Ford Mustang variants

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Ford and other third party companies offered their own modified versions of popular Mustang in order to cater performance centric enthusiast who wants more power, sharper handling and better styling. Although most of the Mustang variants were aimed at enthusiast with an exception with the Special Service Package (or SSP), which was design for law enforcement.

[edit] Third party modifications

[edit] Shelby Mustang

Main article: Shelby Mustang

Carroll Shelby converted the Mustang GT into a racing machine designed to challenge Corvette. One of Shelby's modified vehicles was the 1965 Shelby GT-350R.

Automobile racer Carroll Shelby transformed a conventional Mustang into a serious track racer designated as the "GT-350." The fastbacks were shipped from the San Jose, California assembly plant and fitted with a Hi-Po 289, four-speed manual transmission, and included front disc brakes. Additionally, shortened hoods and deleted rear seats with identifying trim were among the visual variations. These select Mustangs were converted to street, road racing, and drag cars in Shelby's plant at Los Angeles International Airport.

[edit] Roush

Roush Performance, established by former Ford engineer Jack Roush in 1988, had been known for providing performance parts, vehicles and engines. In 2001, the company introduced three packages for the Mustang. Stage 1 came with 17-inch wheels, a lowered suspension and a side-mounted exhaust system. In addition, it came with an air dam, side skirts and a rear spoiler. Stage 2 upgraded Stage 1 with 18-inch alloy wheels and BF Goodrich Comp TA. The suspension was extensively modified with Bilstein shocks, High-rate springs, stiffer anti-roll bars and new control arms. Roush claimed it achieved 1.0g lateral acceleration and was on par with the Porsche 911 Turbo. Both Stage 1 and Stage 2 came with V6 or V8 engine options. The top of the line was the Stage 3, with 360 Hp (268 kW) and 375 ft-lbs (508 Nm). The Stage 3 platform was essentially a heavily modified Mustang GT. The Ford Modular 4.6 L V8 was upgraded with an Eaton supercharger, a new intake manifold, high performing fuel injectors, an air-to-water intercooler and a lighter flywheel (on the manual transmission only). ^[1] The Stage 3 was available in three packages: Sport, Rally and Premium.

In 2007, now based on an S-197 Mustang, Roush introduced the Sport and 427R editions. The Sport package became the Roush base model, and comes with body kits and high performance exhaust systems. The Stage 1 comes with 18-inch chrome wheels and aggressive tires, a high performance exhaust system, body kits and a vast option menu of visual upgrades. The Stage 2 enhances the Stage 1, by upgrading the stock suspension with high performance front struts, rear shocks, front and rear springs, front and rear sway bars, and Pinion snubbers. The Stage 3 comes with 18-inch, forged chrome wheels and high performance tires, and 14-inch rotors with four-piston calipers. The 4.6 L V8 now has the output of 415 Hp (268.4 kW) and 385 lb-ft (521 Nm) with a Roush supercharger and an air-to-water intercooler. The new top of the line is the 427R, which is based on the Stage 3 Mustang. It produces 115 more horsepower and 65 more lbs-ft of torque than the Stage 3 Mustang, due to an upgraded ECM (Electronic Control Module). In addition, it is equipped with upgraded appearance packages.

[edit] Steeda

Based in Pompano Beach, Florida, Dario Orlando founded Steeda Autosports in 1988 using his years of experience repairing and racing cars. Steeda is one of the largest manufacturers of Ford aftermarket performance parts. In 2003 Steeda introduced Q 400 based from Mustang GT with an advertised 400 Hp (298 kW). The 4.6 L V8 was modified with Vortech centrifugal supercharger, K&N Filter Charger, and FRPP 80mm Mass Air Meter with 70mm throttle body. Fuel is supplied via twin Bosch pumps, and Steeda-spec Borla 2.5-inch stainless pipes and mufflers. Motor Trend magazine made a dyno test on Q 400, equippted with Paxton supercharger, produced 425 Hp (317 kW) from the rear wheels, and 450 Hp (335 kW) horespower from the flywheel. ^[2]

In 2006, Steeda introduced Q 525 and it comes with 5.0  L modular V8 producing 500 Hp (373 kW) and 530 lbs.ft. (719 Nm) of torque. with 5.0 liter Modular with Steeda/Magna Charger supercharger system with intercooler, 62 mm twin -bore throttle body, Steeda/SCT air meter, 60 lbs electronic fuel injectors and Cold Air Kit.

