Mustang II

The Ford Mustang hit the streets in 1964, and it was an instant success. Models such as the Mustang GT, G.T. 350, G.T 500, Mach1, Boss 302 and Boss 429 cemented the Mustang name in the history books of American motoring. However, by the early 1970s, new horsepower rating systems, combined with engine emission concerns, a looming fuel crisis, and rapidly increasing fuel prices were causing people to shy from the throaty gas guzzling V8s. Another issue facing Ford Motor Company was the growing popularity of the Japanese imports with their tiny cars and highly efficient engines. All of these variables combined to gradually decrease the sales of the Mustang over the first few years of the 1970s, and when the 1974 redesign of the Ford Mustang came about the change was quite a shock to the performance car enthusiast market. While the horsepower ratings had technically not decreased over the few years prior to 1974, the reporting methods had caused an apparent drop in power, and Ford Motor Company had spent the early 1970s dropping the big block V8s, and several of the smaller V8s. Sales for 1972 and 1973 had dipped to numbers almost as low as the partial year numbers from 1964, and Ford knew that something had to be done. What was done was a redesign like Mustang fans had never seen, and this new Mustang carried no physical or mechanical likeness to the original. Even the name was changed, as it was no longer the Ford Mustang; it was now the Ford Mustang II.

1974 Ford Mustang

While the original Mustangs were all about performance with a touch of comfort, the Mustang II showed the obvious shift in the market trends. It was obvious from the release of the 1974 Mustang II that performance was not at all a concern, and the performance market was not even a consideration. While the removal of the big block V8s came as a surprise, the engine lineup for the Mustang II was a complete shock. Not only was there no big block V8, there was no V8 at all. The "premium" engine (or highest performance engine) was a miniscule 2.8L V6 offering up only 105 horsepower and the entry level engine was an 88 horsepower, 2.3L inline 4 cylinder. There was no Mustang GT offered, but a new Mustang II buyer could chose from either a coupe or a hatchback. The premium coupe was the Ghia, and this trim line replaced the Grande as the luxury edition Mustang. The "performance model" was still the Mach1, but this new Mach1, with 101 horsepower, was a far cry from the Mach1 of the 1960s. The key points of this new Mustang II were luxury and comfort and the addition of items like the vinyl roof, and more so, the rack and pinion steering setup, helped to bolster this new luxury coupe image. While not a quarter mile monster, this new Mustang II was smaller, and more efficient than the previous Mustangs, which was the direction of the American automotive market at the time. Thanks to these market trends first year sales were way up, with over 385,000 Mustang IIs sold in 1974 which more than equaled the sales numbers of 1972 and 1973 combined. While it was certainly no pony car, the 1974 Mustang II was popular enough with both buyers and magazine editors that it was named the 1974 Motor Trend Car of the Year. It could be assumed that most everyone who really liked the Mustang II bought one in 1974, as sales figures for the duration of the II would never get anywhere near the numbers for the first year.

1975 Ford Mustang

When the 1975 Mustang II was released, it appeared to be the same car as the previous year with the exception of the vinyl roof being shortened to a half vinyl roof with a small rectangular opera window. The coupe and hatchback were back, with the option of the standard, Ghia, or Mach1, but there was some big news for gear heads…the rebirth of the 5.0L. Recognizing the need for a performance engine in their compact performance car, a 5.0L V8 packing 140 horsepower was introduced to the Mustang II, and that engine would become legendary, but not for their work in the Mustang II. However, this V8 gave the Mach1 at least a respectable amount of horsepower and got the Mustang name back on the charts as being a performance car, although economy and comfort were still the main goal of Ford Motor Company. There was still the option of either the 2.3L 4 cylinder of the 2.8L V6, for those who were truly more interested in the look and feel of the Mustang II than they were with performance. However, even with the 5.0L option, sales dropped by almost 60%.

