17 posts tagged “ford mustang”

Goodness me, this is the first time I have been able to get to the ‘Compose’ page on Vox since yesterday. What is going on there?
   And all I wanted to do was share these with you:

Someone has a beautifully kept ’66 Mustang here in Wellington. Pretty sure this had a four-barrel V8 under the hood.
   Meanwhile, here’s something more stock:

There was quite a bit of buzz with the Ford Puma TVC in 1997, which used visual effects to bring Steve McQueen back to life, driving the newer car. The original footage and music are from Bullitt, and a body double was used in some shots, with McQueen’s face mapped on to him. I read some of the YouTube comments and they were quite critical, saying McQueen would never have driven this car, but I beg to differ. Plus, it was done with the permission of Steve McQueen’s children.

   The director even got asked, ‘What was it like to work with him?’ by people who did not realize that, by that time, Steve McQueen had been dead for some 16 years.
   I was very surprised to see Ford used a similar idea when selling the 2005 Mustang a few years ago. Maybe it’s because I knew of the Puma ad for such a long time that this newer one seems less clever. Make a track in your field and dead people will begin emerging. And take your car.

Remember when it seemed really cool for Ford to market its models with a II tag? Not Mk II, just II.
   I imagine this must have started Stateside, maybe under Lee Iacocca, and found its way to Ford in Europe and Brazil. A selection from my Autocade site.

Ford Mustang II. 1974–8 (prod. 1,116,199). 2-door coupé, 2-door fastback. F/R, 2302 cm³ (4 cyl. OHC), 2792 cm³ (V6 OHV), 4949 cm³ (V8 OHV). An attempt to get back to basics. Bulk of 1973 Mustang discarded; all-new model returned to sensible size. Styling inspired by model from Ghia of Italy. Lee Iacocca, now Ford president, targeted the segment heading to smaller cars such as its own Capri and the Toyota Celica; the fact the Mustang II came out in the wake of the first fuel crisis was fortuitous. Four-cylinder engine considered weak; no V8s till 1975 (the classic 302 in³ unit); car needed structural changes to accommodate the V8. Heavy, cramped (shorter wheelbase than Celica, but longer overall), not that great a handler, and ignored by many collectors, though it has its own 1970s’ style and was incredibly successful for Ford in its early years. Emphasis on luxury in Ghia models, as Iacocca saw the II as a ‘little jewel’, built to high standards. Some Mustang features found their way into the Pinto. Cobra II trim in 1976, T-top in 1977, King Cobra in 1978, though more style over substance in all these cases.

Ford Capri II. 1974–8 (prod. 1,700,000 approx. incl. Mk III). 3-door coupé. F/R, 1302 cm³ (4 cyl. OHV), 1593, 1993 cm³ (4 cyl. OHC), 2294, 2792, 2993 cm³ (V6 OHV). Attractive liftback follow-up to ‘the car you’ve always promised yourself’. Dual production in Halewood and Köln to 1976, when UK production ceased. Wide range of engines. S and Ghia trims from 1976. Not the best handler; sold largely on image and, toward the end of its run, popularized in cult TV series The Professionals and Minder. Köln 2·8 V6 for export on US models.

Ford Taunus II/Ford Cortina Mk IV/Ford Cortina (TE). 1976–9 (prod. 1,131,850 sold for all Cortina Mk IV and V). 2- and 4-door saloon, 5-door estate, 2-door pick-up. F/R, 1297, 1598 (4 cyl. OHV), 1593, 1993 (4 cyl. OHC), 2294, 2994 cm³ (V6 OHV), 3273, 4089 cm³ (6 cyl. OHV). Facelifted Taunus TC with new front and rear ends, though Turnier looked largely the same from the A-pillar pack. Similar engines and transmission, but modern (for 1976) boxier appearance despite carryover doors. Ghia luxury trim added. Sold in UK, Ireland, South Africa and British Commonwealth countries as Cortina Mk IV. Built in Australia with some modifications as TE series with mammoth six-cylinder engines, with resulting bad effect on handling (despite spending a considerable sum trying to improve this over TC and TD). Australian models badged Cortina 4 or Cortina 6, depending on engine, with some differences including large indicators in front wings. South Africa offered GL, S and Ghia with Essex three-litre V6. Ford Argentina stuck with TC for these years and skipped straight to Taunus 80 shape for 1981.

