To be honest Farrah as all the angels were beautiful women, Farahs passing was sad indeed, her bravery and courage alone, but Jaqueline Smith was always the girl that put a curl in my toe, I remember googling her after this vid and she ( as do I ) still look the same after all the decades
You forgot to add it was voted *Car of the Year* in 1974. Dealers couldn't get enough of them. Most here in the Detroit area were getting well over sticker price for them. It saved Ford during the energy crisis of 1973 -74.
The 71-73 Mustang was bad, and Ford was in competition with itself with that model with Torino, Thunderbird, and even the Maverick. The 74 mustang was perfect, and when the Fox platform came out in 79, they hit a grand slam.
This is a very good piece on a very underrated car. Most of the people who bad-rap the Mustang II weren't around during the, "energy crisis," and can't or won't understand why it was built. It was an almost perfect car for someone who wanted a sporty, good-looking car but needed something with good gas milage! I was there during the, "energy crisis." Waiting in a line for an hour, if you were lucky enough to find an open gas station, and only being able to buy 5 gallons of gas was so much fun! Big-block Mustangs with thirsty 4-barrels stayed in the garage and Mustang II's got driven.
Back in 1974 my buddy, the son of a wealthy family, was given a new 74 Mustang II for his 16th birthday. It was the top Ghia model with the V6. White with tan leather seats. We had a lot of adventures in that car.
I'm a GM man but I got to admit that those were great cars. I had a 1977 Mustang II with the 302/auto and wow that little car was strong! Many a Camaro and Trans Am got beat by me and that little Mustang. She came with a 2 barrel carb, I swapped out the 2 barrel setup and bought an Edelbrock 4 barrel intake and Carter 500 CFM carb and a dual exhaust and that really woke her up! Drifting wasn't heard of back then in the 1980s but that little beast could drift with ease... wish I still had that little car!
A friend and I built a 1977 Mustang II Cobra back in 1996. It had a blown 302 V8. We put a 351w built for a Van with a wheelchair lift. The engine was too powerful for the van. So we bought the car to put the engine into. Scary fast. Almost uncontrollable. But it put a smile on our faces. How we ever survived to tell the story of it is inconceivable....
My wife loves my 2005 Mustang convertible. When I found a functioning 1976 Mustang ghia, I spent 8 months in secrecy to restore it. After an interior replacement and a new powder blue paint job, I revealed it to her. Now, it's her favorite mustang in the world. The history of this ghia has made her proud to own a unique piece of history. Sadly, I did lie when I told her the overall cost to restore it though. No matter.
Danny, if you are 65 yrs old you might feel that getting away from the Torino Mustang land yacht was a good idea. We have a '71 Cleveland fastback that has an honest 300 hp. Weekend show car/ daily driver.
Back in the day, my best friend had a silver Mustang II with the black vinyl roof. It had the V8, auto, and a cassette deck. Many a night spent riding, drinking beer, and listening to Rush, BTO, Foreigner... good times.
Very cool I did the same thing I had a 78 Cobra and the 79 pace car pace car was pretty wicked first American car to have low profile tires I believe from 79 to 82 nobody could out handle that car even the Corvettes. Like you said ACDC Rush Foreigner I would not forget Van Halen.
Jim Wrenn No Pink Floyd, Bad Company, Grand Funk Railroad, Aerosmith, or Led Zeppelin? No Heart, Doobie Brothers, Blue Oyster Cult, Head East, or Chicago?? No America, Alice Cooper, Nazareth, Seals and Crofts, or The Guess Who???
I bought a 76 Cobra II Mustang new back in 76, blue with white stripes. It was a good looking car, good quality build, fun to drive, handled well, nice interior, and got good mileage, which was important back then when gas prices were rising, and you're young and don't have a lot of money. I had fun with it and in it, so no complaints from me.
The new Mustangs have amazing horsepower. My son bought one last year. He asked me what I thought of it, compared to my 1971 Mustang. I said, my 71 couldn't hold a candle to this one. Not even close. It's amazing how far they have come.
Thank you for this video. I have been guilty of treating the Mustang 2 like the step child for a long time. I grew up with this car and remember being disappointed with the advent of the Fox body Mustang. Little did I know I would own one years later and have enjoyed my Fox body for over twenty seven years. Long live the Mustang.
There was a guy in my sisters class in high school who had a Cobra II back in the late 80's. I remember him burning rubber up the street with it blasting Judas Priest on his stereo, haha. Then one of my friend's mom had a mustang II hatchback, lots of memories as a little kid going to Dairy Queen, A&W, and the local drive in theater in that car in the early 80's.
Showing my age here, but my girlfriend in high school had a Mustang ll. The Ghia version with a 2.3 and vinyl landau top. It was a great car. And since, I've owned several Mustang GTs. I wish I could find a restored example of the last year Mach l. Thank you for this video.
I worked for a subsidiary of FoMoCo when the Mustang II was around and had ascended to a supervisory role, which gave me the Executive Lease Car perk. My second Lease Car was a '78 Mustang II fastback. Because I couldn't get a V8/4 speed combo in CA at the time, I opted for the 2.6L V6 with a 4 speed. The car was Raven Black with a screaming red vinyl interior. I ordered it with the slot mags and the white letter tires and the crowning glory, T-tops! Because of the T-tops it had a sort of crown Victoria bar at the B pillar location. That little car was a real PR investment for Ford. I got more comments and eye ball directed to me about that car than any other of the seven Lease Cars I had while with Ford. I've gone through a lot of exciting cars in my life and still have three very "stimulating" vehicles ('69 Mustang convertible, '95 Bronco XLT and '09 Corvette), but I will always remember the little Mustang II with fondness.
Always been a Mopar guy primarily, but I have had a ‘73 and a ‘75 Mustang. Loved ‘em both. Great video with some nice info. Thanks for always being a fantastic channel!
Bought one of these (a 75 4 speed manual with 302) for about $500 in the early nineties. Went down to JEGS and bought stainless headers and straight piping, threw the cat away, and put a four barrel Holley on it. It was like a night and day difference. My brother had an 87 GT 5.0 HO and it could not hang with mine until he put a new exhaust and cam on it. A lot of people don't realize that while most cars were detuned somewhat in the 70s, the horsepower difference wasn't as great as it would seem. Horsepower went from being measured in gross to measured in net, and all of the sudden "300 hp" in 71 went down to "220 hp" in 72. No real difference in performance, just measured differently. Then the emissions laws went into effect, unleaded gas became the norm, and 175 hp was about as good as you could buy. But anyone with any sort of mechanical ingenuity could double that number with some cams, carb and exhaust work. The early eighties were the "real" malaise era in my opinion.
I had a '78 Cobra 2, black and red with a 302 V8 and I loved that car. I put over 150,000 miles on it before it goes up but all it was doing was leaking oil and when I started to put new gaskets in it, I decided to rebuild the engine, but this didn't work out so I traded for what I thought was a 289 but it turned out to be a 260 V8. But I made it work and it ran good until a van t- boned me in the side and totaled the car, but all the cars I've had over the years that's the one I miss the most.
Anthony Grider I bet the 260 made your Mustang pretty fun to drive. Just guessing, but I bet it was a pretty good match for that era Mustang. It had to be better than the original motor.
I wish I had put my Cobra2 in a shed or something and still have it now. I wish I could find one in good shape but thats hard to find now. Even tho some don't like them I loved mine and wish I had it back. It was small enough that you can park it just about any where and when you got it running good it was hard to beat. If I had the money I would have a bunch of them right now.
Why no mention of Charlie's Angels? Their use of the Mustang II was as much an effective promotional tool as the Rockford Files and the Bandit were for the Firebird.
bigcrowfly ...yeah, I remember Farrah Fawcett sprawled across the hood of that little blue striped Mustang II “Cobra” fastback and made that poorly designed and severely underpowered car look “desirable...”
Two Black Labs Farrah made anything look great especially the Mustang Cobra II and lets not forget about Cheryl Ladd who made the car look spectacular. Jacyln Smith also donned a beige Ghia in the show which sadly got blown up twice during the shows run but i always remember her in the Ghia as i recall the nightmares of my Mustang II Ghia.
My first car was a 1974 Mustang II Mach 1. Purchased in 1982 and I still have it. All stock except I did put 15" tires and wheels on it and replaced small rear end with better 8.8" from later year. 1974 is the only year of the Mustang that a V8 engine was not an option. Thanks for the video
FYI...."A wheel" includes the tire AND the rim. And the change in 1974 was a terrible mistake by Ford....look it up. Take it to the scrap yard and make a few bucks....the only way you can at this point!
Had a white '76 4cyl automatic fastback that was purchased in '94 to get me through my last two years of high school. It hadn't been maintained over the years and was in pretty rough shape, but it never let me down. Some pretty great memories were made in that car, which is about the only reason it's probably still my favorite car ever owned. Sold it as-is for a couple hundred bucks when I went to college (almost 24 years ago). I've always thought I might one day purchase another neglected one and show it some love. Well...I was in my old neighborhood a couple of weeks ago and I'm pretty sure I spotted MY fastback parked in a back yard about a mile from my old house and I can't stop thinking about it!! Not sure what condition it's in (or if it even runs), but I'm pretty sure I've gotta make them an offer for it. Gonna be tough to hide my excitement if it really is my old car, but (for the sake of the deal) I'm planning to lead with, "Ya sellin' that old Pinto back there?". If I do manage to snatch it up, I'm pretty sure this will prove to be the best bad idea I've had in a very long time!! Wish me luck.
My dad bought me a 74 in 1980 when I was 16. Even though I had tons of fun in that car, I think it stayed in the shop more than it ran. It was a cute car for its time.
The Mustang II is insane. It was mistaken for a Pinto because it was so small. A small investment in aftermarket pieces made it an Austin Healy with 300 hp. The most underrated Pony car.
I remember racing a Cobra II at the 1/4 mile track when I was in my high school days. I was in an '85 TPI Trans Am. Spanked that thing by about a 1/3 of the track, lol. But Ford did sell a lot of them, so there's something to be said for that. Maybe it did keep the brand alive. Fast forward to 2003, and Ford was about to unveil an awesome retro Mustang, while GM let the Trans Am (and later all of Pontiac) just completely die. So who wins in the end?
Jesse Pinkman too bad about Pontiac. :-( But TPI was great for that times, torque monstar of the 80’s. I have 350 engine with vortec heads and LT4 cam with TPI ready for installation for my 88 Trans Am. I can’t wait to try it! :-)
My first car at 17 was 1978 mustang II ghia. I worked at a Ford dealership bodyshop. Co workers called it a pinto with a mustang package. Lol this was in 1985
The best fox mustang were 1986-1992 5.0 HO 5spd specially the notchback Coupes , we have so much aftermarket support now days that you can make these 225hp reach close to 400hp with under 5k
@@zzygyy I posted above that in '86, I had a '79 Fairmont with the 302, and beat a classmate who had a '7X Mustang II with the 2.8 in a short street race. Good, albeit, slow, times back then, LOL.
