Anytime I end up at some Gathering of the Mustangs, be it at a small Cars & Coffee gathering or a massive thing like the huge 60th Anniversary Event, or something in between, like that book club that does all its reading in the back seats of Mustangs, there’s a little game I like to play. I like to see if any of those Mustang-lovers have the guts or boldness to bring a genuine, honest Mustang II out to show the good peoples of the world. Most of the time, the answer is no, there are no examples of the least-loved Mustang of them all. That was almost the case at the Mustang 60th Anniversary event Ford held in Charlotte, NC yesterday. Almost, but not quite. Because there was one, solitary example of a Mustang II, a nearly immaculate and perfectly restored one, brought there by one brave person, a bold defender of the underdog, the unloved, the unfairly disregarded.
I was told there were 1,000 Mustangs brought to the 60th bash, and while I didn’t count them myself, that seems about right. There were a lot of Mustangs there. And while I didn’t get a chance to inspect every single one, from both what I saw with my own eyes and from other eyewitnesses reports, there were roughly 0.0 other Mustang IIs in attendance.
That’s pretty astounding, when you think about it; 1/1000th of the represented Mustangs were from the entire second generation of cars, and over a million of those were sold. To Ford’s credit, they don’t try and pretend the Mustang IIs never existed, like, it seems, most of the attendees do. Ford arranged to display the Mustang II, complete with a nice, big printed sign, in their lineup of Mustangs from over the years.
So, clearly, Ford isn’t ashamed of the Mustang II, and, really, they shouldn’t be. I mean, you have to understand the overall Malaise-context of the automotive world at the time, but in that context, in that world of new emissions regulations and high gas prices and pervasive attitudes to quality control that had all the rigor of crabgrass, the Mustang II was really no worse than so many other cars of the era.
And it had its charms, too! The four-banger Pinto engine many of these got was actually an excellent little powerplant, and the design had a number of forward-looking features, like those body-colored, energy-absorbing bumpers. It was also the first American car to have amber rear turn indicators!
The Mustang II pulled the Mustang through the hardest years for muscle cars; it was the lifeboat that kept the Mustang name relevant during those dark times of smog pumps and primitive early catalytic converters and gas lines. Really, who knows if the Mustang would have survived the ’70s without the humble Mustang II keeping the embers glowing?
That’s why this prosthetic-limb-colored example was such a treat to see at this event, and especially one in such immaculate condition. Car collector and restorer Mike Williams was responsible for this one, which may very well be among the finest – if not the finest – Mustang II Ghia on the planet. I asked Mike some questions about this remarkable and yet still unloved car:
https://www.instagram.com/reel/C56yzvfOj6n/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==
The car is full of period details that set the mood and stage of its era: the 8-track player in the dash that still works, the half-vinyl roof that was the hallmark of the Ghia edition, and those wire wheels, a reminder of Ford’s cost-cutting and parts-sharing, as those are right off a Ford LTD:
Those three cats were a strange Ford hallmark for years, referencing, of all things, the English king Richard the Lionheart. Ford was so weird about heraldic crests for decades. The rest of the Mustang II badging is less feline-focused, but was still 70s-classy, with a distinguished serif typeface calling out the Mustang name.
The Mustang II was also the only mustang where the generation number was an actual part of the name; this is a Mustang II, with the Roman numerals forming part of the name. They also formed the basis for the only standing hood ornament Mustangs used, too:
Look at that! It looks like a little horse breeding trophy, or something. It’s a very architectural element to the car.
I remember when the Petersen Museum did some Mustang event a few years back, and in talking to the curator, I learned that the Mustang II was the hardest car for them to source for the exhibit, simply because hardly anyone was preserving or restoring Mustang IIs.
I think that’s why this car, and its very kind owner, made such an impression on me. Anyone can appreciate a first-year Mustang or a ’67 fastback or a Mach I or a perfect Mustang SVO, but to be the one to lavish so much care and attention over the one Mustang that most Mustang owners like to pretend never even happened, well, that is something truly worthy of respect.
So, everyone, please take a moment to reflect on this rarest Mustang at the 60th Anniversary event, the one-out-of-1000 Mustangs, this pristine 1975 Mustang II, with a V8, even.
Right car for the right time. If it hadn’t been for the Mustang II there would be no Mustang today. Didn’t it sell more than the first generation?
The first gen sold just shy of 3 million, the II hit 1.1 million. But, the first gen was really more like 3 generations that everyone pretended was only one, since there were at least two total redesigns with all new sheet metal in there
Excuse me Ford killed the Pinto name but kept the Pinto but called it a Mustang II, It was a crap Pinto called the Mustang almost like calling the EV SUV a Mustang.
But the Pinto and Mustang II were built side-by -side? The Pinto ran 1971-1980, the Mustang II ran 1974-1978. The Pinto was directly replaced by the FWD Escort, while the Mustang moved onto the Fairmont’s platform
The Mustang II replaced the 1971-1973 “big” Mustangs, it didn’t “replace” the Pinto, any more than the 1965 Mustang “replaced” the Falcon. They were different cars built for different market segments.
