Who says all Mustang II's are ugly

[Joe Handley]

It's funny... I love old cars and the Mustang II being made in the 70s I consider still an old car, and I am not much into things from the 80s.... yet... I love Foxbody mustangs. I think its because they are like the Lego blocks of cars.... sooooo many cars were built on that fox platform and you can take parts from '79 and parts from '04 and put on your '90. I love that aspect because it allows for sooo much customization and personalization of the car. I can't think of any car that has that much interchangability since then.

The only other one is Chrysler's K-Car, I seriously wouldn't be surprised if a few.of the parts off my parent's '06 Town and Country (mainly brakes) could be bolted right up to the 4dr hatch Lebaron and Shadow turbos that I had. You get tuat some with the XJ, MJ, ZJ, and TJ Jeeps too, even some WJ parts will interchange!

[blunc]

You guys blind? It's there, painted the same color as the grill.

oh yeah...there IS a car in that photo...

[webestang]

LOVE the II's!!!!!!!!!!!!! I had one back in the 90's I bought for $850. 78 with a 302, auto trans and a sunroof...........

[Tom Geiger]

I suppose Jacklyn Smith's Ghia was "girlier" than Farrah's Cobra II but I think they were going for "classier"

I never had a problem with Mustang IIs. In fact they are the original retro car, way before retro came into style. Just look at the 1965 Mustang styling cues... instantly recognizable as a Mustang. And by the way, the original Mustang was marketed as a girls car! When I met my wife in 1978 she had a Mustang II coupe pretty much the same as the one in the above photo from Charlies Angels. Same color and vinyl top, only hers had hubcaps and a V6 automatic. It was a nice car to drive, and we took it on a few long trips. In 1979 it was traded in on a new Fox Capri with a V8. That car was a never ending problem from the day it came off the showroom floor. I would've liked to keep the Mustang II but we couldn't afford to keep it and get the new car. To add insult to injury the dealer sold it to someone who lived a few blocks from my in laws house, so we'd see it parked there every time we drove by! The first year Fox Capri was eventually traded in on a Nissan Stanza (needed our first family car) in 1982 with 34,000 troubled miles on it. For a new car we never had any confidence in driving it anywhere since it was nothing but trouble.

Edited October 31, 2014 by Tom Geiger

[ZIL 111V]

Never been a fan of the II's, even MPC & AMT annual kits looked super dull to a kid of the 70's but...

Still remember when i got this one back in 1979, at local K-Mart, surely the best looking Mustang II ever:

[unclescott58]

Good point Tom, about the first Mustangs being "girls" cars. A lot ads were aim at young female, single, secretary types. That was one of the reasons for Mustangs success. It was a car designed though options to be just about anything to anybody. A lot of early Mustangs were plain 6-cylinder, 2-coupes. Not the exciting GTs or Shelbys we all lust after today. The Mustang IIs were the same way, other than the lack of 60's style performance. But, this was true for most so called "performance" cars at the time. The Mustang II deserves more respect than it gets.

Scott

[Tom Geiger]

Good point Tom, about the first Mustangs being "girls" cars. A lot ads were aim at young female, single, secretary types. That was one of the reasons for Mustangs success. It was a car designed though options to be just about anything to anybody. A lot of early Mustangs were plain 6-cylinder, 2-coupes. Not the exciting GTs or Shelbys we all lust after today. The Mustang IIs were the same way, other than the lack of 60's style performance. But, this was true for most so called "performance" cars at the time. The Mustang II deserves more respect than it gets.

Scott

Agreed Scott. That was part of Ford's marketing strategy all along... one of the best product placements was the Mustang on the Mary Tyler Moore show. She was the earliest career girl role model on TV and the fact she drove a new Mustang was no coincidence!

[PeeBee]

I won't waste my time commenting on the abomination that was called Mustang II, however that one up front is very cool. And, it looks like they moved the front axle forward an inch or two. It doesn't look like it's tripping over itself.

Oh, and here's something that I find confusing: I drive convertibles exclusively, and I'm not a girl. Have I been buying the wrong types of cars? Are these examples of girlie cars?: 289/427 AC Cobra; L-88 427 Corvette convertible; '32 Ford Hi-Boy roadster; any pre-'71 4-speed muscle car convertible; Jag D, C, and E Types & XK120 roadsters/convertibles, Ferrari Daytona Convertible; etc.

These are all cars I would consider buying (or building), if I ever had the dough, and some were only available as convertibles. Gee, should I get a sex-change operation?

PB.

