Evil 1969 Ford Mustang Mach 1 Fastback

Evil 1969 Ford Mustang Mach 1 Fastback

The 1969 Ford Mustang Mach 1 Fastback, the legendary pony which is one of the all-time favorite muscle cars ever produced, whether is custom or all original. Here we have a custom 鈥?9 Mustang by Dark Horse Customs, which is simply incredible. This Mustang has lowered black body with red Shelby racing stripes. Also the custom DHC vector hood and the grill give unique look to this Fastback Mustang. The interior has been customized also, where it has accent on the black leather interior with red stitching. But the most remarkable are the Recaro bucket style seats and the carbon fiber dashboard panels. But as always, the most interesting is under the hood. This DHC custom 1969 Ford Mustang Mach 1 Fastback is powered by Ford Racing 351 cubic-inch, 5.8 liter Cleveland small-block V8 engine. This engine is equipped with Edelbrock intake with 700 CFM carburetor and MSD Pro Billet distributor with also MSD Blaster 2 coil. This kind of equipment can generate more than 500 horsepower. The engine is connected to TCI Global Racing C6 transmission, which spins the Ford 9-inch rear end. The four disc brakes and the master cylinder are made by the famous Wilwood, while at the end the four 17-inch Ultra 454 wheels are wrapped with Nitto 555 Drag Radial tires.

After testing all three, C/D ranked the Cobra behind a top-power '96 Camaro SS but ahead of a similarly optioned Firebird Formula. Some things never change. Mustang power entered the modern era for 1996 with adoption of Ford's overhead-cam 4.6-liter modular V-8s. The GT's ran a single-cam version, shown here, which had the same 215 horsepower as the 5.0-liter pushrod V-8 it replaced. Slightly sprightlier handling was a happy benefit of these changes to accommodate the lighter engines. Attaching the alternator, A/C compressor, and power-steering pump directly to the blocks reduced underhood clutter. The "mod" V-8s also introduced modern "coil-on-plug" ignition with no distributor, improving efficiency and reliability. Elsewhere for '96, Mustang's V-6 received a stiffer block and 10 more horsepower for 150 total, plus the new V-8's platinum-tipped spark plugs, designed to last 100,000 miles. Transmissions were ostensibly the same, but the five-speed manual was exchanged for Borg-Warner's beefier new T45 unit, and the AOD automatic was swapped for Ford's latest 4R70W transmission with more sophisticated electronic controls.

Outside, the pony grille emblem got a mesh backdrop, and the horizontal taillamps gave way to three-element vertical clusters, which made the car look narrower to some eyes. The 1996 SVT Cobras switched to a twincam 4.6 whose 305 horsepower finally brought Mustang to performance parity with larger-engine GM pony cars. All '96 Mustangs boasted improved transmissions and minor style changes. A sign of the times was a new "passive anti-theft system" (PATS) for GTs and Cobras. Optional for base models, this used a special ignition switch that required a matching coded key for starting. In the event of a hot-wiring attempt, the ignition system shut down altogether. Despite the new V-8s, Mustang sales for '96 dropped a steep 27 percent to 135,620, of which 10,006 were SVT Cobras. For 1997, Ford offered a thoroughly modern Mustang, but sales continued to slip. Keep reading to learn about the sales woes of the '97 and '98 Mustang lineups.

With its modern overhead-cam V-8 and up-to-date safety features, the 1997 Ford Mustang was arguably the most-modern Mustang ever. But that didn't have much effect on sales, which had been slipping through 1996. They plunged another 20 percent for '97 to 108,344, though Cobra volume stayed about the same. Part of the showroom doldrums might be attributed to the slowing pace of changes that would compel new buyers to saddle up. Among the alterations for 1997, the passive anti-theft system was made standard for base models, and interiors were monotone instead of two-tone, though dashtops remained black. GTs were available with new "diamond-cut" 17-inch alloy wheels. And the base convertible's optional leather upholstery was gray instead of white. The 1997 Ford Mustang was arguably the most modern Mustang ever. The sales picture brightened for the 1998 Ford Mustang, jumping 62 percent to 175,522. Again, updates were modest. 345 V-6 Sport Appearance Group bundled 16-inch alloy wheels and rear spoiler with body accent stripes and leather-rim steering wheel.

All '98s got safer "depowered" dashboard airbags per federal decree. Sales rebounded for the 1998 Ford Mustang, despite modest changes to the lineup. Sales jumped 62 percent and included this GT ragtop. 28,135 for the Cobra convertible. Incidentally, Cobra sales this year were exactly the same as for '97, because SVT was at its yearly limit of around 10,000 units. Mustang by now had been America's top-selling sporty car for 12 straight years and was outselling the Chevrolet Camaro and Pontiac Firebird combined. The achievement was remarkable, but not surprising. Sales of the 1998 Ford Mustang SVT Cobra matched those of '97 because SVT was turning them out at maximum annual capacity of about 10,000 units. More than ever, there was still nothing else quite like a Mustang. But the future always beckons, and another milestone Mustang birthday lay ahead in 1999. Once again, the press and loyal Mustangers expected Ford to do something special for the occasion. They would not be disappointed.