![]() Stretched between the taillights was a honeycomb trim panel that echoed the texture of the grille, centrally punctuated by a flip-up fuel filler. A simplified grille housed rectangular driving lights, and a blacked-out power bulge integrating twin NACA ducts topped the engine hood. The maximum-macho Mach 1 skipped the bright trim around the grille even its urethane front bumper was body color, underscored by a prominent black chin spoiler. Semi-concealed wipers and flush door handles followed industry-wide trends. Around back was a subtly concave tail panel housing trapezoidal three-segment taillights. Previewed by the '69 Shelby, the grille opening now stretched as wide as the car, highlighted by surrounding brightwork although plastic inserts still defined the traditional, rectangular “horse corral” grille set inboard of the headlamps. ![]() Tire track spread wider too, from 58.5 inches front and rear, to 61.5 inches up front and 61.0 out back.įinal production styling emphasized the Mustang's newfound mass. Even more dramatic was a 2.4-inch increase in overall width. The front wheels stepped out one inch further ahead of the cowl (stretching the wheelbase from 108 to 109 inches), while additional front overhang accounted for the rest. Perhaps most significantly, 1965’s top performance engine option, a “High Output” 289 rated 271 horses, was ultimately eclipsed by the ultra-low-production Boss 429, whose hulking semi-hemi cylinder heads required significant modification to the front suspension and engine bay.Īnd so it should surprise no one that Ford made the '71 Mustang bigger still: 2.1 inches longer than the 1970 model, with all of that increase ahead of the windshield. Sheet metal was significantly revised for '67 and '69, with each iteration gaining visual heft. Meanwhile, production Mustangs continued to grow in size and mass – from a 1964 base weight of 2,449 pounds, and a length of 181.6 inches to 2,721 pounds and 187.4 inches for 1970. And while details would evolve considerably under Mustang Design Chief Gale Halderman (and Knudsen's continuing influence), in that moment the fundamental appearance of the '71 Mustang was established. “Bunkie” Knudsen pronounced his blessing upon a crisp and angular fiberglass exercise, distinguished by a nearly flat backlite that tapered toward a high, Kamm-style tail – a clear visual reference to Ford's Le Mans-winning GT-40s. However, around February 1968, newly installed Ford Motor Company President Semon E. Initial design proposals tended toward bulbous bulk and overwrought detail. But just as profitable as the high-performance models were the Mustang's highly optioned luxury variants, and Ford product planners believed that the buyers of these mini-T-Birds would prefer a larger car as well. The horsepower race alone demanded a larger, more robustly constructed Mustang. The once-unique Mustang was handily outselling a raft a newly minted imitators, aided by a newly optional 320-horsepower 390 V-8, and even larger and more powerful engines were on the way. ![]() But if any of this was foreseen in the spring of 1967, when planning for the '71 Mustang began, it certainly wasn't considered. Federal rules regarding safety and emissions were tightening, but more critically, rapidly rising insurance premiums were suffocating sales of high-performance automobiles. The natural inclination is to give the audience more of the same, emphasis on more – bigger, brasher and even flashier than before.īut when the curtain rose on the '71 Mustang – on Aug– the world beyond the proscenium had irrevocably changed. And second acts are notoriously tricky – especially when Act One has been one of history's biggest hits. Although regarded by many enthusiasts as the ultimate extension of the Mustang's first generation, these models were extensively redesigned and re-engineered, arguably representing a second act in the long-running Mustang drama. This year's Carlisle Ford Nationals included a “celebration” of the “Big Horse” Mustangs of 1971-73.
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