[1930fordpickup]

Agreed Scott. That was part of Ford's marketing strategy all along... one of the best product placements was the Mustang on the Mary Tyler Moore show. She was the earliest career girl role model on TV and the fact she drove a new Mustang was no coincidence!

Was this the first car marketed for the independent woman?

[Maindrian Pace]

Agreed Scott. That was part of Ford's marketing strategy all along... one of the best product placements was the Mustang on the Mary Tyler Moore show. She was the earliest career girl role model on TV and the fact she drove a new Mustang was no coincidence!

But you only ever saw it in the opening credits, and not much of it.

[rusty85]

Paul, the front wheels were moved forward 10". It runs on a bespoke tube frame, with c-6 Corvette suspension.

[unclescott58]

But you only ever saw it in the opening credits, and not much of it.

Actually Mary's '70 Mustang was shown a few times in episodes. Including one where it was wrecked (by Rhoda I beleive?) and replaced by a new '73 Mustang.

Scott

[iBorg]

I absolutely love the first car posted. Seemed like a very logical predecessor to the last generation Mustang.

I'm not complaining about the 2015, but this version seems to scream brutal performance to me.

[rusty85]

I absolutely love the first car posted. Seemed like a very logical predecessor to the last generation Mustang.

I'm not complaining about the 2015, but this version seems to scream brutal performance to me.

The same guys are doing Monroe handler and Charlie Kemp Cobra II replicas.Check their facebook feed https://www.facebook.com/ATeamRacingLLC?fref=ts.

[mk11]

The basic lines of the little cars are nice, but what has always bothered me is the tall fender sheetmetal above the wheel openings. For some reason, I could accept it on the Pinto as just part of the design. When it morphed into a "Mustang" though, to me, the fenders always seemed too tall for the relatively short wheelbase.

I agree, Bill. That's been my beef with the M11 design all along. This restyle (at least the drawing) is beautifully done

...and I love the Meguiar rep's tagline:

Remember, this hobby is supposed to be your therapy, not the reason you need therapy

mike

Edited November 1, 2014 by mk11

[rsxse240]

Would there be a Fox body or later Mustang without them?

Scott

I can't recall if the Mustang II was Iacocca's baby or if it was the Fox platform (Grenada, Monarch, LTD II, Fairmont, Zepher, Fox Mustang, T-Bird, Cougar, and countless other cars) was his idea. Either way, Ford railroaded the Fox platform out the door in favor of Ghia's Mustang II design. Ghia was on someone's Christmas list and he was being a good kid the year Ford called for a re-design. Had Ghia NOT been in some corperate exec's pocket, the Fox platform would have been in the showrooms 4 years sooner.

It's funny... I love old cars and the Mustang II being made in the 70s I consider still an old car, and I am not much into things from the 80s.... yet... I love Foxbody mustangs. I think its because they are like the Lego blocks of cars.... sooooo many cars were built on that fox platform and you can take parts from '79 and parts from '04 and put on your '90. I love that aspect because it allows for sooo much customization and personalization of the car. I can't think of any car that has that much interchangability since then.

The Nissan/Infiniti lineage comes to mind, as I am a Nissan fanatic. I personally have parts from at least 7 different nissans bolted to my 93 240sx. Just the 240sx line carried 7 different body styles, but that basic chassis design was used throughout the Nissan rear drive car platforms. Even the venerable R32, said to be the first of the "GODZILLA" line of GT-Rs shares the same platform as the 240sx. But in a technical sense, the same chassis design goes all the way back to 1980 with the Nissan S110 Silvia.

I know you guys are about ready to kick me off the boards for comparing the Mustang to some rice burning foreign jobber so I'll leave it at that.

How is it I've been building my Mustang II kit now for about a month, maybe more, and I have only just now stumbled on this thread? lol

[Tom Geiger]

Ghia was on someone's Christmas list and he was being a good kid the year Ford called for a re-design. Had Ghia NOT been in some corperate exec's pocket, the Fox platform would have been in the showrooms 4 years sooner.

I don't know if the world would've been ready for the Fox Mustang back then! Even when it came out in 1979 I remember looking at the first ones and they were rather futuristic looking back then. We immediately bought a brand new Capri RS V8, which again was the wrong car for the times. We picked it up on a Friday night right in the middle of a gas crisis. NJ was on odd / even gas rationing and stations were only open for a few hours on week days. We got into the Capri and the tank was on empty. In the past dealers always gave you a full tank with a new car. The salespeople wandered around in the service area and couldn't come up with any gas at all. So we drove it home and parked it! It had an "even" plate, so we couldn't use it until Tuesday. Quite a let down for getting a new car!