Ford LTD II. 1977–9 (prod. unknown). 2-door coupé, 4-door sedan, 5-door wagon. F/R, 302, 351, 400 in³ (V8 OHV). Reskin of intermediate Ford Torino (1972–6), but with the normally full-sized LTD nameplate to give the impression of downsizing during 1970s’ fuel crisis years. Overly soft suspension, with resultant poor handling. Relatively cramped at rear given the large size.

Ford Corcel II. 1978–86 (prod. unknown). 2-door sedan, 3-door wagon. F/F, F/A, 1372, 1555 cm³ (4 cyl. OHV). Restyled Corcel, with more modern lines and, as with North American Fords, more weight. Underpinnings were identical, which meant Renault 12 roots. Light, fast car, with competition history. Estate still called Belina, as with predecessor. Spun off Ford Pampa pick-up and Ford Del Rey sedan. Facelift in 1985 saw II tag removed, but the Corcel range was deleted in 1986. Four-wheel-drive Belina less than reliable.

Here’s a dose of retro: a Ford promotion featuring 1960s concept cars and the styling of the 1965 Mustang. The Mustang part is in the second half.
   It’s interesting to see what Dearborn thought was practical in the ’60s, and the station wagon concept, the Aurora, does have some ideas in seating that are familiar today. But it was the Mustang II show car and ’65 Mustang segment that interested me.

Someone is very lucky. Spotted in Auckland two days ago. Almost worth getting lost to see something like this.

Some 2010 models have made it into Autocade, because of the US practice of saying its 2009-launched cars are a year newer than they really are. (Whatever happened to the half-model years there?) It’s by no means comprehensive—the newly launched 2010 Cadillac SRX is not there, for instance—but a couple are.
   My rule for Autocade is that the years given for US-built models follow US conventions (and models built elsewhere use the calendar year, as is usually their practice). Hence, there are these three.
   The Buick LaCrosse entry below might cause a problem if Shanghai production is confirmed to commence in 2009, but since the US is the first market to build and receive the car, we will probably stick with the American convention and cite the first year as 2010. The Ford Fusion does date from 2006, but last year I decided to update the photograph to the 2010 model—the motive was that I did not want all current cars to have an image from the beginning of the model run. Finally, the 2010 Ford Mustang causes no problems in terms of indexing or imagery at this point.
   The only real problem is that it is impossible to note any driving impressions for models about to be launched—the Nissan Maxima (A35), Lotus Evora, Dodge Journey, Daewoo Lacetti (J300) and Mazda 6 (2009–) fall into this category.

Buick LaCrosse (Epsilon II). 2010 to date (prod. unknown). 4-door sedan. F/F, 2994, 3564 cm³ (V6 DOHC). LaCrosse unified as a single model again, with American and Chinese designers working together on styling, and GM Europe on engineering. Moved to Epsilon II platform shared with Cadillac CTS (2008–). Styling has silhouette not unlike that of Opel Insignia; ‘sweep-spear’ feature on side sees waistline dip and rise suddenly forward of the rear door handle. Portholes on hood. The 1973 Riviera cited as one inspiration; Invicta show car clearly the other. Nothing that novel under the svelte skin, but tipped to be a staple seller for Buick on both sides of the Pacific.

Ford Fusion (CD338). 2006 to date (prod. unknown). 4-door sedan. F/F, F/A, 2261, 2501 cm³ petrol, 2501 cm³ petrol–electric hybrid (4 cyl. DOHC), 2967, 3496 cm³ (V6 DOHC). Basically a new-generation Ford Telstar: Mazda Atenza platform, replacing Ford Mondeo Mk III (CD132) in most of Latin America (except Argentina) and providing Ford North America with a successor to Contour. Less advanced than comparable Mondeo (CD345), but conveniently and more cheaply put together in México. Attractive design, probably best of Ford’s mid-decade US sedans. Four-wheel-drive models a bit weighty, need good use of accelerator to get decent performance. Mercury Milan, Lincoln Zephyr and Lincoln MKZ essentially the same car with better equipment. Facelift for 2010 model year shown at end of 2008, with more aggressive front end, new 2·5-litre four and hybrid, and Cyclone 3·5 V6.

