Category: Ford Mustang

1994-’95 Ford Mustang GT Buyer’s Guide – Matt Litwin @Hemmings

1994-’95 Ford Mustang GT Buyer’s Guide – Matt Litwin @Hemmings

Advertisements

It’s time to put some old opinions about Detroit’s “late-model” cars from the ’80s and ’90s to pasture, in particular that they lack character. In terms of the performance car market, the ’80s was a time of renewed interest in power and speed, and Detroit was finally making things progressively more interesting in showrooms. Today, performance cars of that period offer excellent value and remain practical drivers, while also delivering a dose of nostalgia to those of us who fondly recall these models when they were new.

The Generation-X bunch learned quickly that cars such as the 1987 Ford Mustang GT offered thrilling straight-line acceleration with a respectable ability to manage lateral G-forces thanks to a tuned suspension. Continued fuel management engineering yielded another bonus, as the 5.0-liter small-block sipped noticeably less fuel than many of its performance V-8 predecessors.

These same enthusiasts also discovered that the generation of Mustangs to follow the Fox offered numerous improvements. The 1994-’95 Ford Mustang GT boasted sleeker styling, more power, and improved handling. Nearly three decades later, the redesigned “SN-95” Mustang is getting a second glance, not only from those who want to rekindle a relationship with their old flame, but from others who have discovered that ’90s performance is both underrated and remarkably affordable… for now, at least.

The standard GT engine remained the high-output 5.0-liter. Minimal upgrades to the 302-cu.in. V-8 meant it was now rated for 215 hp.

ENGINES

In true performance fashion, the GT’s engine remained a spritely 5.0-liter V-8, which translated to 302 cubic inches, but to clear the redesigned body, a new low-profile intake manifold was used. Internally, a 4.00 x 3.00-inch bore and stroke, as well as a 9.0:1 compression ratio, were carry-over measurements, but the new corporate EEC-V electronic engine management system controlled it all. Coupled with the continued use of a roller-cam valvetrain, 60-mm throttle body, tuned stainless-steel tubular headers and a dual exhaust system, the high-output 302 was now rated at 215 hp (10 more than the last Fox-body 5.0 the year before, though that rating had been dropped from 225 hp in 1992) and 285 lb-ft of torque.The reconfigured 5.0 was also used in the GT the following year, which seemed to bother no one, since the Ford small-block was familiar to fans of performance Mustangs and had proven somewhat bulletproof during the Fox era. It also remains easily rebuildable thanks to a vast supply of OE and aftermarket parts. Just as compelling, aftermarket parts suppliers have been able to support the needs of those who desire increases in power output from the V-8 in the early SN-95 models.

The newly redesigned SN-95 Ford Mustang GT was introduced alongside Mustangs from the past.

DRIVETRAIN

The 1994-’95 Mustang GT was delivered with one of just two transmissions. The standard unit was the then-familiar BorgWarner T-5 five-speed manual, introduced to the Mustang with the 1983 model that, by 1993, could manage 300 lb-ft of torque. Optional was Ford’s “electronically controlled” four-speed automatic with overdrive, often referred to as the AOD-E.

Regardless of which transmission was ordered, all V-8 Mustangs received Ford’s 8.8-inch rear axle fitted with a Traction-Lok limited-slip differential as standard equipment, initially containing a final drive ratio of 2.73:1. Ford soon made the 3.08 gearset optional in manual cars, with the 3.27 available in automatics. Changing ring-and-pinion sets has long been a common practice to improve acceleration, and the 8.8-inch axle is well supported both by Ford and the aftermarket, with many additional ratios available

Read on

Looking Back At The “Stockholm Syndrome” 1971 Ford Mustang Getaway Car – Mark J McCourt @Hemmings

Advertisements

It sometimes happens that an ordinary car becomes famous through extraordinary circumstances, like the Triumph Herald whose inadvertent parking spot on Abbey Road made it part of pop culture royalty. Perhaps infamous might be the more appropriate term for an otherwise unremarkable 1971 Ford Mustang Hardtop. It was one of more than 65,000 built; it just happened to have been sold new in Sweden.

That Swedish pony car also just happened to play a small but important role in one of the most internationally famous bank heists of the 20th century, and it recently came up for online auction with the firm, Bilweb Auctions.