[edit] Ford in-house variants

[edit] California Special

Main article: California Special Mustang

In mid-February 1968, the California Ford Dealers (Ford Dealer Advertising Fund) began to market a factory-built, limited-edition Mustang, called the GT/CS, or "California Special". The hope was for a targeted production run of 5,000, but actually, 4118 were made, which included 251 units that were remarketed in Denver, Colorado, as "High Country Special '68". Production ran for only 5.5 months from mid-February 1968 to early August 1968. A 2007 variant exists as well based on the GT Mustang.

[edit] Mustang Cobra II

The Cobra II was produced from 1976 until the end of production for the Mustang II in 1978. The Cobra II was an appearance package only and offered no true performance upgrades; it was available with the 2.3L four cylinder and the 2.8L V6 in addition to the 5.0L 302 V8 engine. In 1976 and most of 1977 the Cobra II package was installed by Motortown Corporation^[3] for Ford. Starting in late 1977 Ford installed the Cobra II package itself, this continued until the end of production in 1978. A Cobra II was driven by Farrah Fawcett's character Jill Munroe in the TV show Charlie's Angels.

[edit] King Cobra

The King Cobra was produced only for 1978. The King Cobra was available with only the 5.0L V8 engine^[4], and was the first Mustang to carry the 5.0 badge.^[5]

[edit] Mustang SVT Cobra

Main article: Ford Mustang SVT Cobra

The Ford Mustang SVT Cobra is a sports car built by Ford since 1993. It is generally the highest performance version of the Mustang built by Ford, sitting in the model range above the Mustang GT model. On rare occasion, Ford produces a higher-performance Cobra R variant.

[edit] Mustang SVO

Main article: Ford Mustang SVO

Introduced for the 1984 model year, the SVO was intended to be the model that would both reestablish the Mustang as a modern sports coupe and provide a competitor to European and Japanese compact sports coupes of the day. The project became the first for Ford's then-new SVO division, who endowed the car with several suspension and drive train modifications. Power came from an updated and heavily modified version of Ford's 2.3 L OHV inline four-cylinder engine, featuring a new computer-controlled fuel injection system, and an intercooled turbocharger. Power output for early units was 175 horsepower (very good for the day), giving the vehicle a stout 0-60 time with the aid of a factory installed Hurst shifter. Updates to late-production cars boosted power ratings to 205 hp and torque to 245 ft·lbf in mid-year 1985 and was revised to 200 in '86.

[edit] Special Service Package (SSP)

Main article: Ford Mustang SSP

In 1982, the California Highway Patrol asked Ford to produce a capable and lightweight police car due to the bulkiness of current police cars like the Ford Fairmont and LTD/Crown Victoria. Problems also occurred with Chevrolet Camaro’s with their camshafts at pursuit speeds.^[6] Taking the Fox-Platformed 5.0 Mustangs in production at the time, Ford produced the Ford Mustang SSP (Special Service Package), and modified them to suit the needs of the police and law enforcement departments. Nearly 15,000 of these special units were made from 1982 until their discontinuation in 1993.

[edit] Bullitt

In 2001, Ford offered a special version of its GT with the "Bullitt" nameplate. It was reminiscent of the 1968 390 fastback model driven by Steve McQueen in the 1968 movie famous for its high speed chase, Bullitt. The car was designed as a good handler, to become so it was lowered 3/4 inches, received Tokico shocks and short length sub-frame connectors. In addition, a new intake design, high-flow mufflers, and special underdrive pullies helped increase the power to a conservative 265 hp, many owners report numbers closer to the 270-275 range. More telling is the torque curve, which was vastly improved over the base GT models, 90% of its 305 ft·lbf available from 2000 rpm. This broader torque curve makes itself known at the drag strip, as these special edition Mustangs could cover the 1/4 mile in 2-3 tenths of a second quicker and about 2 mph faster than regular GT. The special intake manifolds responded well to superchargers and was well suited for use with nitrous oxide (due to the fact that if there was a nitrous-backfire, the aluminum Bullitt manifold would not be blown apart like its plastic counterpart). 17 inch “American Torq-Thrust" rims, wrapped in 245/45ZR performance rubber by Goodyear, were reminiscent of those on the car driven by McQueen in the movie. These wheels also became available for use on the standard GT as well. The Bullitt featured a large hood scoop reminiscent of the earlier Boss 429 scoop, as well as new side scoops, lower body moldings and c-pillars with unique rear side window shape. Other special features on the Bullitt included aluminum pedals and shifter, retro-styled gauges and seats, red brake calipers with the Mustang logo on them, and the removal of the spoiler and fog lamps regularly found on Mustang GT’s, all for a cleaner look. Braking was also improved with the addition of dual-piston Brembo brakes with 13-inch rotors, the same brakes utilized by the Mustang Cobra. The Bullitt Mustang was offered in only three colors: Dark Highland Green (like Steve McQueen's original 1968 GT Mustang), Black (like the Charger chased by McQueen), and True Blue. Total production was 5,582 units, with 3,041 Dark Highland Green, 1,818 Black, and 723 True Blue. It is rumored that a 2008 or 2009 model is in the planning stages. Among the details are a blacked out rear panel and a plain grille similar to the base V6 Mustang.

