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Mustang II, Mustang Too!
From The Saddle...
by Jim Smart - Editor
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New Years resolutions are a game we play with ourselves. Some of us resolve to lose weight, other of us promise we'll gamble less, or spend less money on our Mustangs. I'd like to share one of my New Year's resolutions with you. I'd like to see more positive attention given Mustang IIs in 1994 and here's why.
Does any of us understand that the Mustang name owes its very survival to the Mustang II? Had there been no Mustang II, there wouldn't be a Mustang today. The Mustang name, much like Camaro and Firebird, nearly lost its life in the early 1970s. Sales took a tumble for Mustang, Camaro and Firebird in 1972, and Detroit was ready to bail out of the pony car market, a market the Japanese might have conquered had it not been for American muscle. And while the Mustang experienced a brief sales "spike" for 1973, sales figures didn't impress anyone, especially the bean counters who wanted the Mustang dead and buried.
Mustang sales in 1973 topped out at 134,867 units, up nearly 10,000 from 1972, but certainly way down from a high of 607,658 in 1966. The 1974 Mustang II was a battery charging for Mustang sales with a bean counter pleasing 385,993 units sold that first year. It jump started the Mustang movement, inspiring many of us to buy older models. It also inspired many of us to buy new ones. And, Mustangers, Mustang sales haven't been this high since.
In 1979, there was a lot of enthusiasm for the all-new Fox platform Mustang. However, sales reached just 332,024 units, some 54,000 units less than 1974. Sales declined after 1979 to a new low of 108,438 units in 1983. In the years since 1989, sales have dipped below 100,000 units. Yet we favor the flavor of the 5.0 liter ships that can never hope to match the sales of the Mustang II. Tell me something, which generation of Mustang was more popular?
Mustang II, a rebodied Pinto? Indeed it was - and with a lot of engineering refinements. If being a rebodied Pinto is so sinful, then what of the 1965 Mustang - a rebodied Falcon? And 1979? A rebodied Fairmont. Typically, the Mustang has always been a rebodied something because it has always been based on another car's platform, good economic sense if you want an affordable sporty car. One automotive executive once referred to the 1965 as a "Hamtramck Falcon," and we're not so certain he meant it all that kindly.
The Mustang II will never enjoy the popularity of its siblings, but it is just as much an integral part of Mustang history. Even Lee Iacocca posed with the 1974 Mustang II and a 1965 Mustang for Ford press releases and advertisements. Henry Ford II personally delivered a Wimbledon White 1974 Mustang II Ghia to Japan to prove to the Japanese that America could build small cars. Does this not constitute a historical signifigance for the breed?
When we look at Mustang history, the Mustang II is a logical progression of the breed. Few of us look back at the 1970s with fond memories. Vehicle emissions and safety standards toughened at a rate faster than Detroit could engineer for. As a result, cars grew big ugly bumpers, lost horsepower and driveability, and were harder to work on. This wasn't a shortcoming unique to the Mustang II, it happened to all cars in the 1970s. Yet I don't see 1975 Camaros ignored at Chevy events, nor do I see 1974 'Cudas and Challengers asked to park at the back of Mopar muscle car shows either.
The competition gives each of us its generations mutual respest. What does that say for us as Mustang enthusiasts? Are we guilty of automobile prejudiced in our hobby? Shame on us for not being more progressive as enthusiasts.
Mustang II owners face an even greater challenge than struggle with acceptance. They face the challenge of how to restore a vehicle where available parts are few, not to mention technical information and restoration tidbits. Next time you see the beautifully restored King Cobra or Ghia, consider what it took, then count your blessings and compliment the owner's effort. As owners of 1965 convertibles or even 1973 Mach 1s, we take for granted the resources available to us as restorers. The Mustang II owners has none of this. They understand the true meaning of digging, especially challengine when the only resources they have are used and NOS.
Progressive parts vendors are beginning to stock NOS and reproduction parts for Mustang IIs, and they're selling parts. Mustang magazines with progressive attitudes have long recognized the Mustang II for what it is - an integral part of Mustang history - and they're enjoying subscription growth.
Probably the biggest stigma facing the Mustang II isn't its looks or performance, but its name - Mustang "II". The name is a psychological barrier that seperated this generation of Mustang from the rest of the breed. Information from insiders at Ford give us pause, however. The 1979 Mustang nearly became the "Mustang III". And what if that had actually happened, then what? Would we have shunned the 5.0 liter "Mustang IIIs" because they weren't "Mustangs?" Think about it, the name does not a car make.
The 1994 summer shows and excitement, not to mention the 30th Mustang Anniversary Celebration, are just a few months off. But let's adjust our mindset for 1994 with a new attitude for the Mustang's next 30 years because we're going to need it.
Let's reach out in 1994 and give Mustang IIs and their owners the respect they need and deserve. Indirectly, the future of our hobby depends on it because, United - we stand, Divided - we will surely fall.
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