Modified versions of a car by Ford
Ford Mustang variants are the various versions of the Ford Mustang car, modified either by its manufacturer Ford Motor Company or by third-party companies. Ford and several third-party companies have offered many modified versions of the highly popular Mustang since its creation in 1964 in order to cater to specific portions of the marketplace outside of the mainstream. High-performance enthusiasts seek more powerful, sharper handling, sports cars such as the Shelby Mustang, the Ford Mustang Mach 1, and variants made by Roush Performance and Saleen, while collectors and purists seek limited production and alternate or nostalgic styling, such as is commonly found on many commemorative editions. Still, others were made purely for experimental concepts such as the McLaren M81 and the Ford Mustang SVO, which later influenced production model design. Most variants include both performance upgrades, and unique cosmetic treatments that are typically minimal to maintain the familiar appearance of a stock Mustang. Although most of these Mustang variants were aimed at enthusiasts, an exception was the Special Service Package which was designed specifically for law enforcement. Race variants include the FR500, Boss 302 and Boss 429.
Ford.
Concepts.
1962 Ford Mustang I concept.
The Ford Mustang I was a small, mid-engined (4-cylinder), 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.
1963 Ford Mustang II.
The Ford Mustang II is a small, front-engined (V8), open "two-plus-two" concept car built by the Ford Motor Company in 1963. Although bearing the same name as the first generation production Mustang, the four-seater Mustang II which closely resembled the final production variant that would appear in 1964, was intended primarily for the auto show circuit. After debuting at the 1963 Watkins Glen Grand Prix, the Mustang II had a short lifespan as a show car before being relegated to the task of "test mule". The sole example still exists, albeit in storage at the Detroit Historical Museum.
1993 Ford Mustang Mach III concept.
Unveiled in 1993 at the Detroit International Auto Show, this concept gave us a peek into the Mustang's near future. Although not all that close in design to the actual 1994 production model, it did offer Mustang fanatics some insight and hints on where Ford was going with their flagship. It was powered by a supercharged 4.6L DOHC V-8 supplying .
2004 Ford Mustang GT concept.
The concept 2004 Mustang GT coupe and convertible were debuted at the 2003 North American International Auto Show. They were designed after the production 2004 Mustang was finalized to gauge public reaction to the design.
The design of the Mustang was created from scratch, the first in 23 years. However, the latest version draws heavily on the design both the 1967–1968 Mustang and Shelby GT 350/GT500. 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 2-seater Mustang GT was powered by a supercharged 4.6L V-8, mated to a 6-speed manual in the coupe and a 5-speed automatic transmission in the convertible. 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.
Notable features on the Mustang GT include 20-inch wheels, a nose which leans forward, and a 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 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.
The tail section divides lights into three units on either side of a large badge reminiscent of early Mustang filler caps. There is a similarity of the tail lamps' angled upper section to that of the Australian-built Capri convertible of the early 1990s.
2005 Mustang GT-R Concept.
The GT-R was a concept by Ford to signal a focus on the racing market. The concept car had a new 5.0 "Cammer" V8 engine with and a wider body. Its Valencia Orange color was inspired by Grabber Orange 1970 Mustang Boss 302 Trans-Am race cars. Notable design changes from the base model included GT-R wheels, Brembo brakes, Pirelli slick tires and a more aggressive look.
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, and Mazda, to Lotus, Maserati 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."
Production.
Ford T-5.
In addition to selling the Mustang in North America, Ford saw the importance of marketing the sporty car overseas as well, especially to American military personnel. However, the name "Mustang" was copyrighted by German manufacturing conglomerate Krupp which prevented Ford from using the name there. Therefore, Ford re-badged Mustangs bound for export to Germany with the T-5 name. All references to the Mustang name, including the steering wheel hub, side nameplates, the grille, and rear fuel filler, were blanked out, replaced by the words "FORD" only. The "T-5" emblem graced the front fender behind the wheel well, where the "Mustang" nameplate (and horse emblem) were located on other Mustangs.
Other than this, they were exactly the same as Mustangs elsewhere. Virtually all models and packages for the Mustang were available for the T-5 including the GT. After 1979 Krupp's brand rights on the Mustang name expired, so all Mustangs imported to Germany after 1980 kept the name Mustang.
The T-5 designation also applied to the 13 prototypes that were built before the first generation Mustang went into production. The 1963 Ford Mustang II concept car also briefly bore the T-5 designation. In 1962, Ford Vice-president Lee Iacocca leading the Fairlane Group (a committee of Ford managers and executives) began to work on a front-engine, four-seater design, known as the T-5 in company parlance, and later, the Mustang. To speed development, Ford Falcon and Fairlane components were used. Nearly the only design element that remained from the original Mustang I were the fake louvers that recreated the radiator scoops of the two-seater, and its name, emblazoned on its side panels as the "galloping Mustang" logo.
High Country Special.
The High Country Mustangs were manufactured from 1966 (333), 1967 (400) and 1968 (251), as a special promotion vehicle for Colorado-area Ford dealers, the first two years of High Country Specials were little more than special exterior colors and a triangular HCS emblem for all body styles. For '68, the HCS became a hardtop only and borrowed the front foglights, sidescoops, and Shelby rear end treatments as to not to be confused with the Challenger Special of 1968 that only came with a standard tail housing.
Ski Country Special.
The Ski Country Special was a region specific, dealer promotional package available in the winter of 1967 and was not limited to the Mustang line. The combination of features identifying a Ski Country Special were: a ski rack, "coffee bar" (luggage rack), a limited slip axle, a unique emblem and two snow tires. The SCS package also included five new colors: "Vail Blue", "Aspen Red", "Winter Park Turquoise", "Loveland Green" and "Breckenridge Yellow".
Challenger Special.
In mid-April 1968, the Mississippi Ford Dealers DSO 64 (New Orleans) began to offer a dealer-built, limited-edition Mustang, called the Challenger, or "Challenger Special". The concept was for a power packing 302 4v in a plain wrapper coupe, in rare cases they were fitted with Shelby manifolds and 4118 Holley carburetors. In late April, at least 7 units came with the obsolete 289 4v while in early to mid May 1968 they included 21 units out of 154 that were all J-code 302 4v's with specially geared 3 speeds in a "lightened" chassis (no power options, aluminum intake, no a/c). The power-to-weight ratio in the Challenger gave the budget-minded buyer a chance to run with the Shelby Models without the cost. Similar 289/302 4v performance models were offered by dealers in other DSOs during the 1968 model year, including some convertibles and fastbacks in addition to the coupes.
Boss Mustangs.
302.
For 1969–70, The Boss 302 was produced for the Trans-Am racing series. It later became the most popular Boss Mustang that Ford produced. For 2012, the FR500 was replaced by racing variants of the Mustang Boss 302. There are two variants, the Boss 302R (Racing) for use in the IMSA Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge and the Boss 302S (Sprint) for other racing series such as the SCCA Pirelli World Challenge GTS class.
351.
Introduced in November 1970, the Boss 351 Mustang became one of the last high performance models of the Mustang line. It was based on the Mustang SportsRoof model and replaced both the Boss 302 and the Boss 429 models. The Boss 351 engine was a 351 Cleveland four barrel engine with a mechanical cam, solid lifters, 11.0:1 compression ratio, aluminum intake, and a 4 bolt main bearing block. It was topped with an all-new 750 CFM Ford 4 barrel carburetor. The Boss 351 engine produced 330 horsepower at 5,400 rpm.
429.
The Boss 429 Mustang debuted in January 1969. It was built primarily to allow Ford to campaign the special engine in the NASCAR racing circuit. NASCAR's rules stated that for any "trick" part or engine to be considered legal, it had to be installed on at least 500 cars that were sold to the public. The Boss 429 engine was rated at over 370 hp. It featured aluminum heads, with huge, free-flowing intake and exhaust ports, a crescent shaped combustion chamber, and large oversized valves which were set at an angle so that the intake valve was close to the intake manifold and the exhaust valve was close to the exhaust manifold. The standard 735 CFM Holley carburetor was mounted on a high rise intake manifold.
Mach 1.
The Ford Mustang Mach 1 was a performance model of the Ford Mustang that Ford produced beginning in 1969. The original production run of the Mach 1 ended in 1978.
In 2003 and 2004 the "Mach 1" nameplate returned. Ford introduced the new Mach 1 to keep interest in the current Mustang high until the release of the S-197 with yet another special-edition Mustang. The Mach 1 used a non-supercharged aluminum block with DOHC with only a forged crank on manual models. The Cobra used a 4.6 DOHC V8 as well, however it was a cast-iron block with forged internals and a supercharger, they are commonly mistaken to have the same block. 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 wheels, and a "Shaker" hoodscoop. The "Shaker" was 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. Despite having camshafts that produce power at