[edit] Mach 1

Main article: Ford Mustang Mach 1

Also returning in 2003 was the "Mach 1" nameplate. The original 1969 and 1970 Mustang Mach 1s were (and remain) some of the most popular Mustangs ever, so Ford decided to try to keep interest in the Mustang high until the release of the S-197 with yet another special-edition Mustang. The Mach 1 used a non-supercharged version of the Cobra's 4.6 DOHC V8 which utilized cams from the Lincoln Navigator motor, and it was conservatively rated at 305 hp (310 hp in 2004). Other special features included "retro" interior styling, with seats made to look like the "comfortweave" seats in the original Mach 1s, old-style gauges, and aluminum pedals and shifter. Outside, the Mach 1 featured a striping package and blacked-out spoiler designed to mimic the original Mach 1, "Magnum 500" styled 17-inch wheels, and a "Shaker" hoodscoop. The "Shaker" hoodscoop was special, and so named because it was attached to the engine and stuck out through a hole in the hood, and would move with the torque of the motor. Ford utilized the same casting for the new "Shaker" that they had for the 1969 model year. The Mach 1 was also produced for 2004. Despite having camshafts that produce power at lower rpm, the Mach 1's 4.6 made just as much horsepower as the '01 Cobra, due to the 4-valve heads being revised, the compression being bumped to 10:1, and the ram-air system. It also out-torqued the Cobra, and had 3.55:1 rear gears, making it capable of very low 13-second 1/4 mile ETs and ~106 mph trap speeds with a good driver.

[edit] Anniversary editions

Ford celebrated the Mustang's 20th Anniversary in 1984 by issuing a limited-edition GT model under the designation GT-350. The GT-350 name had not been used since the last Shelby Mustang was produced in 1970. The GT-350 could be ordered in either a hatchback or convertible body style driven by either the high performance 302cid V8 or the 140cid Turbo four. All came in white with special stripes and lettering while inside, SVO style seats were a feature of the all red interior. The 1984 20th anniversary edition GT sported a whole new look for Mustang, including the white monochromatic paint scheme and bold "GT-350" Striping. These Stripes are very reminiscent of the classic Shelby Mustangs Produced in the 1960's. One big mechanical revision for the Anniversary Mustang involved the GT's suspension. This revision was introduced as a running change early in 1984 to ALL GT Mustangs. The rear control arm pivot points were lowered 1/2-inch on the upper end and 1/4-inch on the lower end for improved suspension geometry. In addition, quad shocks replaced the old-style traction bars and the rear anti-roll bar diameter increased to 0.79 inches compared to 0.67 inches in 1983. Another newcomer in 1984 was the introduction of an Automatic Over Drive (AOD) Transmission. This combination could only be purchased with a 302 utilizing a Throttle Body Fuel Injection (TBI) system, also called Central Fuel Injection(CFI). The optional 165 horsepower 5.0L engine with CFI and the 4-speed AOD transmission package was offered with a 3.27:1 axle ratio. The 175 HP 4V version carried over from 1983 was available only with a T-5 manual transmission. The 4V 5-speed was available with a 3.08:1 axle ratio.The 20th Anniversary Edition GT350's were produced during 35 days of production. The entire production is believed to have been done in 35 batches starting March 5th, 1984 and ending in April of 1984, there was one final Anniversary Mustang Convertible (TBI/CFI Automatic) Produced on June 12, 1984.

