordable model with a highly stylized and sporty image, but it was much smaller than the iconic first generation. Larry shinoda designed the original boss 302 specialedition ford mustang. From 1979 to 1986 the car had an angled back front clip and four headlights, known by enthusiasts as four eyes.
The thirdgeneration mustang the socalled fox body was produced from the 1979 to the 1993 model year, the longest run of any mustang. Its seen now as being cramped, slow and underpowered, but at the time it was a very sensible response to the conditions in the united states. Ford continued to produce the mustang, but it was completely redesigned to help accommodate the gasoline shortage and other factors that led to the demise of american muscle. Congratulations to member z28cop for winning februarys car of the month, as voted by members. This new book from timothy remus combines history, advice from pros, and handson howto information and ideas as to where to buy the best combination of parts to build or modify your own best ever fxr. Released in 1979, the fox body lasted all the way to 1993. The book highlights gale and his role in the creation of fords iconic pony car. It underwent updates for 1987, and for a time seemed destined for replacement with a frontwheel drive mazda platform. The secondgeneration ford mustang, marketed as the ford mustang ii, is a two or threedoor. Sleek and redesigned, the 1979 was the first mustang to be built on the new fox platform, thus kicking off the third generation of the vehicle. However, the only example from that generation that featured the pony badge on the exterior was the 1993 svt cobra, which had a small one placed in the grille.
The car was offered with notchback coupe, hatchback. The mustang had its highs and lows, starting with the 1960s and passing. The cars background is pretty much an open, dramafilled history book. It debuted in october at the grand prix at watkins glen, new york, and was driven around the circuit by legendary racecar driver dan gurney.
The sixth generation was presented at private ford events on december 5, 20 and commenced series production at the ford flat rock assembly plant on july 14, 2014. It evolved through a number of submodels, trim levels, and drivetrain. However, company executives were swayed by consumer opinion and the rearwheel drive mustang stayed. A 1995 book on the history of the mustang refers to the introduction of a lukewarm optional 302 v8 in 1975 and says that the token revival of the cobra nameappearing as the tapedandstriped cobra iithe. While the mustang has gone through many changes from its debut in april 1964 to the current generation of mustangs, the ford mustang is an american icon. The sixth generation ford mustang is a pony car manufactured by ford. At the time of its introduction, the thirdgeneration fox body mustang was a radical departure from what the mustang was in 19651978. History of the fox body mustang the third generation of mustangs, produced from 1979 to 1993, was known as the fox body mustangs. Gale invites you to pickup a copy of a brand new book, mustang by design. Coverage includes factory offerings such as the 2001 bullitt and svt cobras, regional promotions including the twister special, thirdparty tuners such as roush and saleen, and factory race cars including the 1968.
In 1961, lee iacocca, vice president and general manager of ford division, had a vision. Click the link for the discussion thread to learn more about z28cops 1985 irocz. Ford mustang models and generations timeline, specs and. Thats the day the ford mustang was unveiled at the new york worlds fair. Built on fords fox platform and is thus commonly referred to as the fox mustang, it evolved through a number of sub. Ford knew ford gt 40 the ford gt was all about competing ferrari. Cjs takes a look back at the history of the fox body and dives into each year of this third generation mustang. The mach 1 was eliminated from the mustang family at. Nicknamed the fox body, the thirdgeneration mustang was based on the fox platform initially designed for the ford fairmont and mercury zephyr. A short history of the ford mustang ii haynes manuals. The book contains information about gales childhood and how he ultimately came to design the first mustang and end up as the design engineer at ford motor company. This book examines more than 500 specialedition mustangs from 1964 through today. April 17, 1964 is a day that is celebrated across america by enthusiasts, especially in dearborn, michigan. There hadnt been a shelby mustang for the entirety of the second generation, the fox body generation, or the sn95 generation, but finally, the shelbys had returned.
The 1973 mustang model is the last year the ford would produce the first generation falcon based mustang. The complete book of chevrolet camaro, 2nd edition profiles every model of camaro from 1967 to the start of the fifth generation. The complete history of the ford mustang cj pony parts. In continuous production since 1964, the mustang is currently the longestproduced ford car nameplate. Currently in its sixth generation, it is the fifthbest selling ford car nameplate. The thirdgeneration of mustangs, produced from 1979 to 1993, was known as the fox body mustangs. Since 1979 much more information has been found that relates to early mustang history, like where the name came from not the p51 airplane, the defined exsistence of preproduction cars, direct interviews from the original designers, a view of the original proposed design and much. The car became a highlight in the history of the ford mustang. In departure from prior mustang models, the sixth generation mustang includes fully independent rear suspension on all models, as well as an optional. A new, fourthgeneration mustang was in development in the early 80s, as a variant of the mazda mx6. Built on fords fox platform and thus commonly referred to as the fox or foxbody mustang, it evolved through a number of submodels, trim levels, and drivetrain combinations during its production life. Lee iacocca looks back at the 1964 sensation that was ford.
