Posted on 11/17/2018 7:47:23 AM PST by ETL
Yeah, definitely jumped the shark in 1974. Autos got so ugly and generic in the mid ‘70s-onward. Even today, so many designs are banal. No class, no style. Nothing memorable.
Yikes ! Looks like it was designed by the same group that did the Griswold Family Truckster.
Slower and much heavier than the 93. Even the 94 Cobra version was pathetic.
There are stories of Dan Gurney, after his “retirement” getting into race cars he had never driven and turning better times than the ranked drivers who competed in them.
He had a natural ability few others share.
I had a company car, a Buick Century, in 1974. When I was working in the high desert of Arizona, I needed to be able to spot cattle on the open range when I was coming home late at night from work. On the Arizona back roads, I was often doing 75 mph at night. I installed KC Hilites with Aircraft Landing Lights on my bumper. I could spot those black cows a mile away on a moonless night! Never did hit a single cow.
It really is the driver.
Anyone with a drivers license could borrow one for the course, and everyone got three tries.
The winner was a Triumph TR-3, 2nd was a Cobra, and 3rd was me in my 36-HP VW Karmann-Ghia!
I love the old Karmann -Ghias!
That one looks like an SVO. I recall they made that limited edition model for only two years—maybe ‘84 and ‘85. The motor was the 2.3 liter four turbocharged and inter-cooled. Five speed with race car quality limited slip diff, suspension and brakes. Reportedly the special parts that came stock cost more than the car’s list price. Quite capable of embarrassing drivers of much more expensive European sports cars on the back roads.
2005
We should thank God for the Mustang II.
That car was truer to the vision of the 64 1/2 Mustang than was the ‘73 Torino style Mustang. Which was NOT a pony car.
If it were not for the Mustang II, there would be no mustangs today.
Looks like a pinto. Worst one ever built. Am embarrassment at best and made car enthusiasts weep.
First generation (1965–1973)
____________________________________________
This is incorrect. The first generation ended in 1970.
A much bigger and heavier Mustang Debuted in 1971 and lasted through 1973.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ford_Mustang_(first_generation)#1971–1973
That info in my excerpts at the top was from Wikipedia. I meant to link to the source as I almost also do with my info, but forgot.
In any case, ‘63-’73 absolutely had the same basic look. It was ‘74 when the design fell off a cliff and they became an embarrassment, which, IMO, lasted until the cool retros came out in 2005.
From Wiki again...
“The first-generation Ford Mustang was manufactured by Ford from March 1964 until 1973.
The introduction of the Mustang created a new class of automobile known as the pony car.
The Mustang’s styling, with its long hood and short deck, proved wildly popular and inspired a host of competition.
It was initially introduced on April 17, 1964, as a hardtop and convertible with the fastback version put on sale in August 1964.
At the time of its introduction, the Mustang, sharing its underpinnings with the Falcon, was slotted into a compact car segment.
With each revision, the Mustang saw an increase in overall dimensions and in engine power. The 1971 model saw a drastic redesign to its predecessors.
After an initial surge, sales were steadily declining, as Ford began working on a new generation Mustang.
With the onset of the 1973 oil crisis, Ford was prepared, having already designed the smaller Mustang II for the 1974 model year. This new car had no common components with preceding models.”
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ford_Mustang_(first_generation)
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