Mustang II History

It is my opinion that the Mustang II, helped to save the name of Mustang for another generation, just as the 1994 model did. I am including some information on this little car that history has chosen to forget.

Prologue:

The much larger 1973 Mustang was a far different car than the original 1964 model. Ford was deluged with mail from fans of the original car who demanded that the Mustang be returned to its original size and concept. Upon taking over the presidency of Ford Motor Company in December, 1970, Lee Iacocca ordered the development of a smaller Mustang for 1974 introduction. Initial plans called for the downsized Mustang to be based on the compact Ford Maverick, which was similar in size and power to the Falcon upon which the original Mustang had been based. Those plans were later scrapped in favor of an even smaller Mustang based on the subcompact Pinto. Such a car, it was believed, could better compete with smaller, sporty import coupes such as the Toyota Celica, Datsun 240 Z and the Capri, then built in Germany and Britain, and marketed since 1970 in the U.S. by Mercury.

Dubbed "Little Jewel" by Iacocca himself, the car sold well, with sales of more than 400,000 units the first year. (It is worth noting that four of the five years of the Mustang II are on the top-ten list of most-sold Mustangs.) The Mustang II featured innovations such as rack and pinion steering and a separate engine sub-frame that decreased noise, vibration, and harshness.
The Arab Oil Embargo, skyrocketing insurance rates, and US emissions and safety standards destroyed the straight-line performance of virtually every car of the period. In 1974,Chrysler ended production of the Barracuda and its stable mate, the Dodge Challenger. American Motors also discontinued the Javelin at the end of the 1974 model year. GM nearly discontinued the Camaro and Firebird after 1972.

The "II" arrives:

The 1974 introduction of the Mustang II earned Ford Motor Trend magazine's Car of the Year honors and actually returned the car to more than a semblance of its 1964 predecessor in size, shape and overall styling. Iacocca insisted that the Mustang II be finished to quality standards unheard of in the American auto industry.

Though the Mustang II boasted many superior handling and engineering features, including 9.5 in (240 mm) front disk brakes (on spindles that interchanged with the Pinto (and the badge engineered Mercury Bobcat), as well as the Ford Granada, which had larger, 11 in (280 mm) disks and a "5 on 4½" (five lug, 4.5 in (110 mm) bolt circle) pattern. its performance was comparable to contemporary Detroit products.

The Mustang II was positioned to compete head-on with many foreign sports car imports that were hitting the market at that time. The Toyota Celica and Datsun 240 Z were its main competitors. Available as a coupe or three-door hatchback, the new car's base engine was a 140 cu in (2.3 L) SOHC inline 4, the first fully metric engine built in the U.S. for installation in an American car. A 171 cu in (2.8 L) V6 was the sole optional engine. Mustang II packages ranged from the base "Hardtop," 2+2 hatchback, a "Ghia" luxury group with vinyl roof, and a top of the line V6-powered Mach 1. The popular V8 option would disappear for the first and only time in 1974 (except in Mexico). Mustangs lost their pillarless body style; all models now had fixed rear windows and a chrome covered "B" pillar that resembled a hardtop, but in fact was a coupe.

In Mustang advertisements, however, Ford promoted the notchback coupe as a "Hardtop." Sales for the Mustang II increased in 1974, making it the 6th best selling Mustang of all time with 296,041 sold.

(thanks to Wikipedia for help with this)