Hotrod Racing
The Ford Mustang-how a Pony Grew Into a Stallion! In March 1964 Ford debuted as one the most popular cars ever built. It was the car that started the pony car craze and gave us a peek into what the w...
The Ford Mustang-how a Pony Grew Into a Stallion!
In March 1964 Ford debuted as one the most popular cars ever built. It was the car that started the pony car craze and gave us a peek into what the world would know as the muscle car era. Although it was built in 1964 it was designated as a 1965. The ones built from March until July 31, 1964 are known as 1964 1/2 Mustangs and were some what different from the ones built from August 1 and later. Most of the differences were internal and the body were identical except for the hood being rolled under in the later ones. It was basically a Falcon with a new body and bucket seats. The ones built after July are known as 1965's and were a little more updated with such things as an alternator,adjustable passenger seat and a number of other engineering refinements. The pony interior with the running horses was offered also.
The Mustang probably had the biggest debut of any car ever made as it was introduced at the New York's World Fair and was the pace car for the Indianapolis 500. Over 4 million people visited the showrooms and 22,000 were ordered the 1st day. It sold 417,000 the first year which broke all previous automobile sales records.
The body styles were the coupe and convertible. No fastbacks were built until the 1965's came out in August. The engines were the U code 170 CI 6 cylinder, F code 260 V8 and the D code 289 V8 with 210 Horsepower. The GT came out in April 1965 and was offered in all 3 body styles. You had a choice of the A code 225 HP or K code 271 HP V8. The 271 HP almost qualified it as a muscle car. The 1st Shelby Mustangs, all fastbacks, came out in 1965 and was really a hotrod with no backseat and hopped up to 306 HP.
1966 didn't see a lot of changes in the body except for the pony in the grill, side trim and restyled gas cap. The G.T. 350 came out in 1966 and Hertz ordered 1,001 of them for rental cars or "Rent-a Racers" as they were known as. Many Sundays they could be found at the dragstrip or road race course. There was a rumour at the time that a number of them were rented and the engines swapped with the renter's engine and returned to the dealer. True or not it makes a heck of a story. This was also the first year for the High Country Special sold in Colorado and Wyoming. The Shelby GT350 was available with a 289cid that put out 390hp and likely qualified it as a muscle car. In 1967 the Mustang had the 1st body redesign, although it wasn't a major one, mostly trim and grill. The biggest change was on the fastback where the top went all the way to the rear of the car. The convertible had a glass rear window for the 1st time.
It was the last year for 289 Hi-Po and the first year for the 390cid and 428cid engines. The GT350 had the 289cid Hi-Po while the GT500 got the 428cid. The 390cid could be had in all 3 body styles. This was the only year for the GTA which had an automatic transmission and could be had with the 289 or 390 in all 3 body styles. Only 400 High Country Specials were build in 1967.
The Chevy Camaro, Mercury Cougar, Pontiac Firebird and Plymouth Barracuda were all in the same class as the Mustang and cut into their sales, but they still outsold their nearest competitor, the Cougar by a three to one margin.
The 1968 was little changed in appearance from the 1967. The 427cid of Cobra fame came out in he GT's. Equipped With disc brakes, racing tires and heavy duty suspension it was race ready right off the showroom floor. Mustang racer Bob Tasca efforts to build the 428 Cobra Jet was rewarded by Ford building 2,817 instead of the just 50 intial run he asked for. This was the last year for the High Country Special and a California Special was available for this year only. All the Specials were coupes.
In 1969 things really changed, the engine line had 7 different size engines and although the body had the same look it was 4 inches longer and a little wider. The engines ranged from the 2 little 6 cylinders, a regular and a Boss 302cid, 2 different 351cid, the 390cid, the Cobra Jet and Cobra Jet-R 428cid all the way up to the monster, Boss 429. The original body styles were still around, but now they were joined by the Mach 1, the Boss and the Grande. This was the last year for the GT.
The Mach 1 was basically a fastback GT with upgrades. It came with 351cid, 390cid or the Cobra Jet 428.The Grande was for the luxury buyer, with many upgrades. The Boss 302 was built to race in the TransAm series where the Camaro had beat them in 1968. They almost won it in 1969. This was the year of the Boss 429 debut, which was the Nascar version engine.
1970 was a happier year for Ford as the Boss 302 won the Trans-Am Series. Very few changes were made to the cars. The Boss 429cid came out with a hemi-head that required suspension modifications so it would fit.The 390cid was done away with. Ford built 2 1970 Boss 429 Lawmen Mustangs to tour with the U.S. troops. Only 1 of the 1,200-horsepower monsters survives today and is owned by wrestler Bill Goldberg.
In 1971 the Mustang gained one inch in wheelbase and every other dimension grew. The Mach 1 could now be had with the 429cid although the 302cid was standard. The Boss 302 and Boss 429 were both dropped in favor of the Boss 351. Like 1970 there wasn't too much exciting happening in the Ford camp. It was like they knew the end was near.
1972 saw the end of the Mustangs wild ride. The pony had grown into a stallion, but like the stallions of the old West it's end was near. The 429cid engine was dropped which meant that the largest engine was now the 351cid. Although the High Output version put out a respectable 275hp it was a far cry from the advertised 376hp (reputed to be much higher) the Boss 429 put out. In my estimation this was the last year for the Ford muscle cars although in reality it was 1970 as the engine cubic inches and horsepwer went the way of the dodo bird in the 1971 models.
I hate to even mention the 1973 because of the hatchet job that was done on the Mustang and other muscle cars. This was even the last year for the convertible. The 351cid was down to a wimpy 266hp. The Mustang with any kind of muscle was dead and would not really get revived until recently.
Due to the short but rich history of the real Mustangs we need to keep on restoring or preserving them so that the kids of today can have a chance to own a piece of history that will never come around again. Remember, restore them don't crush them.
About the Author
Author: Don Levy has a 60 year love affair with all classic cars, muscle cars & hotrods. He lived through the times that he writes about & witnessed the evolution of the automobile first hand. His website at http://classic-car-hunter.com/ has over a thousand classic cars & trucks, muscle cars, hotrods, street rods & classic car parts for sale along with an area to list your car for sale.
This & other articles about the classic car hobby appear on his blog at
http://classic-car-hunter.blogspot.com