Mach-E: Ford Mustang Inspired EV

Mach-E: Ford Mustang Inspired EV

Separate names with a comma. Color me surprised that the first real Tesla competitor comes out of Ford, who had apparently been keeping their EV cards close to their chest. They did their homework, this looks like a great crossover. If I was into crossovers, I would definitely be considering this vs a Y. I have like 10 Ford dealers that are closer than my Tesla service center (1.5 hours away) so that would be a huge benefit. Plus Electrify America is nearly on par with Tesla here in CA for my routes, they have been expanding a lot in the last year. Biggest question is charging and efficiency. 47 miles range in 10 minutes with 150kW chargers. How many 150kw CCS chargers are around? Electrify America is expanding, but they are behind Tesla. It should compete in performance and handling though, that's for sure. Will dealers be able to sell and service them? This is not new to Ford. They have learned a lot in the past decade. Their battery management is second to none. I am not too surprised. Ford making it into a crossover and an EV is like a double whammy. Will be interesting once folks take them to the track, if they get some converts that way. I am not too surprised. Ford making it into a crossover and an EV is like a double whammy. Will be interesting once folks take them to the track, if they get some converts that way.

Despite its terrific first-year sales (and winning Motor Trend's 1974 "Car of the Year" award), the Mustang II wasn't an instant hit. With the economy still beset by "stagflation," early buyers favored low-priced models with few frills, whereas Ford production planning had assumed just the opposite. Demand picked up pace once the oil embargo hit and long lines formed at gas pumps. Ford fast adjusted the model mix, but some sales were probably lost anyway because Mustang II looked to some people like less car for more money. The price escalation was certainly dramatic, even allowing for the "little jewel's" extra standard equipment. 321 from its '73 counterpart -- which came with a six-cylinder engine, not a four. 533 from its V-8 predecessor. Though prices would go even higher, sales held up quite well through end-of-the-line '78. As Ford continued to tweak models mid-year in the '70s, this late-1974 study envisioned a luxury fastback with Ghia-level appointments.

Options were fewer than in recent years, but more than sufficient. 44) with a shop manual, basic tools, fire extinguisher, and other items for roadside emergencies. 37) with adjustable shock absorbers, wider tires, and rear antiroll bar. These items were also part of a V-6 Rallye Package along with heavy-duty cooling, chrome exhaust tips, raised-white-letter tires on styled-steel wheels, twin remote-adjustable door mirrors, leather-rim steering wheel, and quartz digital clock. The biggest option for 1975 was the return of the V-8 engine. Ford had ushered in a new era of Mustangs in 1974 with its smaller, more upscale Mustang II redesign. 151 Silver Luxury Group with cranberry-color crushed-velour upholstery, silver paint, matching half-vinyl top, and standup hood ornament. At the same time, Ghia rear-quarter glass was abbreviated into "opera" windows, a popular luxury-car styling fad of the day. Grilles on all '75s wore large eggcrates, a change made partly to accommodate that year's revived 302 V-8 offering.

This Ghia shows "opera" rear windows. A fold-down rear seat was now standard for fastbacks, and cast-aluminum wheels and steel-belted radial tires were newly optional across the board. 18), a tacit admission that even these radically "downsized" Mustangs were rather thirsty. Mid-model year brought partial relief in a special "MPG" notchback and fastback with catalytic converter, which eliminated the need for some add-on emissions hardware and allowed engine retuning for better mileage and drivability. But the big news for '75 was the return of V-8 power, answering customer pleas for more performance. Unlike many second-year updates, this one was quite involved. However, springs, brakes and other components were beefed up to handle the heavier V-8, and all models regardless of engine wore larger grille eggcrates. 2, a sporty version of the bow-tie brand's subcompact Vega. Monza's optional 4.3-liter (262-cid) V-8 looked no match for Mustang's "5.0," and in straight-line acceleration it wasn't.

Yet after a two-car shootout, Road & Track recommended the Chevy for its fresh, Ferrari-like styling and comfort, ride, handling, and fuel economy that were all judged superior to the Ford's. Road & Track said the 1975 Mustang was quiet and plush. Though gas started flowing freely again in March 1974, a slow economic recovery depressed auto sales into model-year '75. Sales were buoyed in 1976, in part by the popular Cobra II. Sales of the 1976 Ford Mustang totaled 187,567, helped in this bicentennial year by introduction of a trim option evoking the late, great Shelby-Mustangs. Purists blanched when Ford added the Shelby-like Cobra II package for '76 fastbacks, but the option proved quite popular. Wangers sold Ford on the Cobra II idea with the understanding that a company he owned, Motortown, would manufacture most of the package's styling add-ons and install them at its small plant near the Dearborn Mustang factory.