No the Mustang was created in the 60s as a secretary car. But government rules in the 70s require the Mustang gone the Pinto created but call it the Mustang. It was so ugly and none performed.
I’m not sure I follow the chain of thought, exactly
But, the original Mustang was created by putting a different body on the cheapest, smallest car platform Ford North America had, and the Mustang II was also created by putting a different body on the smallest, cheapest car Ford North America had, it was the same exact business plan, but different decades, different regulatory environments, the small economy cars of the ’70s were different animals from the small economy cars of the ’60s (or, technically, ’50s, since the Falcon entered production in 1959)
If you read the story the mustang was a design force single lady non sports car car.
Basically, yes. Lee Iaccoca was frustrated that, for as well as the Falcon was selling, its profit margins were razor-thin, and he believed it was possible to make more money off the same basic engineering if it had a sexier looking body and the ability to entice people to spend more money on accessories and option packages, with the specific idea of targeting young Silents and the very oldest Boomers who were just getting into car buying age. The Falcon was Robert McNamara’s baby, the Mustang was the car Lido wanted
Set down the meth pipe and back away.
The Pinto was built from 70-80, the Mustang II ran from 74-78.
The original Mustang and its claim to fame was a sporty small car, for its day, with reasonable performance. The Pinto was designed to be an econobox to compete against the Japanese automotive manufacturers. Now it was due to government regulations but the Mustang II wasn’t sporty. It’s design and performance were Econobox 100%
As my grama used to say you can put cats in an oven but that don’t make them biscuits. Before you flip out over another joke no cats were harmed in this joke nor am I advocating actually putting said cats in an oven.
I didn’t flip out, I just pointed out your inaccuracies.
(Sorry Matt, just trying to bring down the temps a bit. 🙂 – MS)
Sorry I feel if they buried the Mustang during the Malaise Era and brought it out later it would be better for it. Also they ruinthe Thunderbird so many ways.
I know the II gets a good amount of hate from others in the Mustang community. I for one am 100% fine with them and appreciate what they are, what they were for their time and what they were to the lineage and for the car to continue. Because, lets be honest, if there was no Mustang II, the Mustang wouldn’t have continued. It would have ended after the 1973 model year. These cars kept the line going and for that, I say THANK YOU!!
Signed a proud owner of a bought new 2006 Mustang GT 5-speed!
Cause it isn’t a Mustang it is a Pinto.
And the original Mustang isn’t a Mustang, it’s a Falcon, and the Fox Mustang isn’t a Mustang, it’s a Fairmont, and the S197 isn’t a Mustang, it’s a Jaguar S-Type
And it’s a chick car.
(And your point, Dave? – MS)
I’m sorry, I’m gonna stop you right there.
It’s perfectly ok to discuss the relative merits and demerits of a car, or even its origin story, but what we’re emphatically not gonna do is describe any vehicle pejoratively as a “chick car.” That kind of misogyny is not what this site is about, and if you haven’t figured that out by now you are willfully not paying attention.
How many lead paint chips do you eat per day?
The OG factory wheel covers actually had a little Mustang emblem in the middle of them. My dad had a ’74 and I washed it a bunch of times. It got stolen and when we got it back the hubcaps were gone. The new ones, much to my chagrin, did not have the Mustang in the middle.
My prosthetic leg is carbon-fiber and titanium.
Yeah, this Mustang II is more of a 1980s hearing aid color.
I’ve noticed prosthetic limbs have went from creepy and trying to kinda blend in to eff it, cool cyborg limb it is.
True. My first prosthetic was decorated with a Hawaiian shirt i sacrificed to the cause. But since I need to replace the socket (the part where my residual limb rests) every 6-12 months, and clothing is so damn expensive, i just decided to go with bare carbon fiber.
It’s always funny when I catch some kid staring at my leg. I’m tempted to detach it and ask the kid if he wants to hold it.
On behalf of kids everywhere, I apologize. 30 years ago I was that kid that would stare at anything that seemed different, novel, or unusual. I’m glad you have a sense of humor about their curiosity!
Reminds me of when there was a cars and coffee gathering at a local grocery store when I’d go shopping on Sunday morning. I live in a fairly well off area, so it wasn’t unusual to see Ferraris, Lambos, McLaren, Porsche (like a GT3), roll up. I was always there early when it was just a handful of cars.
And every week there’d be this older guy with his V6 Mustang, probably a 2005 or so, black. He’d be parked next to a Ferrari and wiping it down with a microfiber and quick detailer like it was worth a million bucks. Some people just love their car.
What a coincidence, Torch. Just two days ago I happened to spot a rough-but-restorable Mustang II fastback sitting lonely behind the fence of a self-storage facility on US 70 in Raleigh.
I always thought the II was the most deserving Mustang for a retro-mod. Drop in a Coyote 5.0, improve the suspension and brakes, and give the II the performance it never had. Like the nerd who goes hard core at the gym to show up all the bullies.