You left out the most important part about the Mustang II, Iacocca wanted to bring the mustang back to its roots as a small pony car fit for the times, as the 64 was when it debuted. The mid 70's was just a crappy "time" to design a car for.
I loved the 71-73 Mustang and when these hit the streets I scoffed at the dinky 13" rims and it's dinky size. I bought the 1979 Fox body Mustang and though it was only a bit larger than the II it looked a bit more substantial. I now have softened my view of the II in the sportier trim. It looks more like a mustang than my 79.
A good friend of mine bought a brand new 1979 Mustang with 302 ad TRX suspension. It was like nothing else on the road at the time other than a W72 Trans Am. Of course we removed the 2bbl strangler carb and replaced it with a performer intan a 600cfm Holley...it was a very good all around performing car, much better than my 79 Z28 with a 4 speed. With the holley 4 barrel the 302 did not fall flat on its face at 3700rpm like the chevy did. The 1979 "5.0" as they would call it was very close to the 1971 for 302 other than a little less compression and a lot less breathing ability due to the carb. I would say even the 1979 302 rated at 140hp was much closer to 210(net) once the 4 barrel was in place.
richarris1111 finally someone noticed! Yes the Duces were under powered, but they still had Mustang style that the 71-73 and the Foxes lacked. Though I’m not gonna lie, I’d have a hard time deciding between the style of a 78 and the performance of the 79.
The Mustang II owed its existence more to the slow sales of the overgrown '71-73 models and to Lee Iacocca's bias in favor of small, cheap cars than to the impending oil embargo, which few in Detroit anticipated. There was a consensus that cars in general had to get smaller (GM planned their smaller '77 full-sized models in 1972), but not much urgency about it. Ford was lucky to have one of the hottest-selling cars during a difficult year, but they were still adding bulk to their larger models to keep up with bumper and safety regulations. I agree that the "II" got a bad rap; it, like the Granada, had a much nicer interior than its competitors and I never understood why is was considered ugly by so many. It did however, have one flaw that kept it from getting much respect: the wheelbase was too short to support a V8 without serious handling compromises (as well as awkward proportions) and the Cologne V6, which would have been a nice compromise engine, had a reputation for poor reliability in its early years. So buyers were stuck choosing between a no-performance 4, an unreliable V6 or a V8 which made the car nose-heavy and started out (in the converter-less 1975 models) with awful mileage for a car this size. None of this was pretty, but it was typical of the perfect storm that hit the auto industry in these years.
Finally Someone that talks about the 1973-1978 mustangs only true car Enthusiast will appreciate any car from any era even the post muscle car wars. The 1974 mustang was the 6 best selling Mustang tell me how many Cars from the muscle car years kept going after 1974? And still exist today only the Mustang was kept alive not killed of brought back killed of brought back you earned a new subscriber.
Definitely gotta respect a real car enthusiast dont matter what the brand is just speed and metal baby lol but i feel the boss 302 was the true mustang of the 70's the cobra 2 was a beautiful car just didnt have that i serious look like the 302 did
Love or hate it, this car served its purpose and the sales numbers showed that. Lee Iacocca thought the Mustang had become bloated and lost its focus, so he wanted to reset it to its 1964-1966 roots. The 64-66 was an affordable small but sporty looking car that young people could buy that was more fun than the economy car on which it was based. The Mustang II certainly accomplished this reset effectively. The fact that it was released at the same time as the gas crisis was a "happy accident", making it the right car at the right time.
They were also very small and very light. you can put in a fire breathing 302 or a stroker based on the ford 302 and have a real nice package. of course after doing the brake, driveline, suspension and tire upgrades needed.
My parents had a 77 Mustang II 2.3 4cyl 4spd hatchback in the 80s to go along with our 64.5 k-code Mustang 4spd. Obviously as a kid I always wanted to go in the "fast" one lol. The only time that II came in handy was when my mom was lost and turned into a 1 lane golf course on a rainy night in the 64.5. We proceeded to follow other tire tracks into the muddy grass, big mistake. In a couple mins we were stuck and digging down. So of course no phones meant 7yr old me and my mom walked about 45-1hr. Got my dad the II, and a big chain. Drove back and due to its lack of power, it saved the day. It had straight traction in the rain while chained to the 64.5. It was probably a bad night for both those clutches though. Lol.
And they leaked like a sieve when on! You apparently were lucky! Pretty much every car I rode in, from all manufacturers, with T tops eventually leaked. I discovered that by using a product called 'liquid rubber' along all the seals, effectively stopped those leaks.
My first car was a 1975 Mustang Ghia v8. I put 14" 60 series tires on all four corners. The car handled awesome! I wanted to put a 90's 5.0 in it but I lost my license for too many tickets and sold it.
No. The Mustang did not get 300 ft lb of torque until 1987. The 210 hp, roller cammed 1985 Mustang GT only had 265 ft lbs of torque. The 1986 Mustang came out and all the old gear heads removed the fuel injection because the car was now rated for 200 hp but they disregarded the 20 ft lbs of torque increase to 285 ft lbs. Stock for stock, a 1986 GT would spank a carbureted 1985 GT. 1982 - "The BOSS is back" 157 hp and 240 lb-ft of torque 1983 - a four barrel 600 cfm carb and new intake makes 175 hp and 245 lb-ft of torque 1984 - see 1983 specs 1985 - Roller cam block and full stainless true dual exhaust with tube headers 210 hp and 265 lb-ft of torque 1986 - Fuel injection added and crappy heads you can't port but 200 hp and 285 lb of torque 1987 - 85 style heads, larger throttle body and intake makes 225 HP and 300 lb-ft of torque. 1988 - see 1987 1989 - mass airflow sensor added makes very good throttle response and car operates better in different temperatures and air densities. Cam specs are slightly more aggressive. This year produced the most freakishly fast Mustangs ever. Rated 225 HP and 300 lb-ft of torque 1990 - Cam specs calmed down to quell valvetrain noises. Intake manifold is not as smooth inside as Ford stop using precision media and changed to sand media for casting. Rated 225 HP and 300 lb-ft of torque 1991 - see 1990 1992 - The last forged gasp... makes 225 HP and 300 lb-ft of torque 1993 - Hypeutectic pistons are added. Lighter and less dense than forged, they expand less so the tolerances are tighter. Cuts down oil consumption and helps with emissions. Use too much nitrous and you'll crack these pistons. Old forged pistons were denser, so they had to leave room in the bore for the pistons to expand and those engines with forged pistons naturally consumed more oil . Rated at 205 hp and 275 lb-ft of torque. Same engine power as before, but new rating.
@@Todd.T not true, i had a new 85 mustang gt, and raced several 86 mustang gts, never lost to any of them, but one has to know how to shift, to take advantage of the extra h.p. /and yes, 1982 was the start of the modern muscle car movement.
@@dannyfields2065 Sorry you feel that way bro, but ask how many people would want to lose 20 ft lbs of torque to gain 10 hp. When it comes to |Mustangs you could probably gain 10 hp by loosening the bolts on the lower intake and lining it up with the heads. Every once in a while, someone had a freak car. In my little gang we had one 1984, one 1985 five 1986 GTs and two freak 1989 LXs one trunk one hatch.. Fastest cars stock was one of the 1986 GTs and the 1989 LXs. Too many people fail to allow a smidgen more time for the 2-3 when they are power shifting and kaboom. Other people didn't get a shifter with built in stops and bent the shift forks by forcing it too hard. Had one guy lose a tranny at speed. Flew over some train tracks on the throttle and when he landed, the strain broke the tranny.
@@Todd.T torque is good on the low end, but the extra h.p. will pull you thru the quarter quicker. even the the old mustang magazines from that day, has the 85 quicker than the 86.(stock vs. stock)
@@dannyfields2065 The torque isn't in the low end. If you are used to driving a 1986 GT, like I was and then got into an 1985, you had to shift sooner. It didn't pull as hard Going from each year down, they had less and less up top. You also can't really compare with absolute numbers. You have to compare area under the curve because that tells the real story. A classic example is the Taurus SHO. Big heavy car with 10 hp more and 45lb ft lbs less torque. The area under the curve was huge. Because of it's weight, FWD, transmission gearing, it wasn't going to take out a 1989 LX on the dragstrip, but try it on the highway . You'd walk by an LX and keep going because of the broad power delivery in the area under the curve.. So the peak torque was a build up, not just a small blip. So HP is work being done and tq is twisting force in the engine. The area under the curve is the secret, not the peak numbers.
The Mustang II front end is the foundation of many a modern Hot Rod. My Brother got one new for college graduation I called it the 'gutlass wonder.' But, all I got for graduation was a used '72 Plymouth Valiant. 😀 {PS: Remember the fastest car for '78 was the Dodge Aspen, w/360ci.; it was tops for HP that year too, LOL! And even had a faster 1/4mi time than a smogged Vette for that year.}
Wasn't the fastest north American Vehicle a Dodge pickup because a pickup over 6000 pounds didn't need a CAT! A friend had a Black and Gold 360 dodge Warlock that went like stink!
My Aunt Terry had a 1978 Cobra with a 302 V8.. I was 18 years old and I remember my uncle putting a edelbrook street dominater with a 4 barrel carb. and a dual exhaust with cherry bombs... That car was sweet and was faster than the stock ones
I have enjoyed my custom built 77 cobra mustang ii for 32 years , It is black and silver with deep dish mags. I put a boss mustang hood scoop on it.. I have a built up 302 with my rebuilt original 4 speed! It’s Rocking fun !
Great video. My dad bought a new 1975 Ghia from the Smith Cairnes Dealership in Bronxville New York. I was 9 years old and remember going with him to pick it up. I even remember the new car smell. It was a cool little car and as I grew older, I started appreciating all the Mustangs. I have been a fan and have owned two 1968 and a 91 Mustangs...all with V8s, so dad's little Mustang II started my life time addiction. My sister and I both learned to drive in his car and sadly one day, while she was crossing an intersection, she was t-boned. She recovered, but the car was totalled. We had a lot of good times in that car. Thanks for the video and the flashback in time.