Ford Mustang (S197). 2010 to date (prod. unknown). 2-door coupé, 2-door convertible. F/R, 4009 cm³ (V6 OHC), 4601 cm³ (V8 OHC). Carryover platform complete with live rear axle, but new sheetmetal to make Mustang appear more aggressive and compact. V8 has a power boost to 315 bhp. Styling by George Saridakis now inspired by 1970 model with shades of an earlier Mustang show car by ItalDesign. Interior quality improved.

I was out Friday night with the Wellington staff of TSB. And walking along Courtenay Place, I spotted something very beautiful:

My favourite year for the Shelbys: the ’68. This Shelby Mustang GT350 was in amazing condition.

Chalk and cheese outside Starfish a few weeks ago: a Ford Mustang and a Ford Ka. Hard to believe they come from the same company.

I’ve inputted some information into Autocade over the last half-hour about the Rover 75*, a model that saw the end of volume British-owned car manufacturing—and which might mean the beginning of two marques in Red China. Here I chart the history of this tragic car, beset by publicity gaffes from BMW and a British press with its claws out, only for it to begin making good produced in Shanghai and Nanjing. Even in Italy it won an award for the most beautiful car when it launched, but the Brits never warmed to the 75. Summary: fairly timeless look, but I still wouldn’t buy one due to quality concerns.

* It took many times longer to copy and paste this into Vox (hours!) than writing and researching all of the below, due to the site crashing my browser due to a script error constantly!

Rover 75 Mk I

Rover 75. 1998–2004 (prod. 169,250, 1998–2003). 4-door saloon, 4-door LWB saloon, 5-door estate. F/F, 1794 cm³ (4 cyl. DOHC), 1997, 2497 cm³ (V6 DOHC), 1951 cm³ diesel (4 cyl. DOHC). Retro-themed and too-English Rover styled by Richard Woolley, with lavish use of chrome. Soft ride to distinguish it from BMW cars. Very robust, refined car but never appealed to enthusiasts; suffered from BMW’s indecision on and changes to marketing from launch day onwards, as well as British media apathy. Related MG ZT from 2001, after production shifted to Longbridge for all models following BMW sale of Rover. LWB saloon brought back Vanden Plas tag temporarily.

MG ZT Mk I

MG ZT. 2001–4 (prod. 27,149 all models, incl. Mk II). 4-door saloon, 5-door estate. F/F, 1794 cm³ petrol, 1951 cm³ diesel (4 cyl. DOHC), 2497 cm³ (V6 DOHC). Sporting versions of Rover 75, finally with firmer suspension and better handling. Helped keep MG Rover numbers up for a short time, though package began looking more dated toward the end of the run. V8 model introduced 2003, covered separately.


MG ZT 260

MG ZT 260. 2003–5 (prod. 883 incl. Rover 75 V8). 4-door saloon, 5-door estate. F/R 4601 cm³ (V8 SOHC). MG Rover, on a shoestring budget, sourced a new V8 engine from Ford and, in order to get it working, changed the standard 75 platform to rear-wheel drive. Prodrive did the initial work; MG Rover brought it in-house. Hairy, raw car, in line with MG image, and with few visual cues to signify the larger engine other than badging and four exhausts. Facelift one year in, in 2004; automatics introduced toward end of run (bound to be rarest of all), but production came to an end in 2005, with no Chinese equivalent.

Rover 75 Mk II

Rover 75. 2004–5 (prod. unknown). 4-door saloon, 4-door LWB saloon, 5-door estate. F/F, 1794 cm³ (4 cyl. DOHC), 1997, 2497 cm³ (V6 DOHC), 1951 cm³ diesel (4 cyl. DOHC). Essentially carryover technology from Mk I with cosmetic facelift, while Project Drive eliminated certain parts deemed unnecessary to cut costs, which meant less refinement on some models. Never had its full run as MG Rover collapsed and the 75 found its rights sold to SAIC of China. V8 model introduced in 2004, covered separately. LWB model simply called Limousine, rather than Vanden Plas, for these final years.

