styling. A convertible wasn’t offered, just hardtop
coupes and fastbacks with a four-cylinder and V6.
It was the first Mustang that initially didn’t offer a
V8. Auto buffs disliked it, even when it was offered
as the “Mach I” with a 302-cubic-inch V8 for 1975
because even that engine was underpowered. A 1978
“King Cobra” version loaded with muscle-car ap-
pearance items and a 140-horsepower version of the
V8 wasn’t taken seriously by car fans, either.
The third-generation 1979-1993 Mustang was
a breath of fresh air. Based on the longer “Fox”
platform, it
had “Euro/
American”
styling and
came as
a coupe,
hatchback
and convertible. It was longer, with clean lines, new
suspension, lighter weight and a roomier interior.
A low-volume 1984-86 turbocharged four-cylinder
engine rsion was offered, but was mostly unimpres-
sive. However, the 1987 “302” V8 with 225 horse-
power showed pony cars were back.
The fourth-generation 1994-2004 Mustang
received its first major redesign in 15 years. It got
styling cues
from earlier
Mustangs,
but a hatch-
back coupe
was unavailable for the first time since 1974. Ford
dropped the “302” V8 and replaced it with its newer
Modular 4.6-liter overhead-cam V8 in the 1996
Mustang GT. It was uprated to 225 horse-
power in 1998.
The 1999 Mustang got Ford’s New
Edge styling with sharper con-
tours, but basic proportions, in-
terior design and the chassis re-
main the same. Horsepower of
the Mustang GT’s 4.6-liter V6
rose to 260. There also were
the 2001 Bullitt (with a name
taken from the famous Steve
McQueen movie), the 2003 and
2004 Mach 1 and
320-horsepower
and 390-horsepower
Cobra models.
The redesigned fifth-generation 2005-2014
Mustang was based on a new platform, with styling
deftly echoing the Mustang fastback models of the
late 1960s. A 4-liter 210-horsepower V6 powered
the base model from 2005-2010, while the GT had a
4.6-liter V8 with 300 horsepower. The 2010 Mus-
tang had a redesigned exterior and the GT’s V8 got
315 horsepower.
With a horsepower race on, engines were revised
for 2011. A new V6 generated 305 horsepower,
which once would have been very high for a non-
turbocharged “six.” Meanwhile GT V8 models
produced 412 horsepower. The special Shelby
GT500’s supercharged V8 was rated at a whopping
550 horsepower. A new 444-horsepower 2012 “Boss
302” model was reminiscent of the Mustang “Boss”
models raced in the Trans Am series in the 1960s
and early 1970s.
Things seemed a little overwhelming when Ford
launched the Shelby GT500 with a new 5.8-liter
supercharged, 662-horsepower V8 in the spring
of 2012. The GT’s 5-liter V8, meantime, got 412
horsepower.
As you look at the sixth-generation Mustang on
the floor of the Chicago Auto Show, it’s hard to
imagine Ford Motor Co. without a Mustang. Just the
way Ford wants it.
1979 Mustang
1994 Mustang
2005 Mustang
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