Not everyone liked the Mustang II, but a lot of them were sold. One likely reason is that they entered the show rooms and dealerships in late 1973, by dumb luck just in time for the 1973-74 energy crisis. If you wanted an economical subcompact car that was a bit bigger, fancier, and more stylish than the Ford Pinto this model was a good choice. The reliability was reasonably good, and it was easy to fix with good parts availability. I had one myself, a 1978 model, which I liked a lot until it met an untimely end when someone hit me back in 1992. It handled well, was a pleasure to drive, was reliable, and got decent fuel economy. I also thought it was built quite rugged, as for a car it stood up well to travelling some rough gravel roads in Northern Ontario that would probably have destroyed some more delicate front drive cars. Although newer cars are far better, the Mustang II was reasonably good for its time. Periodically I see one at antique car cruise nights and the nostalgia it brings always draws my attention.
One other thing deserves mention: while the Firebird took its place as one of the last real American performance cars of this era, very few of them were actually shipped with the engine that earned this reputation. Most of the 400s were seriously de-tuned and many more Firebirds were shipped with wimpy 350s and 301s. I guess most buyers were happy enough having the neighbors think they drove fast cars. This way, GM could keep up a veneer of sportiness while still meeting its CAFE numbers.
Great video! I always cringe when "Mustang" fans start dumping on the Mustang II. You're 100% correct, this car saved the Mustang line. And when I was younger a lot of guys modified Mustang II V8 models into killer street and strip cars. In those days we all modified our cars, if we could afford it. Pop the 2 barrel off and put on a manifold with a 4 barrel and headers, do a tune and off to the track. I'd love to get a 75 Ghia with a V8 and make it a sleeper. So easy.
Based only on your comment section, you wrote, ""moved the Mustang into a new direction"....it moved it back to the correct original direction, a sporty fun inexpensive small car for family and individuals, it pleased a wide cross section of America and brought it back to the original Iaccocca concept. And yes, absolutely saved the Mustang from extinction. 100% on the money correct. I love these cars, always have.
I recall groaning seeing the Mustang II. My sister had one that I borrowed for a quick trip and my attitude changed. That car could take corners and curves like nobody's business, and one could take them on with full confidence and loads of fun.
My faves were the 71 to 73,, I took a 78 Mustang Ghia for a drive,,,was a car of it's time,,,that was here in the UK,,,still luv old stateside steel,,great vid,
I remember visiting UK as part of a European trip with my friends in the mid-90s. We were in Scotland, and on one particular road, traffic was backed up. We heard a familiar rumble of a V8, and sure enough, a hot-rodded Mustang II King Cobra was idling up the street. We gave thumbs up to the driver who was next to us since the steering wheel was on the 'wrong side' but he ignored us, lol, trying to act too jaded for recognition.
I had a 1976 cobra II 302 v8 car. Blue with the white stripes seemed less common than the white ones with the blue stripes, bought it for like 500 bucks it wasn't running gave it my best to get it going but it wasn't happening for me either. Bummed to this day I never got to drive it. Ended up getting rid of it. When your young and still learning how much money to spend on a project but still having regular bills to pay I had to throw in the towel . Like mustang cobra II's styling always did.
As I understand it, Dealers couldn't give away the '73 Mustang at the end of its run. Big, heavy and thirsty. The Mustang 2 does appear to have been a success at the time of rising fuel prices and tighter emission standards, and seems to be in keeping with the very first Mustang. I think, like fashion, there's some "what were they thinking!?" Revisionist history going on here.
Dealers had problems selling the 1971 models when they were first released ! I remember our local dealer after seeing the new 1971 mustang he contacted all the other dealers, He collected up every 1970 Fastback he could get ahold of because he thought the 1971 was a flop!
In 1973, Ford sold 134,900 Mustangs. In 1974, they sold 386,000 Mustang IIs. Even though it is seen as the Jan Brady of Ford's pony cars, the Mustang II was wildly popular with '70s buyers. Over the course of it's 55 years in production the Mustang was only offered WITHOUT a V8 option for one year: 1974. As you can see by the production numbers, people at the time didn't care! Ford couldn't have timed that car's introduction any better if they had tried!
My best friend has a King Cobra. His mom bought it new and handed it to him when he turned 14. You could get a license back then at 14 with a hardship. It was a peppy car in the day. He had a 4 barrel and 375 heads put on. It was a beast after that. We spent many nights drag racing. It has been barn kept and covered. Looks almost perfect to this day. Fun Fact...... the 4 bolt pattern wheels will mount right on Honda 4 wheelers. And adds about another 10 mph on the road.😃
My first car was a 76 mustang ii with the 302 and four on the floor. I wore the first clutch out chirping the tires too much. New clutch pressure plate and throw out bearing put in. Took it out on the highway when no one was around. Popped the clutch from 3rd to 4th at 80 mph and chirped the rear tires. These may not of had great power like earlier ir later cars but with a 4 speed and the 302 you could get some performance out of them. More power and i probably would have gotten in more trouble or killed myself. Always wanted to take the cats off and see how much power was gained. It was a fun car and got me places.
The '74 -'78 Mustang II WAS a modified Pinto. They crushed easily in crashes and had the same gas tank problem next to the rear bumper. The 302 V8 was jammed under the hood so that some spark plugs could not be changed unless the engine was moved not forgetting how fast they rusted into worthlessness. What a disaster!
I love the Ford Mustang II, I have a 1977 Ford Mustang Cobra II which I am in the process or restoring, this has been my dream car ever since Ford put this car on the market.
Thank you for helping me to appreciate the car the Mustang of today and the Mustangs of the 60s are so beautiful. I’m thankful for its survival. Look what happened to the GTO in modern years.
They were decent cars but absolutely NO weight in the back made them horrible to hook up. We put an aftermarket rear end in a friends car which weight 200lbs more than stock and that made a big difference in the rear end weight issue, plus it (the new diff and axle) had a 3.50 gear in it.
Phenomenal video as usual. It's funny you brought this one out because I saw the one on the Maverick. it almost took the Mustang out completely ,Ford got real nervous and basically threw the Maverick under the bus.
My great grandfather had a 76 Maverick with the 200 CID engine and 3 spd auto. It looked and performed a lot better than most base model mustangs plus it was roomier.
The timeline on that Maverick video is so off. I called the person who did the video on his information and how he came up with his conclusion. He blocked all comments shortly thereafter. The Maverick was never a threat to the Mustang ever. They were reaching for two completely different audiences. The Maverick had nothing to do with saving Ford anything as far as any gas crisis like he had suggested. Maverick was introduced in 1969 as a 1970 model. Three full years before any sign of a gas shortage. When Ford made the decision to shrink the Mustang, that had nothing to do with a gas crisis either. The first sign of trouble with OPEC was in October 1973. That was a monthr after the Mustang ll was introduced. The reason Ford downsized had more to do with shrinking sales of pony cars which started when insurance companies started rising rates in 1971 to heights never seen before for all muscle cars. Plus the public's taste in cars in general was changing to personal luxury cars. I.E. Chevrolet Monte Carlo, Pontiac Grand Prix, Buick Riviera, Oldsmobile Toronado, Ford Thunderbird etc. This is why by 1974 the Dodge Challenger and Plymouth Barracuda as well as AMC Javelin had all disappeared. Market forces. You can say gas crisis, but the three cars previously mentioned were already spiraling down hill in sales. The gas crisis was just the final nail in the coffin. GM had even considered letting the Camaro and Firebird go starting in 1975 because they initially didnt want to have to certify these models for the use of catalytic converters. Maverick guy needs to check his facts as well as timelines. He is literally rewriting history.
Interesting point about the personal luxury cars...most pony cars had a luxury option (like the Mustang Grande, Challenger SE, etc) that consumers could consider a rival/replacement of the more expensive personal luxury cars. Some even advertised the luxury version of the Mustang (early GT, etc) as a "baby Thunderbird", though the T'bird would have more luxury options to choose from.
@@rickloera9468 You're right that there wasn't much sense of "crisis" during the time the "II" was being developed, but there was a general anxiety about the fuel situation going back to the Suez crisis of 1956, which threw a scare into Detroit, though it had only a minor effect on USA gasoline prices (due to a ban on imported oil and an agreement with the Texas Railroad Commission to pump oil a maximum capacity). Detroit downsized a number of models in the late 1950s and early '60s, but gave up on it when buyers sneered. But the 1967 6 day war was another wakeup call and the decline in USA output starting in 1971 was yet another. Most people in Detroit knew that downsizing was coming; it was just a question of when. PS: I should add that the first oil supply panic was in the 1920s, when Herbert Hover banned new oil leases to conserve US reserves and GM briefly called for a ban on 6 and 8 cylinder cars. That ended when Texas discovered huge new reserves in 1932.
These were really popular. You saw them everywhere, but the two-door coupe in luxury trim, the Ghia, was the most popular. I really don't even think of them as being in the performance car category like the original Mustangs but as part of the 1970s subcompact category. As car enthusiasts tend to, you focus here on the performance models, but the luxury trim models were overwhelmingly more popular at the time. I remember a "silver group" option being popular, with silver paint and "cranberry" crushed velour interior, plus the then-requisite landau roof, standup hood ornament, and opera windows. As you mention, after the early seventies, performance cars just weren't that popular anymore.
Mine was a red ‘78 King Cobra 302/4sp (no T-top.) It got replaced by a ‘77 T/A with the Pontiac 400/3sp auto (also no T-top.) I actually still like the look of these Mustangs, though they’re not my favorites. The T/A was IMHO a better car overall, with significantly better performance and handling. Both were a fun ride, each in their own way.
Best channel on RUclips. Crazy how fast your starting to grow. A lot of hard work went into that so thank you. Been around since 8k subs and you never have missed a beat!
Good for you, man! I don't think I have heard *any* respectful ratings of Mustang II besides yours, and dang it the car sold well and served well. I think you're right that this compact era saved Mustang to fight another day.
Actually, these were a pretty decent car for the day. It's one of those cars of which a ga-zillion were sold and yet you never see one today. They went decal happy on the Cobra models. One had to be really careful in a car wash or the water stream would peel them off. FORD dealers went nearly insane dealing with decal issues. Oh...and this is also when they started using acrylic paint which was very brittle. If there was a chip, the car wash would take off the paint along with the decal. Oh wow...those were the good ol days alright!!
Just a quick clarification.....first gen Mustang is considered to include 1964 to 73 models...even though the car was heavily restyled and grew substantially during those years. The original Mustang was based on the Falcon...you mentioned the '73 models being based on the Torino. Did they switch platforms during the 70 to 73 years? I believe the Falcon grew in size as well....and eventually became the Torino and moved upmarket as the Maverick was introduced. Otherwise, a great presentation and being alive during the 70s, I do remember when these cars were introduced and even had a couple of MPC 1/25 scale models of them.....eventually as I started driving in the 80s, they were a popular first car for the new teen driver....couldn't get in too much trouble with them given the tepid power output. They do deserve some accolades for keeping the Mustang going. Remember, Ford was going to replace the Fox Bodied Mustang with what became the Ford Probe in 1988...but the Fox platform soldiered on to 2004. Given the adoption of safety standards, emission controls, rising fuel prices the car was the best it could be for the time. GM did have a direct competitor for the Mustang II, the Vega based Chevy Monza. While the larger F-Bodies were kept in production to '81, the Monza and kin were more of a direct competitor offering similar power plants (actually they were supposed to use a Rotary engine which was going to be shared with the AMC Pacer). Indeed, the 70s were an interesting time in automotive history and I as a car buff breathed a sigh of release when performance made a comeback in the 80s.
