first-generation pony car had already
undergone its fourth major facelift, growing
in every dimension to accommodate even
bigger engines. The ’
71 Mustang featured
an extended nose with a body that was
wider, close to a foot longer and around
600 pounds heavier than the original. The
SportsRoof-only Mach 1 model was now
Ford's bread-and-butter enthusiast model,
especially with the optional new big-block
429 Cobra Jet engine, good for 370
horsepower.
There were only minor changes on tap for
Mustang in 1972 and ’ 73, most of them
dealing with the options list and the
continuing emasculation of engine
offerings and horsepower in the face of
emissions and fuel economy regulations,
as well as the elimination of a convertible.
The automotive performance world soon
came to a screeching halt in the wake of
an oil embargo and resulting gas
shortages, forcing most Americans to
abandon their muscle cars and
V-8-powered rides in favor of smaller,
more fuel-efficient vehicles. Ford saw the
market shift as the perfect time to return
its pony car to its roots – a compact,
affordable, sporty car whose styling and
image captured the spirit and imagination
of the American public.
When the new-from-the-ground-up,
second-generation Mustang II was
launched for the 1974 model year, it was
the first Mustang equipped with a
four-cylinder engine. An all-new 2.3-liter
I-4 produced around 90 horses as the
standard powerplant for the downsized
Mustang II - yet performance was roughly
equivalent to the previous Mustang’ s big
inline six. The Mustang II was available as
a hardtop two-door notchback coupe or a
three-door hatchback-style fastback.
Buyers had a choice of either I-4 or V-6
power, as well as a three-speed automatic
or four-speed manual transmissions. To
keep Mustang’ s performance image going even in a world where consumers favored
fuel economy over horsepower, an
enthusiast-focused Mustang II Mach 1
model was offered as a three-door
hatchback-style fastback, replete with
bucket seats.
There
’s little question that the saving grace
for the Mustang II’ s performance
reputation came when Ford finally realized
it needed to put the 302 V-8 back onto the
Mustang option list for 1975-78. The V-8
was available in any model, but first only
mated to a three-speed automatic
transmission, as a four-speed manual was
delayed a full year until a suitable clutch
could be tooled up. The two-barrel 302
shoehorned into the Mustang II got
catalytic converters to help meet 1976 ’s
tighter emissions standards, and saw an
increase to 139 horsepower – nearly equal
to the ’ 73’s standard V-8 power level. The
Mach 1’ s optional Competition Suspension
package offered stiffer springs, adjustable
shock absorbers and fatter front and rear
stabilizer bars to improve handling, and
kept it a popular enthusiast choice over all
five years of Mustang II's production. By
the dawn of the third-generation Mustang,
the Mach name would not return again to
the Mustang line until some 25 years later.
After the 1979-93 Fox Body Mustang years
had come and gone with the reintroduction
of a GT model, new sheet metal on a
revamped SN-95 platform helped to
rekindle consumer interest in a
fourth-generation Ford Mustang.
Enthusiasts lavished their attention upon
the 1993-1999 Mustang Cobra
performance model developed by the Ford
Special Vehicle Team skunkworks group,
while Ford engineers looked to specialty
models to fill the mid-market slot between
the standard Mustang GT and the
upmarket Cobra.
5
2022 Mustang (CZG) Mach 1, enUSA, Edition date: 202110, First-Printing Introduction