It was designed with high power in mind, offering a 157. The early 70s, with its attendant oil crisis, was not a happy time for american car design, and the mustang was not immune to the environment. Being built on fords fox platform, it is commonly referred to as the foxbody mustang. More pictures and video coming soon gateway classic cars of dallas is proud to present this supercharged 1993 ford mustang gt. Her grandfather, jerry parnell, was a 1971 charter class member who was hired at smsu upon graduation, where he worked as a media design specialist for the tv engineering and production program before retiring. This is the remarkable and dramatic story of how the mustang came to life, the demanding design and development process, and, ultimately. Third generation 19791993 the thirdgeneration mustang embodies the 80s like virtually no other car except the pontiac firebird and the chevy camaro. With an aggressive look and a comfortable design, the new generation of. Frey, an executive engineer for ford, conceived the first prototype, the 1962 mustang i concept, which was a midengine twoseater roadster.
This is a great resource book on early mustang history. The third generation fox body mustang had brought a legitimate performance image back to fords pony car during the 1980s, but by the early 1990s the design was a. It evolved through a number of submodels, trim levels, and drivetrain combinations during its production life. Six generations of the ford mustang pictures roadshow. In 2016, the sixthgeneration camaro rolled off production lines and roared onto americas highways, earning bestinclass accolades from all.
His vision was a car that would seat four people, have bucket seats, a floor mounted shifter, be no more than 180 inches long, weigh less than 2500 pounds, and sell for less than. A third generation mustang southwest minnesota state. Fun facts about the first generation ford mustangs. The thirdgeneration mustang was produced by ford from 1978 until 1993. This stang was built on a ford fairmont platform and came in coupe, convertible and hatchback styles with quad rectangular headlights and an eggcrate grille. That was the house rule from gene bordinat, fords longtime head of design, as planning for the thirdgeneration mustang got under way in the mid. A new 2021 mustang mach 1 is on the way replacing bullitt. Designed and built with sharp angular body lines and a futuristic appearance, traditional mustang enthusiasts liked what ford had to offer in the new mustangand the allnew platform surely delivered. The car, which was offered in 1969 and 1970, was a highperformance machine built to compete in the trans am racing series. The mustang has written a unique chapter in the his tory of auto making and marketing. The ford mustang is officially unveiled by henry ford ii at the worlds fair in flushing meadows, new york, on april 17, 1964. The thirdgeneration mustang was produced by ford from 1978 to 1993. The 79 mustang was longer and taller than the mustang ii, although in weight, it was almost 200 pounds lighter. Now uses what ford called the fox platform, slightly longer than the mustabg ii, but with less weight.
The thirdgeneration 19791993 of the ford mustang made being foureyed cool. At first, the aim was to win some races against ferrari, but ultimate pace car custom 1979 mustang well, foxbodied mustangs arent as popular as almost any other. Camaro vs mustang when the ford mustang was released, america jumped onto the pony car by storm 22,000 were sold on the first day. The fourseat sports car was an instant hit, selling well over a million cars in its first two years of production. The namesake of the pony car automobile segment, the mustang was developed as a highly styled line of sporty coupes and convertibles. The name of the car was based on the legendary p51 mustang fighter plane from world war ii. By this time, the mustang had already established itself firmly in the history records of the automobile industry. The new 1979 ford mustang was underpinned by a new fox platform. A convertible body style returned to the mustang lineup for the first time in a decade. The third generation mustang had two different front end styles. The complete book of chevrolet camaro, 2nd edition continues the story of americas premier performance car. Cjs takes a look back at the history of the fox body and. The 2007 ford shelby gt500 was based on the new s197 mustang platform and came equipped with a 500 horsepower supercharged version of the 5.
The third generation of mustangs would be built on the larger fox platform to give passengers even more interior space, further increasing its appeal to families. Generally referred to as the fox body named after fords fox platform, which introduced a longer wheelbase, these thirdgen mustangs had a 15year production run split in twothe foureye mustangs from 197986 named due to their four sealedbeam. Ford model mustang 2nd generation mustang ii belongs to sports car class. Take a walk through time as cjs looks at some significant moments in the history of the ford mustang. Ford mustang is a series of american automobiles manufactured by ford. The third generation mustang mach 1, on the mustang ii platform continued until 1978. The year 1979 ushered in the third generation of the iconic ford mustang. Ford usa mustang 2nd generation mustang ii specifications.
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