Own new in '74. I bought the top of line model. It was a very good automobile. All the options of the day and air conditioning...Today, little old to own a Mustang.... Cadillac CTS...But I do have Fon memories of the '74 automobile! Thank you
bill thompson but he had a 76 Monte Carlo, I think it had 140 horsepower. Another friend had a 68 Nova with a 6 cylinder, I think that had 135 horsepower. They were always (slow) racing each other ,it was a hoot.
bill thompson It was fun , we missed the real musclecar era as we were teens in the late 80s, but we saw some of the old stuff still around, but not too many of us kids had the good stuff. That nova of my buddies was pretty clean, the monte was a rat. My buddy with the monte could drive , I was surprised at the handling of that boat. it did darn good in smooth corners.
Bet you had to see a chiropractor afterward. My 66 New Yorker has seen several gals given the meat missile on it's seats. They are big enough to be considered a full size bed. A 77 mustang would have been challenging.
@@johnkirby6700 - I used to bang my girlfriends in my 89 CRX. Those seats would move back so far that it was actually comfortable doin my gf's in the right seat. That poor passenger seat was a friggin mess. Broads never complained about the jizz stains though....
In 84,we had a 74 Mustang II Mach I. V6, 4 speed. What a great little car. Fun to drive and just enough power to have fun. Love to have another one, Mach I or Ghia.
n reality the Mustang II returned to its roots. The first model was adapted to a compact model, and so was this one. The only difference was the lack of a performance V-8 engine. The huge previous model would not sell during the gas shortage.
D. Paul Gladstone What's also mentionable is that the Mustang did not start as a Muscle car or a car with high performance the biggest engine in a mustang in 1964 only made a respectful 271 horsepower the point of the Mustang was to be a car under 2500 pounds and under 2500 dollars and to be a sports car.
Just bought a 1978 Mustang II HATCHBACK FASTBACK. The interior was completely redone custom already, when I bought it. Front and back. Only has 74,000 miles on it and already has a modern radio put in it. Got to say… I love it. Body and underbody is completely solid all the way through. Apparently was rescued from 20 years of storage and had a new transmission put in it. Has the 302.
Thank you for the upload! I've been asking for this for months!!! I love my 1978 King Cobra and am glad to see that they are starting to get the respect they deserve
I had a chance to buy a 78 King Cobra about 15 years ago. California car had the 4-Speed. Guy wanted $3K :) I didn't have the money. Plus almost no way to add power to those years in CA with the smog laws as they were.
I had a 74 Mustang that I bought new and I loved it! It was a basic 4 speed, 4 cylinder engine, red with a black interior and no power options, and no radio! I had to keep it cheap since I wasn't making a lot of money at the time. I had a lot of good years with that car but after the drive shaft fell off due to a lot of rust, I decided I just couldn't afford the repairs anymore. I still miss it though!
My dad bought one of the first 74's new in the fall of 1073. It was the coupe (not Ghia) with a blue vinyl top and white body. The 2.8 litre v6 with a 4-speed. He gave it to me in 1979 with 84,000 miles on it when I changed jobs and no longer had a company car (remember those days for sales people?). I ran it up to 150K miles over the next 4 years before selling it (the rear axle seal started leaking). Loved that car. The V6 was from Ford's german division and it was solid, and surprisingly torquey. The rack and pinion steering was amazingly precise, and the A/C was always ice cold...never needed a charge. The only problem was the synchros on the 4-speed were dicey with many a grind when you least expected it, but the clutch and tranny hung in until the end. Very sturdy and very reliable overall. Never let me down. It needed a 5th gear badly....high revs at freeway speed.
I know it's 'wrong', but I've always *loved* the look of these. I can't even truly justify it to myself beyond an inherent love of the underdog, but if funds were unlimited, I'd have one of these (albeit somewhat tweaked) in a heartbeat. Excellent video, thanks! :)
Bravo!!!! Thank you for this video in particular, everyone is so afraid to say something positive about the mustang 2, I've never understood why the very "hardcore" mustang fans always talked bad about the mustang 2 it's still a mustang. I recently was able to sit in one for the first at my local junk yard and I have to say I'm 6 feet tall and I was very comfortable in it, had u the money I would have saved it from the yard. Thank you mustang II.
Even if they hadn't downsized the Mustang II, it still would've had poor performance. Everything did. As a general rule, if people only care about performance, they ignore just about anything made after '71 or so. One would think that, with how easy it is to modify the 302, these would've been popular cars to modify both then and now. Unfortunately, they've seemingly fallen to the wayside, which is a bit of a shame, because they weren't the worst looking and driving cars of the 1970s.
At that time, there wasn't a whole lot of interest in modifying the 302. There was nowhere near as much aftermarket support for them as there is today. The small block Chevy was the darling of the performance aftermarket. Even the 429/460 was basically ignored by the aftermarket back then.The 351 Cleveland and the FE engines seemed to be the preferred hot rodding choice of Ford enthusiasts back then, although a lot of 289's did get modified.
manoman0 total lack of power compared to the camaro or trans am/firebird, the downsizing and use of the pinto as a start point in engineering didn’t help.
Yeah, true, but it was easy to beef up the engine. I personally find this Mustang good looking and designwise close to the first one, powerwise, yeah, underwhelming but let's not forget the Camaro with the Iron Duke and its roughly 90 hp!
@@eddiebowens1919 Ok so in 1984 and beyond the grand national never looked back. Your 82 5.0 was a joke. The 5.0 wouldn't get "fast" until 86,87. Still far from fast.
Seriously, you are the only person on the planet that can make me genuinely love my most hated cars. Keep it up! My dream garage keeps getting bigger and bigger.
In late summer of '77 I purchased a '76 Mustang II. It was fun to drive (for a 16 y.o. at the time), it got me to and from school near downtown CLE, and it was relatively easy on the pocket (granted, we were paying somethin like $0.50/gallon back then). In fall of '79 I upgraded to a '79 Camaro (Berlinetta). To this day I still like the look of the II and wouldn't mind finding one and "upgrading" it.
![Megan Thee Stallion - Roc Steady (feat. Flo Milli) [Official Video]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/HozPPyqW0dY/mqdefault.jpg)
They did look good with Farrah Fawcett sitting on the hood .
Wonder what that would cost if it was offered as an option?
You really took my word out of my mouth... I fell in love with this particular model after watching Farrah (Jill Monroe) drives it in Charlie's Angels
To be honest Farrah as all the angels were beautiful women, Farahs passing was sad indeed, her bravery and courage alone, but Jaqueline Smith was always the girl that put a curl in my toe, I remember googling her after this vid and she ( as do I ) still look the same after all the decades
I’m sure i would have looked good as well with Farrah Fawcett sitting on me…..
Was that a car in the picture?
You forgot to add it was voted *Car of the Year* in 1974. Dealers couldn't get enough of them. Most here in the Detroit area were getting well over sticker price for them. It saved Ford during the energy crisis of 1973 -74.
The 71-73 Mustang was bad, and Ford was in competition with itself with that model with Torino, Thunderbird, and even the Maverick. The 74 mustang was perfect, and when the Fox platform came out in 79, they hit a grand slam.
This is a very good piece on a very underrated car. Most of the people who bad-rap the Mustang II weren't around during the, "energy crisis," and can't or won't understand why it was built. It was an almost perfect car for someone who wanted a sporty, good-looking car but needed something with good gas milage! I was there during the, "energy crisis." Waiting in a line for an hour, if you were lucky enough to find an open gas station, and only being able to buy 5 gallons of gas was so much fun! Big-block Mustangs with thirsty 4-barrels stayed in the garage and Mustang II's got driven.
Back in 1974 my buddy, the son of a wealthy family, was given a new 74 Mustang II for his 16th birthday.
It was the top Ghia model with the V6. White with tan leather seats.
We had a lot of adventures in that car.
Another great video. Those Mustang 2s were everywhere when I was a kid in the '70s.
I'm a GM man but I got to admit that those were great cars. I had a 1977 Mustang II with the 302/auto and wow that little car was strong! Many a Camaro and Trans Am got beat by me and that little Mustang. She came with a 2 barrel carb, I swapped out the 2 barrel setup and bought an Edelbrock 4 barrel intake and Carter 500 CFM carb and a dual exhaust and that really woke her up! Drifting wasn't heard of back then in the 1980s but that little beast could drift with ease... wish I still had that little car!
Thank you for making a very good story and not ragging on this car. Best channel!
A friend and I built a 1977 Mustang II Cobra back in 1996. It had a blown 302 V8. We put a 351w built for a Van with a wheelchair lift. The engine was too powerful for the van. So we bought the car to put the engine into. Scary fast. Almost uncontrollable. But it put a smile on our faces. How we ever survived to tell the story of it is inconceivable....
My wife loves my 2005 Mustang convertible. When I found a functioning 1976 Mustang ghia, I spent 8 months in secrecy to restore it. After an interior replacement and a new powder blue paint job, I revealed it to her. Now, it's her favorite mustang in the world. The history of this ghia has made her proud to own a unique piece of history. Sadly, I did lie when I told her the overall cost to restore it though. No matter.
Just curious, did you tell her it was more or less than it cost?
Danny, if you are 65 yrs old you might feel that getting away from the Torino Mustang land yacht was a good idea.
We have a '71 Cleveland fastback that has an honest 300 hp. Weekend show car/ daily driver.
@@erictalkington5674 my guess is that it cost a small fortune to restore.
@Harry. B. Renner. jr. extremely fast huh... I suppose if one lived in a village with no other cars you could make that claim and be true. ;-)
Haidaichi Oda....How do you keep something like that a secret from your wife? Tell me your secret.
Back in the day, my best friend had a silver Mustang II with the black vinyl roof. It had the V8, auto, and a cassette deck. Many a night spent riding, drinking beer, and listening to Rush, BTO, Foreigner... good times.
Very cool I did the same thing I had a 78 Cobra and the 79 pace car pace car was pretty wicked first American car to have low profile tires I believe from 79 to 82 nobody could out handle that car even the Corvettes. Like you said ACDC Rush Foreigner I would not forget Van Halen.
So you guys were fans of Limbaugh way back in the day, huh?
LES
I think they were talking about the Canadian Rush rather than the American one.