The Ford, chassis 1TO1F100286 and license plate AMP 083, is known today as the Norrmalmstorgsdramat Mustang. It was to be the getaway car for Jan-Erik “Janne” Olsson and Clark Olofsson, Olsson being the man who, on August 23, 1973, held up the Kreditbanken at Norrmalmstorg in Stockholm, and set off a five-day saga that involved four bank employee hostages and the demand for freedom of notorious criminal Olofsson, then in Swedish prison. This event, and the hostages’ ultimate reactions to the robber who held them captive, led to the coining of the psychological term, “Stockholm Syndrome.”

The history of this blue Mustang—factory-equipped with a 2-bbl.-carbureted 302-cu.in. V-8 and C4 SelectShift Cruise-O-Matic automatic—was quite interesting from the start, as it had diplomatic ties, having been purchased new by the Embassy of Brazil in Stockholm. From the fall of 1971 through the time of the siege, it belonged to Kenth Svensson, the on-duty policeman who was shot in the hand during the drama.

The car was parked in front of the bank with a full tank of fuel, as demanded by Olsson, but was never used; the hostage crisis was ended with no fatalities or criminal escape.Its five days of fame over, the Mustang faded into obscurity, being sold off and eventually heavily modified with the intent to turn it into a drag car. It was last registered in 1987, when it showed 46,600 kilometers, or 28,956 miles. Bilweb Auctions tells its history:

After the robbery, he used it as a utility vehicle for the family became too large and it was sold to Mats Fahlgren in Umeå. Mats drove the car until 1987 when he had to rebuild the car for drag racing (he then had no idea about the history). The car was emptied of interior, wheelhouses at the back were widened and rebuilt at the front. A roll bar and some reinforcements had time to be fitted before a reporter came to do a report on the car and the history was discovered for Mats. Then he decided to interrupt the construction and parked the car with parts in a dry lodge.

It stood there until 2019 when the current owner Fredrik Johansson in Trensum bought it and aimed to build it completely original. He has meanwhile collected a lot of parts and a donor car that is included in this auction. As the time is difficult for Fredrik who is self-employed, he chooses to sell this exciting object on to someone who wants to take over.

Read on

After 45 Years, a 1967 Shelby G.T. 500 Is Transformed From a Racer Into a Show Winner – David Conwill @Hemmings

Advertisements
  • Photography by Jeff Koch, restoration photos courtesy of Quality Muscle Car Restorations LLC

If you pay under $100,000 for an authentic 1967 Shelby G.T. 500 these days, you’re doing pretty well. It’s not at all uncommon for nice examples to tickle the quarter-million mark at auction. Rare and exclusive to begin with, Shelbys have only gone up in value as the young men and women who wanted one when they were new have now reached the peak of their disposable income and free time. A Shelby like this was the dream of every Fordophile teen in the late ’60s, but they only built 2,050 of them, so they’ve always been an exclusive car.

Not every 17-year-old in 1967 could own a new Shelby G.T. 500, either, but John Briggs could. That’s because his mother, Mitzi Stauffer Briggs, was an heir to the Stauffer Chemical fortune and could easily afford the $4,714.67 sticker price. His father, also named John, had flown fighter planes during World War II. Perhaps unsurprising, then, that the big-block pony car seemed a perfect fit for the teenager with both money and a taste for high performance. Maybe it was, as that teen went on to become an adult who regularly competed in the Formula 2, Formula 5000, Formula Atlantic, and Can-Am racing series before his untimely death from leukemia at age 46 in 1996.

A G.T. 500 was a lot of car for any driver, thanks in large part to the 355-hp, 428-cu.in. “Cobra Le Mans” V-8 — an FE-series big-block topped with two four-barrel carburetors. The ’500 only became possible for the 1967 model year because Ford had widened the engine bay in the Mustang to accommodate the FE-series 390 in its GT models. Shelby recognized immediately that where a 390 fit, so would go a 427 or 428. The milder, more streetable 428 got the nod for all but three special 427 powered 1967 GT500s that left Shelby American.

Based on casting dates, this seems to be the original 428. The first owner raced it and the car still wore period speed parts when restoration began. Luckily, most of the factory gear was still with the car

As a part of the package, Shelby also included additional cooling, a suspension beefed up for handling, a special steering wheel, a deluxe interior, an integrated roll bar, a remote mirror, a tach, and additional gauges to monitor oil pressure and amps. The G.T. 500 also included power steering, power disc brakes, shoulder belts, a radio, and a fold-down rear seat. The four-speed was a no-cost option and California emissions equipment was mandatory.

