1977 Ford Mustang II

1977 Ford Mustang II

I came here to write about a Mustang II King Cobra, but that listing already vanished before having the chance to. Still, this listing on eBay for a survivor-grade 1977 Ford Mustang II with the Mach 1 package is a solid find, with low mileage and claimed original paint. There鈥檚 only 27,000 claimed original miles, and it鈥檚 a V8 car selling at no reserve. 6K at the moment. The paint looks fantastic, and the blue with white stripes is a familiar Mustang paint scheme. While it, of course, looks better on a genuine Shelby, this Mustang II could look quite attractive with a modest suspension drop and some larger period-correct wheels, such as the mesh design that came standard on the King Cobra. This example has a T-Top roof, which is a nice feature to have since you won鈥檛 be hustling this car around any corners. What I mean to say is the loss in structural rigidity is really no big deal. The 302 V8 is the engine of choice in a Mustang II, so with the T-Tops removed above you, this will make a nice cruiser that probably won鈥檛 lose money given the low mileage. At the same time, it鈥檚 not valuable enough that you should feel bad putting a few thousand mils on it annually. Lots of maintenance has been thrown at it recently, and the seller claims it鈥檚 one of the few cars that actually looks better in person.

If Mustang remained second-best in a drag race, it was still first in the sales race, with a '94 model-year total of 137,074 units, a whopping 17,245 ahead of Camaro. The '94 Mustang Cobra convertible was limited to 1000 units. All were essentially Indy pace car replicas, complete with race-day decals. V-6 Mustangs predictably outsold GTs but by lesser margins than in recent years. Among Cobras, Ford ended up building about 1000 more coupes than projected, 5009 in all. Cobra convertibles were deliberately limited to 1000, as planned. All were essentially pace-car replicas done in Rio Red with saddle tops and saddle leather interiors, but without the actual pacers' special over-cockpit hoop/light bar. Race-day decals were naturally included. Once again, Ford made few changes when putting together the '95 Mustang lineup, but sales were up regardless. Keep reading to learn more about the 1995 Ford Mustang and Mustang Cobra. Sales of the 1995 Ford Mustang and Mustang Cobra climbed to a combined 185,986 for the year, despite few changes to the cars. However many observers, including Consumer Guide, were pleased to note tidier detail workmanship and a more solid overall driving feel.

1200 lighter sticker, which was yanked before '95 sales began. 2000 below the GT, but it never showed up on factory price lists, nor did a rumored GTS package for '96. But Ford had another way to low-frills high-performance. Remember SVO, Special Vehicle Operations? Well, by 1995 it was the Special Vehicle Organization with a new emphasis on developing over-the-counter speed parts. 20,795, not bad for a sporty four-seat ragtop with a power-operated soft top as standard equipment. Various kits allowed Mustangers to go as they paid. 2995 "GT40" engine kit that upped horsepower to 290 -- 50more than a stock Cobra, 75 more than a stock GT. Featured were big-valve "GT40" aluminum heads (vs. So equipped, Car and Driver's GT coupe ran 0-60 mph in 5.5 seconds and the quarter-mile in 14.2 at 100 mph. For those who felt the 1995 Ford Mustang SVT Cobra was underpowred -- and there were many who believed that -- the GT40 engine kit delivered 290 horsepower, 50 more than a base Cobra. Not to be outdone, SVT whipped up a new Cobra R, this time with a 351 V-8 based on its hot-rod F-150 Lightning pickup engine -- and completely street-legal.

Higher compression (9.2:1), a wilder cam, and larger throttle body yielded 300 horsepower and a thumping 365 pound-feet. Despite that, another stripped interior, and a fiberglass hood (domed for clearance), Car and Driver's prototype managed only 5.4 seconds 0-60 and a 14-second/99-mph standing-quarter, still only even with an everyday Z28. No matter. With only 250 copies, all coupes, this Cobra R was an instant sellout. Most were modified for road-course and drag racing. The '95 Cobra R was the end of the road for Ford's overhead-valve small-block engine -- it did not return in the 1996 lineup. Keep reading to learn about more changes made to the '96 Mustang. The 1996 Ford Mustang ushered in a new engine era when, after nearly 40 years, Ford retired its overhead-valve small-block V-8 and bolted in the overhead-cam "modular" V-8. This basic engine had been introduced five years before in the big Lincoln Town Car. There were two versions of this 4.6-liter (281-cubic-inch) V-8, one for GTs, the other for Cobras.

GTs used a single-cam iron-block iteration with two valves per cylinder in aluminum heads. It didn't look like progress, claiming the same power and torque as the 302. And straight-line performance was down a bit, C/D netting 6.6 seconds 0-60 mph and a quarter-mile of 15.1 at 92 mph. But the "mod" would rev faster and higher, made similar torque at low rpm, and was smoother and quieter. More pointedly, it was able to meet future emissions standards; the old pushrod V-8 couldn't. The 1996 Ford Mustang GT dumped its pushrod V-8 for a modern single overhead cam iron block V-8 with two valves per cylinder in aluminum heads. Despite lots of underhood changes to make it fit, only a small exterior badge announced its presence. The largely hand-assembled Cobra version looked more exciting, sporting twin cams, four valves per cylinder, and a special cast-aluminum block. With 305 horsepower at 5800 rpm and 300 pound-feet at 4800, Mustangers no longer needed to fear stoplight encounters with GM pony cars.