Jim Wrenn
No Pink Floyd, Bad Company, Grand Funk Railroad, Aerosmith, or Led Zeppelin? No Heart, Doobie Brothers, Blue Oyster Cult, Head East, or Chicago?? No America, Alice Cooper, Nazareth, Seals and Crofts, or The Guess Who???
@@jeffreyisaacs5243 LOL ....... the 10th anniversary 79 T/A I drove until the mid 80's would have dusted you like a broom.............
I bought a 76 Cobra II Mustang new back in 76, blue with white stripes. It was a good looking car, good quality build, fun to drive, handled well, nice interior, and got good mileage, which was important back then when gas prices were rising, and you're young and don't have a lot of money. I had fun with it and in it, so no complaints from me.
The new Mustangs have amazing horsepower. My son bought one last year. He asked me what I thought of it, compared to my 1971 Mustang. I said, my 71 couldn't hold a candle to this one. Not even close. It's amazing how far they have come.
Thank you for this video. I have been guilty of treating the Mustang 2 like the step child for a long time. I grew up with this car and remember being disappointed with the advent of the Fox body Mustang. Little did I know I would own one years later and have enjoyed my Fox body for over twenty seven years. Long live the Mustang.
There was a guy in my sisters class in high school who had a Cobra II back in the late 80's. I remember him burning rubber up the street with it blasting Judas Priest on his stereo, haha. Then one of my friend's mom had a mustang II hatchback, lots of memories as a little kid going to Dairy Queen, A&W, and the local drive in theater in that car in the early 80's.
I read Dairy Queen, and thought Mustang King Cobra, then of Kurt Russell's intro in Guardians of the Galaxy.
Showing my age here, but my girlfriend in high school had a Mustang ll. The Ghia version with a 2.3 and vinyl landau top. It was a great car. And since, I've owned several Mustang GTs. I wish I could find a restored example of the last year Mach l. Thank you for this video.
I worked for a subsidiary of FoMoCo when the Mustang II was around and had ascended to a supervisory role, which gave me the Executive Lease Car perk. My second Lease Car was a '78 Mustang II fastback. Because I couldn't get a V8/4 speed combo in CA at the time, I opted for the 2.6L V6 with a 4 speed. The car was Raven Black with a screaming red vinyl interior. I ordered it with the slot mags and the white letter tires and the crowning glory, T-tops! Because of the T-tops it had a sort of crown Victoria bar at the B pillar location. That little car was a real PR investment for Ford. I got more comments and eye ball directed to me about that car than any other of the seven Lease Cars I had while with Ford. I've gone through a lot of exciting cars in my life and still have three very "stimulating" vehicles ('69 Mustang convertible, '95 Bronco XLT and '09 Corvette), but I will always remember the little Mustang II with fondness.
Always been a Mopar guy primarily, but I have had a ‘73 and a ‘75 Mustang. Loved ‘em both. Great video with some nice info. Thanks for always being a fantastic channel!
Bought one of these (a 75 4 speed manual with 302) for about $500 in the early nineties. Went down to JEGS and bought stainless headers and straight piping, threw the cat away, and put a four barrel Holley on it. It was like a night and day difference. My brother had an 87 GT 5.0 HO and it could not hang with mine until he put a new exhaust and cam on it. A lot of people don't realize that while most cars were detuned somewhat in the 70s, the horsepower difference wasn't as great as it would seem. Horsepower went from being measured in gross to measured in net, and all of the sudden "300 hp" in 71 went down to "220 hp" in 72. No real difference in performance, just measured differently. Then the emissions laws went into effect, unleaded gas became the norm, and 175 hp was about as good as you could buy. But anyone with any sort of mechanical ingenuity could double that number with some cams, carb and exhaust work. The early eighties were the "real" malaise era in my opinion.
I had a '78 Cobra 2, black and red with a 302 V8 and I loved that car. I put over 150,000 miles on it before it goes up but all it was doing was leaking oil and when I started to put new gaskets in it, I decided to rebuild the engine, but this didn't work out so I traded for what I thought was a 289 but it turned out to be a 260 V8. But I made it work and it ran good until a van t- boned me in the side and totaled the car, but all the cars I've had over the years that's the one I miss the most.
when I was a kid I wanted a king cobra but when you're a 90's kid it's more a unachievable dream specially for a car that was almost 20years old
Anthony Grider I bet the 260 made your Mustang pretty fun to drive. Just guessing, but I bet it was a pretty good match for that era Mustang. It had to be better than the original motor.
Anthony Grider my 78 cobra 2 was white with red strips, loved that car, drove it till the water got in the oil.
I wish I had put my Cobra2 in a shed or something and still have it now. I wish I could find one in good shape but thats hard to find now. Even tho some don't like them I loved mine and wish I had it back. It was small enough that you can park it just about any where and when you got it running good it was hard to beat. If I had the money I would have a bunch of them right now.
Are you the guy that spun out in front of asleep at the wheel in 1981? Man I miss that Dodge hippy wagon, it was a beauty!
BRAVO TO YOU, standing up for Mustang II !
Why no mention of Charlie's Angels? Their use of the Mustang II was as much an effective promotional tool as the Rockford Files and the Bandit were for the Firebird.
bigcrowfly ...yeah, I remember Farrah Fawcett sprawled across the hood of that little blue striped Mustang II “Cobra” fastback and made that poorly designed and severely underpowered car look “desirable...”
Two Black Labs Farrah made anything look great especially the Mustang Cobra II and lets not forget about Cheryl Ladd who made the car look spectacular. Jacyln Smith also donned a beige Ghia in the show which sadly got blown up twice during the shows run but i always remember her in the Ghia as i recall the nightmares of my Mustang II Ghia.
bigcrowfly, Not sure about The Rockford Files, but you are either overestimating Charlie's Angels or underestimating Smokey and the Bandit.
Milk Manson RIP Burt Reynolds 1936-2018.
amen
I loved my 1978 302, 4spd, white with black and gold interior and gold pinstripe graphics, T-Tops. Loved, loved that car.
My first car was a 1974 Mustang II Mach 1. Purchased in 1982 and I still have it. All stock except I did put 15" tires and wheels on it and replaced small rear end with better 8.8" from later year.
1974 is the only year of the Mustang that a V8 engine was not an option. Thanks for the video
I would love to see it
FYI...."A wheel" includes the tire AND the rim. And the change in 1974 was a terrible mistake by Ford....look it up. Take it to the scrap yard and make a few bucks....the only way you can at this point!
Had a white '76 4cyl automatic fastback that was purchased in '94 to get me through my last two years of high school. It hadn't been maintained over the years and was in pretty rough shape, but it never let me down. Some pretty great memories were made in that car, which is about the only reason it's probably still my favorite car ever owned. Sold it as-is for a couple hundred bucks when I went to college (almost 24 years ago). I've always thought I might one day purchase another neglected one and show it some love. Well...I was in my old neighborhood a couple of weeks ago and I'm pretty sure I spotted MY fastback parked in a back yard about a mile from my old house and I can't stop thinking about it!! Not sure what condition it's in (or if it even runs), but I'm pretty sure I've gotta make them an offer for it. Gonna be tough to hide my excitement if it really is my old car, but (for the sake of the deal) I'm planning to lead with, "Ya sellin' that old Pinto back there?". If I do manage to snatch it up, I'm pretty sure this will prove to be the best bad idea I've had in a very long time!! Wish me luck.
My dad bought me a 74 in 1980 when I was 16. Even though I had tons of fun in that car, I think it stayed in the shop more than it ran. It was a cute car for its time.
Zcarlover nice car it was only six years old when you got it what color was it
My first car was a 1974 fastback. I wish I still had it.
Thanks for the video
The Mustang II is insane. It was mistaken for a Pinto because it was so small. A small investment in aftermarket pieces made it an Austin Healy with 300 hp. The most underrated Pony car.
As far as I know its chassis was based on that of the pinto.
I remember racing a Cobra II at the 1/4 mile track when I was in my high school days. I was in an '85 TPI Trans Am. Spanked that thing by about a 1/3 of the track, lol. But Ford did sell a lot of them, so there's something to be said for that. Maybe it did keep the brand alive. Fast forward to 2003, and Ford was about to unveil an awesome retro Mustang, while GM let the Trans Am (and later all of Pontiac) just completely die. So who wins in the end?
Jesse Pinkman too bad about Pontiac. :-(
But TPI was great for that times, torque monstar of the 80’s. I have 350 engine with vortec heads and LT4 cam with TPI ready for installation for my 88 Trans Am. I can’t wait to try it! :-)
Had a 1978 Mustang II with the V6 and 4 speed manual. As well as a 1979 Fox body mustang with the 4 cylinder and automatic. Good times. 😁
My first car at 17 was 1978 mustang II ghia. I worked at a Ford dealership bodyshop. Co workers called it a pinto with a mustang package. Lol this was in 1985
The best fox mustang were 1986-1992 5.0 HO 5spd specially the notchback Coupes , we have so much aftermarket support now days that you can make these 225hp reach close to 400hp with under 5k
@@zzygyy I posted above that in '86, I had a '79 Fairmont with the 302, and beat a classmate who had a '7X Mustang II with the 2.8 in a short street race. Good, albeit, slow, times back then, LOL.
A friend of mine had a 1978 Mustang V6 4-speed. It was so slow , the chicks would laugh at us.
You left out the most important part about the Mustang II, Iacocca wanted to bring the mustang back to its roots as a small pony car fit for the times, as the 64 was when it debuted. The mid 70's was just a crappy "time" to design a car for.
I loved the 71-73 Mustang and when these hit the streets I scoffed at the dinky 13" rims and it's dinky size. I bought the 1979 Fox body Mustang and though it was only a bit larger than the II it looked a bit more substantial. I now have softened my view of the II in the sportier trim. It looks more like a mustang than my 79.
A good friend of mine bought a brand new 1979 Mustang with 302 ad TRX suspension. It was like nothing else on the road at the time other than a W72 Trans Am. Of course we removed the 2bbl strangler carb and replaced it with a performer intan a 600cfm Holley...it was a very good all around performing car, much better than my 79 Z28 with a 4 speed. With the holley 4 barrel the 302 did not fall flat on its face at 3700rpm like the chevy did. The 1979 "5.0" as they would call it was very close to the 1971 for 302 other than a little less compression and a lot less breathing ability due to the carb. I would say even the 1979 302 rated at 140hp was much closer to 210(net) once the 4 barrel was in place.
richarris1111 finally someone noticed! Yes the Duces were under powered, but they still had Mustang style that the 71-73 and the Foxes lacked. Though I’m not gonna lie, I’d have a hard time deciding between the style of a 78 and the performance of the 79.