Right off the lot, Car and Driver discovered a G.T. 500 was capable of 0 to 60 mph in 6.5 seconds and a quarter-mile run in just 15 seconds at 95 mph. Box stock, it was a highly capable machine and a flourishing aftermarket existed to make any muscle car even more muscular.

Despite its impressive equipment list and the current desirability of all things Shelby, young John didn’t keep his G.T. 500 long, selling it to the family gardener, Joe Tanouye, for $1,500 in August 1969. In the two years he owned it, however, John made extensive use of the car, road racing it at Laguna Seca (now WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca) and drag racing it. He also took advantage of many aftermarket parts for his Shelbyized pony car

A “For Sale” sign discovered in the Shelby during disassembly boasted that the car was capable of accelerating from 0 to 120 mph in 12.5 seconds, thanks to over $6,000 in modifications, including Traction Master bars, an Isky Racing camshaft kit, headers by Doug [Thorley], 4.11 gears, Super-Duty Monroe load-leveler rear shocks, a Hurst shifter, American Racing mag wheels, Goodyear tires (inside rear-wheel arches radiused to accommodate slicks), and a magneto with dual coils. The sign also suggested that the interior had been gutted, though it was included in the sale.

What was missing was the entirety of the California emissions equipment, which prevented Tanouye from ever registering the car for road use during his ownership. Instead, it sat on a paved slab behind his house in Redwood City, California, until 2014. Joe Tanouye had died in 2012 and his son, Nick, put the car up for sale. It was spotted by Ward Gappa, of Quality Muscle Car Restorations LLC, in Scottsdale, Arizona.

Ward was impressed with the completeness and low mileage of the old Shelby and acquired it to restore, although it had been “beat to death in its first two years.” That decision was bolstered by the lack of rust and early ownership history, making it what Ward felt was a “good investment.”

Read on

Like The Beatles, The Mustang’s Influences Went Far and Wide – Terry McGean @Hemmings

Advertisements

I was watching a documentary on the Beatles recently and it made me realize that I’ve been hearing their music for my entire life. It’s quite possible one of their songs may even have played on the car radio as my parents drove home from the hospital after I was born, given that it was New York City during the late ’60s; in that time and place, the sounds of the Fab Four were somewhat ubiquitous.

In a sort of similar way, I’ve been seeing Ford Mustangs my whole life — something else that was introduced to America in 1964 and an integral part of the landscape by the decade’s close. By the time I was old enough to be conscious of popular music and cars, both the Beatles and the Mustang felt like very familiar elements of the background of everyday life, even though by then the group had split and Ford’s original pony had morphed into the Mustang II —the early works were still everywhere you’d turn.

And just as the Beatles inspired the formation of many other bands, some that went on to be hugely popular in their own right, the Mustang triggered imitators from Ford’s competitors that became icons themselves. You can debate over whether we’d have had The Who without the Beatles, but there’s little doubt that without the Mustang, there’d have been no Camaro.

I’m certainly glad things played out the way they did, and that the resulting impact was lasting. I saw The Who live in 1989 and I’ve owned a ’69 Camaro since a few years prior to that. The Camaro was not my first car —that was a Chevelle —but once I’d experienced the first-generation F-body, I was hooked. It just seemed like the perfect size for a car —big enough to comfortably house a V-8 engine, hold at least four people, and with a trunk that was sized to be useful.

Read on

Why the 1971-’73 Mustang Is My Preferred Pony – Matt Litwin @Hemmings

Advertisements

By Matt Litwin from December 2021 issue of Muscle Machines

In This ArticleCategory: Hemmings Classic CarDuring the 2018 AACA Fall Meet, I had the unexpected pleasure of spending some time with retired Ford stylist Gale Halderman, who has since sadly passed away. If you’re not familiar with the name, Gale began his employment at Ford Motor Company in 1954, but within a decade the otherwise unassuming employee was thrust into a path of what would prove to be automotive greatness, at least in the eyes of today’s classic car enthusiasts. It started when Gale submitted his early sports car concept sketch — one of what turned out to be a field of 24 such renderings — to project planners for review. Gale’s drawing struck a chord, and he was subsequently selected by Lee Iacocca, special projects manager Hal Sperlich, and Ford studio chief Joe Oros to oversee the design of a new car that was eventually named Mustang.

