We Love Ford's, Past, Present And Future

We Love Ford's, Past, Present And Future

Nineteen ninety-nine was a very good year for Ford Motor Company. 7.2 billion as the stock market and new-vehicle demand kept going strong in an unprecedented boom economy. Ford Division remained America's number-one-selling nameplate, owning five of the country's top-10 favorites including the full-size F-Series pickup. Mustang adopted Ford's "New Edge Design" theme for 1999. Note the standard foglights and larger wheels on the V-8 GT ragtop versus the V-6 base coupe behind it. But suddenly, it all turned sour. First, the economy started to unravel as overvalued "tech stocks" tanked, taking Wall Street down with them. Then, in 2000, Ford's cash-cow Explorer SUV and its original-equipment Firestone tires were implicated in rollover crashes that ultimately claimed almost 300 lives and caused scores of injuries. Months of damning publicity battered Ford's claim to industry-leading quality, and its stock price. So did a string of glitches and recalls involving various Ford vehicles. New models like the European-inspired Lincoln LS and its Jaguar S-Type sister did not sell as expected. Mazda, Dearborn's longtime Japanese affiliate, was having sales trouble, too, a further drain on corporate coffers.

And there was worse. 5.45 billion in 2001, which only accelerated declines in market share and stock price. We mention all this because it helps understand Mustang's path into the 21st Century. And for all the corporate turmoil, Mustang fared quite well, starting with the major makeover of its SN95/Fox-4 platform, which traced its origins to the 1979 model. The 1999 Mustang benefited from "New Edge Design," a geometric approach with crisp lines and deliberately jarring graphic elements set against rounded forms. Keep reading to learn all about the '99 Mustangs, both inside and out. The turn of the century saw hard times for Ford, but the Mustang team plowed ahead with a '99 redesign to celebrate the original pony car's 35th anniversary. Because it was basically a "geometric" approach, with crisp lines and deliberately jarring graphic elements set against rounded forms, New Edge did not translate easily to the Fox-4. AutoWeek likened the restyled coupe as "akin to putting a baseball cap on a shoebox." Still, Mustang designers under Ken Grant managed a fresh look that was also "retro" and fun.

The grille was a narrowed but deeper trapezoid whose running-horse mascot was again corralled in chrome on base and GT models. A large dummy scoop was set into a more visibly domed hood above wider wraparound headlamp clusters. Body sides were pulled out, wheel openings newly flared. The rear end was modernized with larger, squared-up vertical taillamps and a trunklid made of light, plasticlike sheet molding compound. Bumpers bulked up as well. All '99 Mustangs were considered 35th Anniversary models (dated from 1964, of course), but only base and GT versions wore this celebratory front-fender emblem. Last but not least were front-fender emblems proclaiming Mustang's 35th birthday with a traditional "pony tricolor" circled in chrome. All '99 Mustangs got this emblem but about 5000 GT models got a special 35th Anniversary trim package. 2695, it included 17-inch five-spoke wheels, applied side scoops, another raised scoop and black striping for the hood, unique rocker moldings, rear spoiler, taillamp appliques, and a specific black-and-silver interior with leather upholstery, aluminum shift knob, and logo floormats.

As expected, mid-April brought more birthday bashes at Charlotte and in Southern California. And in a nice bit of timing, the U.S. Postal Service issued a special stamp late in the year to honor Mustang as one of 15 American icons of the 1960s. Pictured on the stamp was -- what else? There was little celebrating in the sales office, however, as model-year volume dropped by nearly a fourth to 133,637 units. The "dot-bomb" debacle and other bad economic news didn't help, nor did higher prices for the many '99 upgrades. Mustang engineers were concerned with improved handling and refinement for the '99 lineup. To learn how Paul Giltinan and his team accomplished that task, keep reading. Improved handling and refinement were the goals of chassis engineers under Paul Giltinan. Side rails were fully boxed, with insulating foam in the rocker-panel areas. Better floorpan sealing also helped lessen road noise. Convertibles gained underbody "rail extenders" designed to reduce structural shudder. For agility, rear track on all models was widened by 1.4 inches (thus equaling the front dimension), and a 1.5-inch higher transmission tunnel allowed a little more upward wheel travel.