@@chadkimmel8957 The difference could be fixed in a bout 3 hours in the garage
The Mustang II owed its existence more to the slow sales of the overgrown '71-73 models and to Lee Iacocca's bias in favor of small, cheap cars than to the impending oil embargo, which few in Detroit anticipated. There was a consensus that cars in general had to get smaller (GM planned their smaller '77 full-sized models in 1972), but not much urgency about it. Ford was lucky to have one of the hottest-selling cars during a difficult year, but they were still adding bulk to their larger models to keep up with bumper and safety regulations. I agree that the "II" got a bad rap; it, like the Granada, had a much nicer interior than its competitors and I never understood why is was considered ugly by so many. It did however, have one flaw that kept it from getting much respect: the wheelbase was too short to support a V8 without serious handling compromises (as well as awkward proportions) and the Cologne V6, which would have been a nice compromise engine, had a reputation for poor reliability in its early years. So buyers were stuck choosing between a no-performance 4, an unreliable V6 or a V8 which made the car nose-heavy and started out (in the converter-less 1975 models) with awful mileage for a car this size. None of this was pretty, but it was typical of the perfect storm that hit the auto industry in these years.
Finally Someone that talks about the 1973-1978 mustangs only true car Enthusiast will appreciate any car from any era even the post muscle car wars. The 1974 mustang was the 6 best selling Mustang tell me how many Cars from the muscle car years kept going after 1974? And still exist today only the Mustang was kept alive not killed of brought back killed of brought back you earned a new subscriber.
Definitely gotta respect a real car enthusiast dont matter what the brand is just speed and metal baby lol but i feel the boss 302 was the true mustang of the 70's the cobra 2 was a beautiful car just didnt have that i serious look like the 302 did
charger master this has to be the uglyest mustang yet
Car Lover mk2 Still looked like a 1960s Mustang then The 1979-1993 Fox body Mustangs.
charger master a mustang shaped pinto doesn’t get credit for being a mustang. Sorry, nice try though
The original mustang was a pretty Falcon, the 1974 was a pretty Pinto. The 1979 was a pretty Fairmont.
Love or hate it, this car served its purpose and the sales numbers showed that.
Lee Iacocca thought the Mustang had become bloated and lost its focus, so he wanted to reset it to its 1964-1966 roots.
The 64-66 was an affordable small but sporty looking car that young people could buy that was more fun than the economy car on which it was based.
The Mustang II certainly accomplished this reset effectively.
The fact that it was released at the same time as the gas crisis was a "happy accident", making it the right car at the right time.
Tim Moses exactly.
The Mustang II left behind the front end geometry/parts for any hot rod project that required one. So it wasn't a total design flaw.
They were also very small and very light. you can put in a fire breathing 302 or a stroker based on the ford 302 and have a real nice package. of course after doing the brake, driveline, suspension and tire upgrades needed.
Didn't have to add a Mustang II front suspension... it already had one!
@@Bigdog302V8 thats right bigget 14 or 15 inch tires
@@omartorres5688 No room under the standard Mustang II fenders for big tires, enter the Monroe Handler Mustang II.
@@glenn1035 not even for 14X7 with HR60's ?so those with the big wheels were especially modified
My parents had a 77 Mustang II 2.3 4cyl 4spd hatchback in the 80s to go along with our 64.5 k-code Mustang 4spd. Obviously as a kid I always wanted to go in the "fast" one lol. The only time that II came in handy was when my mom was lost and turned into a 1 lane golf course on a rainy night in the 64.5. We proceeded to follow other tire tracks into the muddy grass, big mistake. In a couple mins we were stuck and digging down. So of course no phones meant 7yr old me and my mom walked about 45-1hr. Got my dad the II, and a big chain. Drove back and due to its lack of power, it saved the day. It had straight traction in the rain while chained to the 64.5. It was probably a bad night for both those clutches though. Lol.
Like the 78 King cobra with the T-Tops. I think those T-Tops look cool when their off.
And they leaked like a sieve when on! You apparently were lucky! Pretty much every car I rode in, from all manufacturers, with T tops eventually leaked. I discovered that by using a product called 'liquid rubber' along all the seals, effectively stopped those leaks.
140 hp 5.0 V8?
My first car was a 1975 Mustang Ghia v8. I put 14" 60 series tires on all four corners. The car handled awesome! I wanted to put a 90's 5.0 in it but I lost my license for too many tickets and sold it.
You have to fast forward to 1985 to get the 210 hp 300 lb-ft torque 4 barrel carb Mustang GT that restored the Mustang to full muscle car glory.
No. The Mustang did not get 300 ft lb of torque until 1987. The 210 hp, roller cammed 1985 Mustang GT only had 265 ft lbs of torque. The 1986 Mustang came out and all the old gear heads removed the fuel injection because the car was now rated for 200 hp but they disregarded the 20 ft lbs of torque increase to 285 ft lbs. Stock for stock, a 1986 GT would spank a carbureted 1985 GT.
1982 - "The BOSS is back" 157 hp and 240 lb-ft of torque
1983 - a four barrel 600 cfm carb and new intake makes 175 hp and 245 lb-ft of torque
1984 - see 1983 specs
1985 - Roller cam block and full stainless true dual exhaust with tube headers 210 hp and 265 lb-ft of torque
1986 - Fuel injection added and crappy heads you can't port but 200 hp and 285 lb of torque
1987 - 85 style heads, larger throttle body and intake makes 225 HP and 300 lb-ft of torque.
1988 - see 1987
1989 - mass airflow sensor added makes very good throttle response and car operates better in different temperatures and air densities. Cam specs are slightly more aggressive. This year produced the most freakishly fast Mustangs ever. Rated 225 HP and 300 lb-ft of torque
1990 - Cam specs calmed down to quell valvetrain noises. Intake manifold is not as smooth inside as Ford stop using precision media and changed to sand media for casting. Rated 225 HP and 300 lb-ft of torque
1991 - see 1990
1992 - The last forged gasp... makes 225 HP and 300 lb-ft of torque
1993 - Hypeutectic pistons are added. Lighter and less dense than forged, they expand less so the tolerances are tighter. Cuts down oil consumption and helps with emissions. Use too much nitrous and you'll crack these pistons. Old forged pistons were denser, so they had to leave room in the bore for the pistons to expand and those engines with forged pistons naturally consumed more oil . Rated at 205 hp and 275 lb-ft of torque. Same engine power as before, but new rating.
@@Todd.T not true, i had a new 85 mustang gt, and raced several 86 mustang gts, never lost to any of them, but one has to know how to shift, to take advantage of the extra h.p. /and yes, 1982 was the start of the modern muscle car movement.
@@dannyfields2065 Sorry you feel that way bro, but ask how many people would want to lose 20 ft lbs of torque to gain 10 hp. When it comes to |Mustangs you could probably gain 10 hp by loosening the bolts on the lower intake and lining it up with the heads. Every once in a while, someone had a freak car. In my little gang we had one 1984, one 1985 five 1986 GTs and two freak 1989 LXs one trunk one hatch.. Fastest cars stock was one of the 1986 GTs and the 1989 LXs.
Too many people fail to allow a smidgen more time for the 2-3 when they are power shifting and kaboom. Other people didn't get a shifter with built in stops and bent the shift forks by forcing it too hard. Had one guy lose a tranny at speed. Flew over some train tracks on the throttle and when he landed, the strain broke the tranny.
@@Todd.T torque is good on the low end, but the extra h.p. will pull you thru the quarter quicker. even the the old mustang magazines from that day, has the 85 quicker than the 86.(stock vs. stock)
@@dannyfields2065 The torque isn't in the low end. If you are used to driving a 1986 GT, like I was and then got into an 1985, you had to shift sooner. It didn't pull as hard Going from each year down, they had less and less up top.
You also can't really compare with absolute numbers. You have to compare area under the curve because that tells the real story. A classic example is the Taurus SHO. Big heavy car with 10 hp more and 45lb ft lbs less torque. The area under the curve was huge. Because of it's weight, FWD, transmission gearing, it wasn't going to take out a 1989 LX on the dragstrip, but try it on the highway . You'd walk by an LX and keep going because of the broad power delivery in the area under the curve..
So the peak torque was a build up, not just a small blip. So HP is work being done and tq is twisting force in the engine. The area under the curve is the secret, not the peak numbers.
Thanks for the video. I once owned a brand new 74 Mustang II Mach I and loved it. This brings back some good memories.
I loved my 74 Mustang II. 4 speed w rack-in pinion steering. the 2.3L moved that car very well. Great car.
The Mustang II front end is the foundation of many a modern Hot Rod. My Brother got one new for college graduation I called it the 'gutlass wonder.' But, all I got for graduation was a used '72 Plymouth Valiant. 😀 {PS: Remember the fastest car for '78 was the Dodge Aspen, w/360ci.; it was tops for HP that year too, LOL! And even had a faster 1/4mi time than a smogged Vette for that year.}
also the fastest vehicle for 1978 was the Dodge Lil Red Express.
Wasn't the fastest north American Vehicle a Dodge pickup because a pickup over 6000 pounds didn't need a CAT! A friend had a Black and Gold 360 dodge Warlock that went like stink!
My first car was a '76 Mustang II.
It had a 0-60 of sometime, and I loved that thing.
I really enjoyed this video. Owned two '78's a wonderful Mach1 and a hardtop they were both fun and reliable stil miss both of them.
My Aunt Terry had a 1978 Cobra with a 302 V8.. I was 18 years old and I remember my uncle putting a edelbrook street dominater with a 4 barrel carb. and a dual exhaust with cherry bombs... That car was sweet and was faster than the stock ones
I have enjoyed my custom built 77 cobra mustang ii for 32 years , It is black and silver with deep dish mags. I put a boss mustang hood scoop on it.. I have a built up 302 with my rebuilt original 4 speed! It’s Rocking fun !
Great video. My dad bought a new 1975 Ghia from the Smith Cairnes Dealership in Bronxville New York. I was 9 years old and remember going with him to pick it up. I even remember the new car smell. It was a cool little car and as I grew older, I started appreciating all the Mustangs. I have been a fan and have owned two 1968 and a 91 Mustangs...all with V8s, so dad's little Mustang II started my life time addiction. My sister and I both learned to drive in his car and sadly one day, while she was crossing an intersection, she was t-boned. She recovered, but the car was totalled. We had a lot of good times in that car. Thanks for the video and the flashback in time.
Not everyone liked the Mustang II, but a lot of them were sold. One likely reason is that they entered the show rooms and dealerships in late 1973, by dumb luck just in time for the 1973-74 energy crisis. If you wanted an economical subcompact car that was a bit bigger, fancier, and more stylish than the Ford Pinto this model was a good choice. The reliability was reasonably good, and it was easy to fix with good parts availability.