Gale’s time with the Mustang didn’t stop with the smashing success of its first year on the market. He was destined to serve as the car’s design chief for another eight years, and his advances led to the development of the 1965 2+2 fastback and 1967 SportsRoof. In 1968, Gale was promoted to director of the Lincoln-Mercury design studio, a stint in the luxury divisions that lasted less than a decade. Why? Who better to oversee the development of the Fox-platform Mustang — introduced in 1979 — than the designer responsible for “the original” pony car?

Despite creating a legacy of automotive design that should register with old car enthusiasts as easily as Darrin, Earl, and a host of others, Gale, it seemed to me, hovered below the radar and remained a humble Ford employee who was simply proud of being in the right place at the right time, throughout his career. You could hear it in his voice that fall afternoon, as he thoughtfully reflected on his time at Ford

Read on.

Will it run? Starting up a 1969 Ford Mustang Mach 1 for the first time in 30 years @Hagerty

Advertisements

Last week you saw us pull this 1969 Ford Mustang Mach 1 out of a pole barn it had been sitting in for nearly 30 years. Unfortunately, she didn’t start up on the first attempt, but that didn’t deter Davin as he set to work gathering a few parts to get her back up and running. So, join us as we get a little greasy and hopefully hear this classic roar again. Be sure to check out part 1 here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FB4zE…

The winningest Shelby on record – a 1965 G.T.350R – is scheduled to cross the auction block – Matt Litwin @Hemmings

Advertisements

Serial number SFM5R538 is confirmed as one of just 34 “production” G.T.350R models built by Shelby American in 1965 for racing, which then became the winningest Shelby of any kind on record. All images courtesy of Mecum Auctions.

There are Mustangs, and then there are Shelby Mustangs. But even within that rarified subset of Ford’s pony car, there are special examples that stand out among the herd, such as the car pictured above: A 1965 Shelby G.T.350R that is almost certainly the winningest Shelby of any type ever created. It’s one of many vehicles of special distinction going up for sale during this year’s Monterey Car Week – simply known as either Monterey among vintage vehicle enthusiasts, or Pebble Beach due to the renowned concours d’elegance that anchors the festivities. This particular car will be presented to bidders by Wisconsin-based Mecum Auctions at the company’s usual Monterey location, at the Hyatt Regency Hotel and Spa – Del Monte Golf Course.

Like most early Shelby-built Mustangs, this one is known by its serial number, SFM5R538. Shelby American Automobile Club (SAAC) documents confirmed that its legacy began as an order from Shelby American to Ford Motor Company in March 1965. The basic Mustang’s construction commenced at the San Jose assembly line the following month. Delivered first to the Shelby team, it was assigned Work Order No. 17535, which converted the early pony into a G.T.350R, a process that stretched nearly six months

The conversion to race-ready B/Production trim meant this G.T.350R was equipped with an independent front suspension, with adjustable coil springs and front disc brakes, as well as a live-axle rear suspension with leaf springs. Cooling for the all-important brake system was achieved in part by a special fiberglass front body apron and rear ductwork. A set of American Racing magnesium Torq Thrust wheels allowed for the use of pavement-gripping, wider-than-stock competition tires. Additionally, the incorporation of plexiglass windows aided both safety and weight. Power was derived from a Hi-Po 289-cu.in. V-8 engine fitted with a special 715-cfm Holley four-barrel carburetor on a counter-accessory Cobra high-rise intake manifold. Completing the engine build were Tri-Y headers, an external oil cooler, and a high-capacity Ford radiator. Behind the engine sat a Borg-Warner T-10 four-speed manual transmission.

Read on

How did this RARE MUSCLE CAR end up HERE?! – @DennisCollins Coffee Walk

Advertisements

Another excellent find from Dennis and the team

Welcome to Coffee Walk Ep. 152! This past week we took off from the shop in Wylie, Texas and set out for a 1,000 mile one-day round-trip up to Alton, Missouri to rescue a 1967 Mustang that is said to be in the most desirable color with the two most sought after mechanical options. How in the world did that car end up here?! Well sit back, grab your cup of joe and give it a watch to find out!

The Fox-body Ford Mustang is the best blank canvas pony car | Buyer’s Guide – @Hagerty

Advertisements

Hagerty’s Editor-at-Large Sam Smith takes a look at the Fox-body Ford Mustang and offers a general overview of the highly affordable but highly variable third-generation pony car. With an easy-to-modify structure, Sam not only covers the pluses and minuses of the Mustang’s massive aftermarket, but also the nuances of owning, buying, and maintaining this iconic classic.

Episode chapters: