Many collectors consider the Mustang II
the worst Mustang ever made, but the reality is that this car became one
of Ford's most important models during a very difficult time. The
original concept for the Mustang II was to be a second Mustang version,
designed to compete with imports. In the late '60s, as sales of the
larger Mustang fell, Ford's then president Lee Iacocca realize the Mustang
had to go back to its basics. He envisions a little jewel of a car,
available with nearly every option, designed to compete with the best from
Europe.
The Mustang II was smaller than the
original 1964, shared many components with the Ford Pinto, and was the
first Mustang to be equipped with an 88 horsepower four-cylinder engine.
Even the larger and more powerful V-6 performed very poor with a 14 second
0 to 60 time and a top speed of about 100 miles an hour. The timing for
this small, sporty, somewhat fuel-efficient car was spectacular however,
being released during the 1974 energy crisis. Sales soared to over 400,000
units during its first year of production. In future years, sales would
remain healthy at about 190,000 units.
In 1975 Ford reintroduced the 302 cubic
inch small block eight to the Mustang II but with only 122 horsepower,
performance was still relatively poor. Ford did several things to make
the Mustang II at least looks sporty including the introduction of a Cobra
II in 1976 for $312, as well as rally equipment packages and other
sporting options, but over all poor performance and boxy styling makes
this series the least collectible. Another sad fact about this car is that
this is the only Mustang series which did not include a convertible
model.
One good thing this car did however was
to keep the brand alive, for the future of the Mustang from this point
forward would only be getting better!