1976 Ford Mustang

1976 brought about more good news for those who felt that the Mustang II should still be viewed as a performance car. That good news was the introduction of the Cobra II. The Mustang Cobra II had hints of Shelby styling with the Shelby-like stripes along the top of the car and the lower sides of the car, similar to those found on the G.T. 500s. Also, the Cobra II featured the quarter window louvers, hood scoop, and fender/grille badges similar to those found on the Shelby models of the 1960s. There was also the addition of a spoiler below the front bumper as well as a rear deck lid spoiler, which were color matched to the paint scheme chosen. The Cobra II was offered in white with either blue, red, or green stripes, or black with gold stripes. In an effort to get the Cobra II into the public eye as much as possible, a white/blue Cobra II was driven by Farrah Fawcett on the television program Charlie's Angels, and magazine advertisements even went so far as to feature Carroll Shelby himself. It should be noted, however, that the Cobra package came standard with the 2.3L 4 cylinder, but the 5.0L could (and often was) chosen. While overshadowed by the Cobra II, the Mach1 was still offered, as were the Ghia and base model. The base models were referred to as Mustang II MPGs, pushing the fact that they were very efficient in hope of stealing some business from the Japanese automakers. Also, the Mustang II Stallion package was offered, but simply as an appearance upgrade. Sales for 1976 dropped again, but it was a much less severe drop than was seen from 1974 to 1975.

1977 Ford Mustang

1977 offered very little along the lines up big changes aside from the addition of a T-Top roofline option, and some new, brighter colors. The trim lines back for 1977 were the base model, the Ghia, the Mach1, and the Cobra II, with the same engine offerings as 1976, although the 5.0L Mustangs received a decline in horsepower, to 134. Nothing changed about the base model or Ghia (other than the aforementioned T-tops), but the Mach1 received the addition of the Cobra II chin spoiler, a more linear grille, and four way adjustable seats, giving the one time performance trim line a more luxury feel. The marketing campaign for the 1977 Mustang II keyed on the T-top option, since convertibles were still being scrutinized by the US Department of Transportation Safety Board. Even with the addition of the T-tops, sales took another hit, dropping by roughly 20%.

1978 Ford Mustang

1978 was another slow year for changes, as this would be the last year of the Mustang II. All changes made to the 1978 models were cosmetic, and it was Ford's intention to make alterations to the Mustang II which would help the car appeal more to female buyers. There was a "fashion accessory package" which included those female minded changes, and that package featured special cloth inserts on the seats titled Fresno Cloth, illuminated mirrors mounted in the back of the driver's side sun visor, map pockets in the door panels, and exterior striping. The only change seen in all of the 1978 Mustang IIs was the change of the rear seat from one piece, to two, giving the rear seat a more firm, "2+2" feel (another popular import feature), especially to rear-riding passengers. There were no changes made to the engine offerings, but there was the addition of seven new colors. The Cobra II received a change to its appearance, with the dual stripes on the hood replaced with one thick stripe, and the stripe running along the bottom of the car was shifted upwards to the middle of the car, with large COBRA font running across the doors. 1978 also offered the King Cobra. The King Cobra featured a vastly different body look than the Cobra II. The front chin spoiler was replaced with a lower front fascia which ran along the bottom of the front bumper, wrapping around the front end, smoothing into the wheel wells. There was also a trim piece added to the front of the rear wheel wells, giving the front and rear wheel wells the same smooth, molded look. The loud Cobra II striping and badging was removed for a more subtle "king cobra" logo on the rear of the doors, and a Cobra logo still in the middle of the grille. Replacing the Cobra II stripes were a wild tribal looking graphic on the hood, and pin stripes galore, tracing just about every line of the vehicle. Also on the hood, there was the addition of a rear facing hood scoop, brazened with a "5.0" logo, similar to the logos found on the rear facing scoops of the Firebirds of similar years. The Kind Cobra could be ordered as both a hard top and a T-top, but only as a hatchback. Perhaps due to the King Cobra, or the addition of the fashion accessory package, or perhaps people knew that this would be the last year for the Mustang II and the last chance to own one, sales numbers were up in 1978, with over 192,000 units sold, second only to the first year of the Mustang II.

The Mustang II, while not a great seller, got the Mustang through some possibly very tough times in automotive history when some models (especially pony and muscle cars) died. The Mustang II is typically considered among the least desirable of the Mustang generations, yet for those who owned one, or still own one, they are very popular with an almost cult-like following. While not exactly an ideal pony car, the Mustang II is still a Mustang, and has made for a popular car to drop a bigger engine into for drag racing purposes thanks to their small, light stature.