I had one myself, a 1978 model, which I liked a lot until it met an untimely end when someone hit me back in 1992. It handled well, was a pleasure to drive, was reliable, and got decent fuel economy. I also thought it was built quite rugged, as for a car it stood up well to travelling some rough gravel roads in Northern Ontario that would probably have destroyed some more delicate front drive cars. Although newer cars are far better, the Mustang II was reasonably good for its time. Periodically I see one at antique car cruise nights and the nostalgia it brings always draws my attention.
One other thing deserves mention: while the Firebird took its place as one of the last real American performance cars of this era, very few of them were actually shipped with the engine that earned this reputation. Most of the 400s were seriously de-tuned and many more Firebirds were shipped with wimpy 350s and 301s. I guess most buyers were happy enough having the neighbors think they drove fast cars. This way, GM could keep up a veneer of sportiness while still meeting its CAFE numbers.
Had 75 ghia v8. Miss the car. Well said about under rated history. Note: interior was first rate and beautiful.
Great video! I always cringe when "Mustang" fans start dumping on the Mustang II. You're 100% correct, this car saved the Mustang line. And when I was younger a lot of guys modified Mustang II V8 models into killer street and strip cars. In those days we all modified our cars, if we could afford it. Pop the 2 barrel off and put on a manifold with a 4 barrel and headers, do a tune and off to the track. I'd love to get a 75 Ghia with a V8 and make it a sleeper. So easy.
Based only on your comment section, you wrote, ""moved the Mustang into a new direction"....it moved it back to the correct original direction, a sporty fun inexpensive small car for family and individuals, it pleased a wide cross section of America and brought it back to the original Iaccocca concept. And yes, absolutely saved the Mustang from extinction. 100% on the money correct. I love these cars, always have.
Totally with you on that!!
Those M II's were surprisingly excellent and fun handling around curves-and that was with the little four-banger!.
I love the Mustang II. Always have (well since I saw Starman when I was a kid). Lee Iaccoca's little jewel
I recall groaning seeing the Mustang II. My sister had one that I borrowed for a quick trip and my attitude changed. That car could take corners and curves like nobody's business, and one could take them on with full confidence and loads of fun.
My faves were the 71 to 73,, I took a 78 Mustang Ghia for a drive,,,was a car of it's time,,,that was here in the UK,,,still luv old stateside steel,,great vid,
I remember visiting UK as part of a European trip with my friends in the mid-90s. We were in Scotland, and on one particular road, traffic was backed up. We heard a familiar rumble of a V8, and sure enough, a hot-rodded Mustang II King Cobra was idling up the street. We gave thumbs up to the driver who was next to us since the steering wheel was on the 'wrong side' but he ignored us, lol, trying to act too jaded for recognition.
I have a showroom 73' Mach One right behind me. (In the garage)
I had a 1976 cobra II 302 v8 car. Blue with the white stripes seemed less common than the white ones with the blue stripes, bought it for like 500 bucks it wasn't running gave it my best to get it going but it wasn't happening for me either. Bummed to this day I never got to drive it. Ended up getting rid of it. When your young and still learning how much money to spend on a project but still having regular bills to pay I had to throw in the towel . Like mustang cobra II's styling always did.
As I understand it, Dealers couldn't give away the '73 Mustang at the end of its run. Big, heavy and thirsty. The Mustang 2 does appear to have been a success at the time of rising fuel prices and tighter emission standards, and seems to be in keeping with the very first Mustang. I think, like fashion, there's some "what were they thinking!?" Revisionist history going on here.
Dealers had problems selling the 1971 models when they were first released ! I remember our local dealer after seeing the new 1971 mustang he contacted all the other dealers, He
collected up every 1970 Fastback he could get ahold of because he thought the 1971 was a flop!
In 1973, Ford sold 134,900 Mustangs. In 1974, they sold 386,000 Mustang IIs. Even though it is seen as the Jan Brady of Ford's pony cars, the Mustang II was wildly popular with '70s buyers. Over the course of it's 55 years in production the Mustang was only offered WITHOUT a V8 option for one year: 1974. As you can see by the production numbers, people at the time didn't care! Ford couldn't have timed that car's introduction any better if they had tried!
Had a 1975 white Mustang II when my hubby and I were married in 1976. It was a good little car.
My best friend has a King Cobra. His mom bought it new and handed it to him when he turned 14. You could get a license back then at 14 with a hardship. It was a peppy car in the day. He had a 4 barrel and 375 heads put on. It was a beast after that. We spent many nights drag racing. It has been barn kept and covered. Looks almost perfect to this day.
Fun Fact...... the 4 bolt pattern wheels will mount right on Honda 4 wheelers. And adds about another 10 mph on the road.😃
My first car was a 76 mustang ii with the 302 and four on the floor. I wore the first clutch out chirping the tires too much. New clutch pressure plate and throw out bearing put in. Took it out on the highway when no one was around. Popped the clutch from 3rd to 4th at 80 mph and chirped the rear tires. These may not of had great power like earlier ir later cars but with a 4 speed and the 302 you could get some performance out of them. More power and i probably would have gotten in more trouble or killed myself. Always wanted to take the cats off and see how much power was gained. It was a fun car and got me places.
My first car was a 75 and I did some amazing burnouts with it!!!
The '74 -'78 Mustang II WAS a modified Pinto. They crushed easily in crashes and had the same gas tank problem next to the rear bumper. The 302 V8 was jammed under the hood so that some spark plugs could not be changed unless the engine was moved not forgetting how fast they rusted into worthlessness. What a disaster!
Thanks for that great perspective for a car that got no respect
That car didn't really deserve any respect...
I love the Ford Mustang II, I have a 1977 Ford Mustang Cobra II which I am in the process or restoring, this has been my dream car ever since Ford put this car on the market.
I remember many saying it was a modified Pinto. Or Ford's answer to the Vega.
@@indridcold8433 But in All reality it was Ford's response to the Hindenburg.
@@indridcold8433 Both statements were true. Especially with the 2300 engine.
Thank you for helping me to appreciate the car the Mustang of today and the Mustangs of the 60s are so beautiful. I’m thankful for its survival. Look what happened to the GTO in modern years.
A 1978 with the 5 liter V8, and four speed would have been nice.
They were decent cars but absolutely NO weight in the back made them horrible to hook up. We put an aftermarket rear end in a friends car which weight 200lbs more than stock and that made a big difference in the rear end weight issue, plus it (the new diff and axle) had a 3.50 gear in it.
Mine was a 76 with a V-6. Great little car. Even with "rust proofing" it rusted out from underneath me.
Phenomenal video as usual.
It's funny you brought this one out because I saw the one on the Maverick.
it almost took the Mustang out completely ,Ford got real nervous and basically threw the Maverick under the bus.
My great grandfather had a 76 Maverick with the 200 CID engine and 3 spd auto. It looked and performed a lot better than most base model mustangs plus it was roomier.
The timeline on that Maverick video is so off. I called the person who did the video on his information and how he came up with his conclusion. He blocked all comments shortly thereafter. The Maverick was never a threat to the Mustang ever. They were reaching for two completely different audiences. The Maverick had nothing to do with saving Ford anything as far as any gas crisis like he had suggested. Maverick was introduced in 1969 as a 1970 model. Three full years before any sign of a gas shortage. When Ford made the decision to shrink the Mustang, that had nothing to do with a gas crisis either. The first sign of trouble with OPEC was in October 1973. That was a monthr after the Mustang ll was introduced. The reason Ford downsized had more to do with shrinking sales of pony cars which started when insurance companies started rising rates in 1971 to heights never seen before for all muscle cars. Plus the public's taste in cars in general was changing to personal luxury cars. I.E. Chevrolet Monte Carlo, Pontiac Grand Prix, Buick Riviera, Oldsmobile Toronado, Ford Thunderbird etc. This is why by 1974 the Dodge Challenger and Plymouth Barracuda as well as AMC Javelin had all disappeared. Market forces. You can say gas crisis, but the three cars previously mentioned were already spiraling down hill in sales. The gas crisis was just the final nail in the coffin. GM had even considered letting the Camaro and Firebird go starting in 1975 because they initially didnt want to have to certify these models for the use of catalytic converters. Maverick guy needs to check his facts as well as timelines. He is literally rewriting history.
Interesting point about the personal luxury cars...most pony cars had a luxury option (like the Mustang Grande, Challenger SE, etc) that consumers could consider a rival/replacement of the more expensive personal luxury cars. Some even advertised the luxury version of the Mustang (early GT, etc) as a "baby Thunderbird", though the T'bird would have more luxury options to choose from.
@@rickloera9468 You're right that there wasn't much sense of "crisis" during the time the "II" was being developed, but there was a general anxiety about the fuel situation going back to the Suez crisis of 1956, which threw a scare into Detroit, though it had only a minor effect on USA gasoline prices (due to a ban on imported oil and an agreement with the Texas Railroad Commission to pump oil a maximum capacity). Detroit downsized a number of models in the late 1950s and early '60s, but gave up on it when buyers sneered. But the 1967 6 day war was another wakeup call and the decline in USA output starting in 1971 was yet another. Most people in Detroit knew that downsizing was coming; it was just a question of when.
PS: I should add that the first oil supply panic was in the 1920s, when Herbert Hover banned new oil leases to conserve US reserves and GM briefly called for a ban on 6 and 8 cylinder cars. That ended when Texas discovered huge new reserves in 1932.
The Maverick was pretty much just a 67 Mustang.
The MAV is very popular today, but hard to find.
These were really popular. You saw them everywhere, but the two-door coupe in luxury trim, the Ghia, was the most popular. I really don't even think of them as being in the performance car category like the original Mustangs but as part of the 1970s subcompact category. As car enthusiasts tend to, you focus here on the performance models, but the luxury trim models were overwhelmingly more popular at the time. I remember a "silver group" option being popular, with silver paint and "cranberry" crushed velour interior, plus the then-requisite landau roof, standup hood ornament, and opera windows. As you mention, after the early seventies, performance cars just weren't that popular anymore.
Can't wait to get my II running
I first saw this Mustang on the TV show Charlie Angel's, which Farrah Farrcet drove!
I actually have wanted a Mustang II for over a year now. I freaking love them.
Huzzah! A man of quality!
I had one , and loved it . I would love to have another one .......
I'm the proud owner of a Ghia coupe with the incredible 2.8 lol but 4 real got an old 289 Hypo Going in soon
me too honestly, the hate is unnecessary
If you love those I have a way rusted out "Le Car" that you might want from the 80's? About the same thing.......
Mine was a red ‘78 King Cobra 302/4sp (no T-top.) It got replaced by a ‘77 T/A with the Pontiac 400/3sp auto (also no T-top.)
I actually still like the look of these Mustangs, though they’re not my favorites. The T/A was IMHO a better car overall, with significantly better performance and handling.