There was NO official 25th Anniversary model from Ford in 1989, even though this was looked into with several designs on body and performance modifications. All that Ford ended up doing was installing a running horse badge on the passenger side of the dash board, stating "25 Years" on the bottom of the badge. These badges were installed beginning in April of 1989 for one year, until April of 1990, the Anniversary model year. After April of 1990, Ford kept the badges in place, but they were now blank at the bottom, so only the Mustangs built within the Anniversary model year will have the "25 Years" on their badges. Ford also had a "25 Years" water mark on the window sticker with the running horse badge during this time period. That is the whole history of the 25th year of Mustangs from Ford. Unfortunately, we had to wait five more years for some celebratory support from Ford, but again NO official "Anniversary model" from Ford, not even for the 30th model year.

In 1999, Ford produced a special 35th Anniversary Edition of the Mustang.

In 2004, Ford produced a special 40th Anniversary Edition of the Mustang. Available in both Standard and GT editions, it consisted of 40th Anniversary badging, special metallic red paint with gold stripes, enhanced interior, and a few "special" collectible items for the owner. It also marked the end of this design of the Mustang, as 2005 ushered in an all-new model.

[edit] Concepts

[edit] 1962 Ford Mustang I concept

The Ford Mustang I was a small, mid-engined (4 cy1.), open two-seater with aluminum body work, that began life as a design exercise and eventually became the progenitor of the famed Ford Mustang. Although it shared few design elements with the final production vehicle, it did lend its name to the line.

[edit] 2005 Ford Mustang GT concept

The concept 2005 Mustang GT coupe and convertible were debuted at the 2003 North American International Auto Show. They were designed after the production 2005 Mustang was finalized to gauge public reaction to the design.

It’s been 23 years since Ford last started with a clean-sheet for the Mustang, though the latest version – based on the Lincoln LS platform – draws heavily on both the 1967-1968 Mustang and Shelby GT 350/GT500 for its inspiration. Ironically, the original Mustang was an American interpretation of European design aimed at the youngest, fastest-growing segment of the market – Baby Boomers – while the latest version interprets American design through a European lens for aging Baby Boomers.

The Mustang rode on 20" wheels and can sit only two people. They were both powered by a 400-hp supercharged 4.6L V-8, mated to a 6-speed manual in the coupe and a 5-speed automatic transmission in the convertible.

The Mustang’s nose leans forward, and the shoulder line curves in a gently rising arc to the tail. Round headlights nestle deep in their pockets, framing an arched grille and lower intake that accentuate the car’s width. Driving lights are placed outboard, and bisected by a body color strip that defines the lower body.

The Mustang’s sides are nearly straight, beveling toward the beltline and establishing both the upper body character line and the boundary for the side scoop. For the first time in the Mustang’s nearly 40-year existence, the scoop is a fully integrated design element that creates a triangular opening, and flows forward along the chamfered lower body line.

The hood has twin scoops sitting in a U-shaped channel, topped by separate body color panels. This elongates the hood section, creates tailored character lines that flow into the instrument panel’s twin cowl upper section, and provides cold air ducting the supercharged V8.

The interior is trimmed in red leather, black accents, brushed aluminum, and borders on parody with red leather racing style seats draped over black forms atop aluminum pedestals. Similarly, the dash pad “eyebrows” overlook a metal band containing the gauges and vents, and the red lower section. Even the steering wheel is a jarring combination of aluminum and red leather.

More successful is the tail section, which places lights divided into three units on either side of a large badge reminiscent of early Mustang filler caps. The keen-eyed will notice the similarity of the tail lamps’ angled upper section to that of the unlamented Australian-built Capri convertible of the early 1990s, but no one will mistake the clean, crisp design of the Mustang with that of the Blunder From Down Under.

[edit] Giugiaro Mustang concept

At the 2006 Greater Los Angeles Auto Show, Ford debuted the Giugiaro Mustang concept car. It was designed by the Italian car design firm, Italdesign, and led by Fabrizio Giugiaro. Italdesign, led by senior Giorgetto Giugiaro, is famous for designing the 2003 Chevrolet Corvette Moray concept as well as the Ferrari GG50 concept and the 1965 Bertone Mustang, becoming the first European-styled car to debut internationally in America following World War II. The Italian design firm has a long history of car designs ranging from Fiat, Alfa Romeo, Volkswagen, Mazda to Lotus, and Bugatti.

“When we saw the new Mustang, we knew two things: It was the best we’d seen since the original, and we had to get our hands on one,” said Fabrizio Giugiaro, styling director of Italdesign – Giugiaro S.P.A. “We still believe it’s important to show the automotive world pure exercises in style that interpret key models reflecting the history and image of important brands.”^[7]

[edit] References