1967 Ford Mustang

Comments: 1967 saw a massive restyle of the Ford Mustang. Changes included bulkier sheetmetal below the beltline, a more aggressive grille, a concave tail panel, and a full fastback roofline for the fastback body style. The engine compartment was also increased and Ford dropped in its big block 390 to compete against the new Chevrolet Camaro SS396. Although the 390 was slightly detuned for the Mustang, its popularity sealed the end of the high performance 289 cid engine,

 which was later dropped from the lineup. Of greater interest to enthusiasts was the availablitity of another Shelby-tuned Mustang. The GT350 was still powered by a modified 289 V8, though output dropped to 290bhp. The new GT500 was powered by a reworked 428 V8 (some were reportedly built with the even more powerful, race ready 427 V8). The 1967 Shelby's were more civilized and sported numerous luxury options,

which seemed to appeal to buyers. These would be the last Shelby Mustangs actually built by Shelby-American. All future models would be built by Ford with little Shelby involvement.

Production:

2D Hardtop: 356,271
Fastback: 71,042
Convertible: 44,808

Engines:
200 I6 115 bhp.
200 I6 120 bhp.
289 V8 195 bhp.
289 V8 271 bhp.
(Shelby GT350) 289 V8 290 bhp.
390 V8 320 bhp.
(Shelby GT500) 428 V8 355bhp@5400rpm, 420lb-ft@3200rpm.

Performance:

(Shelby GT500) 428/355: 0-60 in 6.2 sec, 1/4 mile in 14.6 sec @ 99mph.

1965 Ford Mustang Sports Cars

Comments: The Ford Mustang debuted as a simple sports car powered by a 170 cid six cylinder and a pair of V8's. Originally named for the fighter plane, the P-51 Mustang, preliminary allusions were made to the horse, and the horse motiff quickly became the emblem for the Mustang.

 Buyers loved its low price, long hood, short trunk styling, and its myriad of options. Ford loved its high volume sales and visibility. In mid 1964, Ford introduced a sporty 2+2 fastback body style to go along with the hardtop coupe and convertible.

 Enthusiasts also cheered the new "K-code" 271bhp 289 cid V8 that finally put some performance to match the Mustang's good looks. For those that wanted more, the legendary Carroll Shelby and Ford collaborated to produce the Shelby GT-350, a Ford Mustang fastback specially tuned by Shelby.

The 289 V8 produced 306bhp in street tune and around 360bhp in special GT-350R race tune. These Shelby's had no back seat, were only available in white and were fully race ready.

Production:

2D Hardtop: 501,965
Fastback: 77,079
Convertible: 101,945

Engines:

170 I6 101 bhp.
200 I6 120 bhp.
260 V8 164 bhp.
289 V8 225 bhp.
289 V8 271 bhp.
(GT-350) 289 V8 306 bhp.
(GT-350R) 289 V8 360 bhp.

Ford Mustang History

The Ford Mustang is an American automobile manufactured by the Ford Motor Company. It was initially based on the platform of the second generation North American Ford Falcon, a compact car.

The original Ford Mustang I four-seater concept car had evolved into the 1963 Mustang II two-seater prototype, which Ford used to pretest how the public would take interest in the first production Mustang which was released as the 1964 1/2, 

with a slight variation on the frontend and a top that was 2.7 inches shorter than the 1963 Mustang II. Introduced early on April 17, 1964, and thus dubbed as a "1964½" model by Mustang fans, the 1965 Mustang was the automaker's most successful launch since the Model A. The Mustang has undergone several transformations to its current sixth generation.

Ford Mustang First Generation1964 1/2 - 1973

Introduction: The date was April 17, 1964. Intermediate sized muscle cars, with big block engines were gradually replacing the fullsized muscle car. Lee Iacocca, Ford's General Manager, had always invisioned a small sports car to be the next hot item in the street wars.

Ford decided that instead of improving their lackluster intermediate, they would do the competition one better and introduce a whole new breed of automobile, the pony car. Originally designed as a two seater in the European tradition, Iacocca realized that true success depended on volume sales.

Therefore the Ford Mustang was introduced as a 1965 model that was based on the compact Falcon to lower production costs. It came with an obligatory back seat and a multitude of options that would give the buyer an opportunity to customize their purchase, and generate extra profits for Ford. Plymouth faithful stress that their Baracuda beat the Ford Mustang to market by two weeks. But it was the Mustang, which racked up over 22,000 sales its first day and one million sales in its first two years, that turned the market and people's attention to the pony car. The pony car class that the Ford Mustang helped create is the only class of muscle car that still exists today.