MG ZT Mk II

MG ZT. 2004–5 (prod. 27,149 all models, incl. Mk I). 4-door saloon, 5-door estate. F/F, 1794 cm³ petrol, 1951 cm³ diesel (4 cyl. DOHC), 2497 cm³ (V6 DOHC). Facelifted ZT with minor changes, but no real mechanical changes—and no real improvement to sales. Production shifted to Nanjing, China after collapse of MG Rover in UK, restarted in 2007.

Rover 75 V8

Rover 75 V8. 2004–5 (prod. 883 incl. MG ZT 260). 4-door saloon, 4-door LWB saloon. F/R, 4601 cm³ (V8 SOHC). Short-lived Ford V8-powered version of 75, with platform re-engineered by Prodrive and Rover to rear-wheel drive. Front grille, supposedly inspired by Rover P5B, controversial at the time, accused of copying Audi, and designer’s name not released by MG Rover. No direct predecessor—last hairy Rover V8 was SD1 Vitesse in 1980s. Good performance but car seemed heavy; interior and insulation kept English club-lounge feel. Fuel economy in the high 10s, low 20s (mpg).

Roewe 750

Roewe 750. 2006 to date (prod. unknown). F/F, 1794 cm³ (4 cyl. DOHC), 2497 cm³ (V6 DOHC). Rebodied Rover 75. SAIC acquired the rights to the model in 2005 and proceeded to make its own version on the long-wheelbase platform. British consultants Ricardo did restyle and update. However, SAIC was forced to create a new marque, Roewe, after Ford bought the Rover brand that they wanted; hence, Roewe logo has the same shape as old Rover Viking longship one. Two noses: small grille for lower-spec; large grille (à la last Rover 75 V8) for higher-spec. Not as well built as old 75 according to early reports, with less safety equipment than western markets expect.

MG 7

MG 7. 2007 to date (prod. 13,000 approx.). 4-door sedan, 4-door LWB sedan. F/F, 1794 cm³ (4 cyl. DOHC), 2497 cm³ (V6 DOHC). Chinese edition of MG ZT, offered with both Mk I and II grilles contemporaneously. Engines upgraded to comply with latest Euro IV legislation, and quality said to be better than those of the cars coming off Longbridge in 2005 thanks to new factory at Nanjing. Improved specification. No estate announced. Played heavily on MG’s heritage when launched.

One more for today—we might as well cover all the Mustang IIs in a single article. The II was never going to be as loved as the originals, was it? I still think of Charlie’s Angels when I see these models, and having a Fawcettmobile was not very manly.

Ford Mustang II

Ford Mustang II. 1974–8 (prod. 1,116,199). 2-door coupé, 3-door liftback. F/R, 2302 cm³ (4 cyl. SOHC), 2792 cm³ (V6 OHV), 4949 cm³ (V8 OHV). An attempt to get back to basics. Bulk of 1973 Mustang discarded; all-new model returned to sensible size. Styling inspired by model from Ghia of Italy. Lee Iacocca, now Ford president, targeted the segment heading to smaller cars such as its own Capri and the Toyota Celica; the fact the Mustang II came out in the wake of the first fuel crisis was fortuitous. Four-cylinder engine considered weak; no V8s till 1975 (the classic 302 in³ unit); car needed structural changes to accommodate the V8. Heavy, cramped (shorter wheelbase than Celica, but longer overall), not that great a handler, and ignored by many collectors, though it has its own 1970s’ style and was incredibly successful for Ford in its early years. Emphasis on luxury in Ghia models, as Iacocca saw the II as a ‘little jewel’, built to high standards. Some Mustang features found their way into the Pinto. Cobra II trim in 1976, T-top in 1977, King Cobra in 1978, though more style over substance in all these cases.