Both were a fun ride, each in their own way.
Best channel on RUclips. Crazy how fast your starting to grow. A lot of hard work went into that so thank you. Been around since 8k subs and you never have missed a beat!
Good for you, man! I don't think I have heard *any* respectful ratings of Mustang II besides yours, and dang it the car sold well and served well. I think you're right that this compact era saved Mustang to fight another day.
Actually, these were a pretty decent car for the day. It's one of those cars of which a ga-zillion were sold and yet you never see one today. They went decal happy on the Cobra models. One had to be really careful in a car wash or the water stream would peel them off. FORD dealers went nearly insane dealing with decal issues. Oh...and this is also when they started using acrylic paint which was very brittle. If there was a chip, the car wash would take off the paint along with the decal. Oh wow...those were the good ol days alright!!
Just a quick clarification.....first gen Mustang is considered to include 1964 to 73 models...even though the car was heavily restyled and grew substantially during those years. The original Mustang was based on the Falcon...you mentioned the '73 models being based on the Torino. Did they switch platforms during the 70 to 73 years? I believe the Falcon grew in size as well....and eventually became the Torino and moved upmarket as the Maverick was introduced.
Otherwise, a great presentation and being alive during the 70s, I do remember when these cars were introduced and even had a couple of MPC 1/25 scale models of them.....eventually as I started driving in the 80s, they were a popular first car for the new teen driver....couldn't get in too much trouble with them given the tepid power output.
They do deserve some accolades for keeping the Mustang going. Remember, Ford was going to replace the Fox Bodied Mustang with what became the Ford Probe in 1988...but the Fox platform soldiered on to 2004. Given the adoption of safety standards, emission controls, rising fuel prices the car was the best it could be for the time.
GM did have a direct competitor for the Mustang II, the Vega based Chevy Monza. While the larger F-Bodies were kept in production to '81, the Monza and kin were more of a direct competitor offering similar power plants (actually they were supposed to use a Rotary engine which was going to be shared with the AMC Pacer). Indeed, the 70s were an interesting time in automotive history and I as a car buff breathed a sigh of release when performance made a comeback in the 80s.
I disagree, first gen 65-66 2nd gen 67-68 3rd gen 69-70 4th gen 71, 72, 73
Own new in '74. I bought the top of line model. It was a very good automobile. All the options of the day and air conditioning...Today, little old to own a Mustang.... Cadillac CTS...But I do have Fon memories of the '74 automobile! Thank you
My friend bought a 77 Chevy truck 454, 175 H.P.
I had a 76 Mustang, basic 4 cylinder 4 speed, it got phenomenal gas mileage I really liked it.
bill thompson but he had a 76 Monte Carlo, I think it had 140 horsepower. Another friend had a 68 Nova with a 6 cylinder, I think that had 135 horsepower.
They were always (slow) racing each other ,it was a hoot.
MrHillfolk you must have spent some pretty good time laughing that does sound like fun
bill thompson
It was fun , we missed the real musclecar era as we were teens in the late 80s, but we saw some of the old stuff still around, but not too many of us kids had the good stuff.
That nova of my buddies was pretty clean, the monte was a rat. My buddy with the monte could drive , I was surprised at the handling of that boat.
it did darn good in smooth corners.
Hey had a 77 hatchback. Hooked up with my first gf in it. So id say it was a successful car.....,
Bet you had to see a chiropractor afterward. My 66 New Yorker has seen several gals given the meat missile on it's seats. They are big enough to be considered a full size bed. A 77 mustang would have been challenging.
At least the car was good for something...
LOL.... Well, yeah, when you put it THAT way I'd say you're right!
@@johnkirby6700 - I used to bang my girlfriends in my 89 CRX. Those seats would move back so far that it was actually comfortable doin my gf's in the right seat. That poor passenger seat was a friggin mess. Broads never complained about the jizz stains though....
I could never convince my girlfriend to hook up in the car. Now, 30 years later, I'm too big to do that. Some of us were born to lose.
In 84,we had a 74 Mustang II Mach I. V6, 4 speed. What a great little car. Fun to drive and just enough power to have fun. Love to have another one, Mach I or Ghia.
n reality the Mustang II returned to its roots. The first model was adapted to a compact model, and so was this one. The only difference was the lack of a performance V-8 engine. The huge previous model would not sell during the gas shortage.
D. Paul Gladstone What's also mentionable is that the Mustang did not start as a Muscle car or a car with high performance the biggest engine in a mustang in 1964 only made a respectful 271 horsepower the point of the Mustang was to be a car under 2500 pounds and under 2500 dollars and to be a sports car.
Just bought a 1978 Mustang II HATCHBACK FASTBACK.
The interior was completely redone custom already, when I bought it. Front and back.
Only has 74,000 miles on it and already has a modern radio put in it.
Got to say… I love it.
Body and underbody is completely solid all the way through. Apparently was rescued from 20 years of storage and had a new transmission put in it.
Has the 302.
Thank you for the upload! I've been asking for this for months!!! I love my 1978 King Cobra and am glad to see that they are starting to get the respect they deserve
Erock : I'm glad you like it! But to the rest of us Ford fans, that car was a complete disappointment.
I loved mine too- orange 78 King Cobra.
Tempest Fury Yeah. It is like trying to cheer about the Ford Probe.....
I had a chance to buy a 78 King Cobra about 15 years ago. California car had the 4-Speed. Guy wanted $3K :) I didn't have the money. Plus almost no way to add power to those years in CA with the smog laws as they were.
AMEN
One of the best and well researched reviews on RUclips. Thank you!
Lee Iacocca was a brilliant man. Henry Ford 2 was a paranoid, drunk, monster.
I had a 74 Mustang that I bought new and I loved it! It was a basic 4 speed, 4 cylinder engine, red with a black interior and no power options, and no radio! I had to keep it cheap since I wasn't making a lot of money at the time. I had a lot of good years with that car but after the drive shaft fell off due to a lot of rust, I decided I just couldn't afford the repairs anymore. I still miss it though!
I really like the Cobra II package on the 1976 models.
My dad bought one of the first 74's new in the fall of 1073. It was the coupe (not Ghia) with a blue vinyl top and white body. The 2.8 litre v6 with a 4-speed. He gave it to me in 1979 with 84,000 miles on it when I changed jobs and no longer had a company car (remember those days for sales people?). I ran it up to 150K miles over the next 4 years before selling it (the rear axle seal started leaking). Loved that car. The V6 was from Ford's german division and it was solid, and surprisingly torquey. The rack and pinion steering was amazingly precise, and the A/C was always ice cold...never needed a charge. The only problem was the synchros on the 4-speed were dicey with many a grind when you least expected it, but the clutch and tranny hung in until the end. Very sturdy and very reliable overall. Never let me down. It needed a 5th gear badly....high revs at freeway speed.
I know it's 'wrong', but I've always *loved* the look of these.
I can't even truly justify it to myself beyond an inherent love of the underdog, but if funds were unlimited, I'd have one of these (albeit somewhat tweaked) in a heartbeat.
Excellent video, thanks! :)
And over half a decade later, I'm now the very happy owner of a 1975 Ghia 302 V8. Absolutely love it👍
A used 78 Ghia was my first car back in 84. It started my love for Mustangs as I've owned seven total including a 93, 94, 03 Cobra and an 11 GT-500.
Bravo!!!! Thank you for this video in particular, everyone is so afraid to say something positive about the mustang 2, I've never understood why the very "hardcore" mustang fans always talked bad about the mustang 2 it's still a mustang. I recently was able to sit in one for the first at my local junk yard and I have to say I'm 6 feet tall and I was very comfortable in it, had u the money I would have saved it from the yard. Thank you mustang II.
@Ray Sagastiano you had better look closer. you most likely think it has a pinto suspension too WRONG.
Without it there would have been NO 5.0 !
Thank You '74-78 Ford Mustang owners !
Even if they hadn't downsized the Mustang II, it still would've had poor performance. Everything did. As a general rule, if people only care about performance, they ignore just about anything made after '71 or so. One would think that, with how easy it is to modify the 302, these would've been popular cars to modify both then and now. Unfortunately, they've seemingly fallen to the wayside, which is a bit of a shame, because they weren't the worst looking and driving cars of the 1970s.
At that time, there wasn't a whole lot of interest in modifying the 302. There was nowhere near as much aftermarket support for them as there is today. The small block Chevy was the darling of the performance aftermarket. Even the 429/460 was basically ignored by the aftermarket back then.The 351 Cleveland and the FE engines seemed to be the preferred hot rodding choice of Ford enthusiasts back then, although a lot of 289's did get modified.
It's a good looking car and I wonder why it gets so much hate.
No there were Mavericks & Chevettes
manoman0 total lack of power compared to the camaro or trans am/firebird, the downsizing and use of the pinto as a start point in engineering didn’t help.
Yeah, true, but it was easy to beef up the engine. I personally find this Mustang good looking and designwise close to the first one, powerwise, yeah, underwhelming but let's not forget the Camaro with the Iron Duke and its roughly 90 hp!
I had 2 of these, a 1977 and a 1975 with a v6 4speed. First cars I had as a teenager. They had character, and good gas milegae
82-93 horsepower?? Good thing Camaros, Birds & Vettes has such attractive rear bumpers to look at 🤦🏼♂️
Hahaha. My buddies "cobra" saw the bumper of my mom's 258 6cylinder gremlin!
stangs would blow all GMs doors off in 82 lol even the vette that is sad
@@eddiebowens1919 wrong.. the Buick grand national. The 5.0 killer.
@@eddiebarnett2217 not in 82
@@eddiebowens1919 Ok so in 1984 and beyond the grand national never looked back. Your 82 5.0 was a joke. The 5.0 wouldn't get "fast" until 86,87. Still far from fast.
Seriously, you are the only person on the planet that can make me genuinely love my most hated cars. Keep it up! My dream garage keeps getting bigger and bigger.
I want one of those 83 HP Mustangs!
They were only available in CA. The 49-state version had 88 HP !!
No you don’t unless you like working on them
@@sking2173 Man, what a tire fryer!
The pre-dual spark plug 2.3 in the mid-eighties Fox had around 88hp.
I want one of those 83 HP mustangs to but with a coyote transplant
Great arguments for cherishing the Mustang II instead of panning it like most.
Ford should have just brought back the 1964 - 65 model . Could have played with all newer components on it .
In late summer of '77 I purchased a '76 Mustang II. It was fun to drive (for a 16 y.o. at the time), it got me to and from school near downtown CLE, and it was relatively easy on the pocket (granted, we were paying somethin like $0.50/gallon back then). In fall of '79 I upgraded to a '79 Camaro (Berlinetta). To this day I still like the look of the II and wouldn't mind finding one and "upgrading" it.