[webestang]

I can't recall if the Mustang II was Iacocca's baby or if it was the Fox platform (Grenada, Monarch, LTD II, Fairmont, Zepher, Fox Mustang, T-Bird, Cougar, and countless other cars) was his idea. Either way, Ford railroaded the Fox platform out the door in favor of Ghia's Mustang II design. Ghia was on someone's Christmas list and he was being a good kid the year Ford called for a re-design. Had Ghia NOT been in some corperate exec's pocket, the Fox platform would have been in the showrooms 4 years sooner.

The II was Lee's baby......he left to go to Chrysler before the Fox Pony. Lee was quoted as saying "Looks more like a fat pig than a Mustang" about the 67 Mustang, which led to the bigger 71-73's. The Mustang II was a hugh hit selling over 300xxx the first year with no V8 for the US (until 1975).

[unclescott58]

The II was Lee's baby......he left to go to Chrysler before the Fox Pony. Lee was quoted as saying "Looks more like a fat pig than a Mustang" about the 67 Mustang, which led to the bigger 71-73's. The Mustang II was a hugh hit selling over 300xxx the first year with no V8 for the US (until 1975).

Iacocca was involved with both Mustang II and the '79 platform Mustang. He was let go from Ford just before the '79 Mustang was shown. There was early promotional materials done with Iacocca and the car. Needless to say this material never went public.

By the way Ken (Reed), the first gen Granadas and Monarchs, and the LTDs were not Fox platform cars. The '78 Fairmonts and Zephyr were the first two cars based on the Fox platform.

Scott

[webestang]

Iacocca was involved with both Mustang II and the '79 platform Mustang. He was let go from Ford just before the '79 Mustang was shown. There was early promotional materials done with Iacocca and the car. Needless to say this material never went public.

Scott

I guess he did, didn't Lee leave Ford in 78?

[unclescott58]

I guess he did, didn't Lee leave Ford in 78?

Yes he left Ford in 1978. But, remember the 1979 Mustang came out in the fall of 1978. Shortly after he left.

Scott

[webestang]

Yes he left Ford in 1978. But, remember the 1979 Mustang came out in the fall of 1978. Shortly after he left.

Scott

Right.....I remember the Ford dealer had one here in late 78, I thought it was such a cool design. I bought a 81 coupe in early 1984. It was a left over demo model with 5000 miles on it.

[Tom Geiger]

Right.....I remember the Ford dealer had one here in late 78, I thought it was such a cool design.

I thought the 79s were way cool back then. I remember some being delivered to the dealer before the EPA info was in so they couldn't be sold. Just for display. I was buying cars and trucks for my company and talked the Mercury dealer out of a brand new Capri RS. Red with TRX suspension / wheels and V8 auto. It was so pretty! We had to drive it on a dealer plate the first few weeks until they could transfer title. People kept stopping us asking what it was. That was fun.

That fantasy stopped quickly. This car had the worst build an defects of any car I ever had. Traded it in after the 2 years of payments were done just to make it go away!

[unclescott58]

Again as noted, I like Mustang IIs. My dad had a '77 plain coupe. One time my folks left for a few weeks on vacation. For what ever reason, I was driving my dad's Mutt II while they were gone. One morning I fire up the car, and it was runnning terrible. I took it to the nearby Ford dealer to see what's wrong. I was told the cam shaft had broke. I broke a cam shaft? I wasn't even beating on the car. It was only a 4-cylinder and not very fast besides. How could that be? And how was I going to pay for this, and then explain it to the folks when they got back? The service writer told me not to worry. Even though the car was well past its warranty, the cam shaft was covered. Ford had not properly drilled the rear oil main that the fed the cam shaft. So it was covered on an extended warranty for that problem only.

The Ford dealer was within walking distance of my house, so I left the car there. 24 hours later, they had the car repaired at no charge to me or my folks. When the folks came back several days later, I could have said nothing, and I doubt they would have ever known anything went wrong. But, I was honest and told them anyways. After all, it was not my fault. So what trouble could I get into?

Scott

[oldcarfan]

I often think the II has gotten a bad rap. People like to deride the Mustang II, but it was a product of its time. It was designed for a buying public that no longer cared about performance after the hangover that came from the excesses of the 60s. We can't make fun of its Pinto chassis without remembering that the original Mustang rode on the Falcon chassis which was the Pinto of its day. They were ubiquitous, disposable and made to a price point. For the time they were good cars, especially when compared to their other domestic competition. Chrysler had essentially backed out of the Pony Car market and the Camaro and Firebird were riding on a good, but aging platform. Plus without the Mustang II, where would all of those 80s era hotrodders have gotten the front suspensions for their cars? LOL