For over a decade I autocrossed in the Chicago area with Rick Ruth, who campaigned the baddest-ass Mustang II I have ever seen. It sat low on custom wide Bogarts and made the most wonderful sounds as he flung it around. It helped that he was damn good, but this is what the Mustang II should have been all along.
Autopian still won’t let us post pics, but go to this link and scroll down, you won’t miss it:
https://grassrootsmotorsports.com/articles/25-feature-presentations/
Yeah, that is one badass Mustang II. Looks mean.
And as a side note, the Fairmont wagon at the top of the page is pretty sweet too.
That Ltd wagon is the balls
hot damn. This gives me some AMC vibes. That Honda n600 though…
I remember seeing ‘Mustang II front end/brakes’ as a selling point for things like hot rodded chevy II’s and such in the 90’s.
I’ve seen a lot of different hot rod guys with Mustang II front ends in their cars, heck I was even given one for a 28 Ford rat rod I was going to build. (I still intend to, I just need a different frame, as the title I had I later found out was bad)
I slapped a 300+ horsepower 302 in my ’75 Mustang II Ghia (267rwhp to be exact), with subframe connectors, traction bars, and weight reduction everywhere I could and still call it a street car… and got kicked out of the local drag strip for dipping into the 12.9s without a cage. I sold that car last year to some punk kid who parted it out and dropped the powertrain into his Ranger.
My grandma had one, and I think a lot of people’s grandmas had one. That interior is beautiful, hats off to that guy on his restoration.
Yeah, mine had one, too, she backed it into my dad’s Ranger in the driveway, and neither was ever fixed for the remainder of the times they owned them. Hers got some red tape over the taillight and was eventually traded for a Mercury Topaz
Ah, the Topaz, a logical next car after the Mustang II. My grandma somehow ended up in Buick Grand National. I don’t know who the hell her car salesman was back then (it had to have been the same guy), but he set her up with some interesting stuff LOL. I’m sure she never drove either car over like 50 mph, cuz she was a little old lady with a backseat full of grandkids. If I recall, the GN was wrecked somehow and I think that was the end of her driving days.
sometimes it pays to have bad taste?
The Ghia is the one to have, if you’re going to have one, IMO. All Mustang IIs are extremely slow by any standards, so the “performance” of the King Cobra is pretty meaningless, but comfort is something that’s always relevant
The much maligned Mustang II was no worse than the Pinto, Vega, Chevette, Comet and siblings. It provided cramped, slow yet reliable in my experience basic transportation. Most cars from this generation were crap at best.
That’s the point, it’s supposed to be better than some crapbox economy car
When compared to those I cited, it was marginally better.
Was the Mustang II/Pinto also the first American made cars with available German made engine (2.8 Cologne V6) and transmission (4-speed Hummer)?
The 1970 to 1973 Mercury Capri had the predecessor of the 2.8 as an option, the 2.6 Cologne V6. In 74, the 2.6 gave way to the 2.8; the same year the Mustang II was introduced with the optional 2.8. But of course, the Capri was made in Germany and modified to meet US standards.
In my first neighborhood there was a resident who had one of those in just about that exact spec. I remember it being one of the first cars I was a bit repulsed by, design-wise. Awkward grille, big taillights with the split center section, and just frumpy-looking. I was distraught when I found out it was a Mustang (one of the first words I remember reading, a chance while riding around the neighborhood on my bike and the owner oddly hadn’t put it back in his garage).
In my young mind (and still true in many ways today), Mustangs were supposed to be the epitome of cool style, like the originals, the race cars, the Shelby cars, and (at the time) Fox-body models. How could Ford have put such an iconic name to such a messy lump of a car?! I was further confused because another neighbor had a Bronco (or Bronco II?) – with the spare tire cover that took me a long while to figure out it was a bucking horse – but even that seemed so cool, how could it be made by the same company that made the beige drab-mobile several houses down and across the cul-de-sac?
Nowadays I’m aware of its contemporaries, and how – for the time – it wasn’t bad. But it’s like judging Ford by just the 1997 Ford Taurus, or the Edsel, or Chrysler by the PT Cruiser, or gm for the ssr and aztek, or Nissan for the Cube and Juke. The vehicles were generally OK for the time but retrospectively may further improve or sour, and they don’t solely define the company.
Also I suspect the reception to the rear soured Ford on amber rear turn signals for decades, to their deficit. They’re superior and should be universally embraced, but also should be well-implemented. The II’s execution could have been better.
A decade ago I went to a 50th anniversary Mustang event that Ford of Canada put on. Meeting up with other local Mustang club guys on the way there I was given a weird look when I said I hoped there would be a II there.
Of the 100? cars at the event there was exactly 1. Now I’m wishing I could find pictures or even what the event was called. Might have to do some deep digging tonight.
Is it weird that at 55 years old I would love a King Cobra with a V8, 4speed and t-tops just like the one my babysitter’s brother bought brand new? I even like the thousands of square feet of tape decals.
I’m near to being 32 and I want one
I’m roughly 20, and I too would love one.
Mustang II = Atari DOS 3
Growing up there was a stereotypical cheerleader type girl on my street that had a new King Cobra- saw it about 9 years later all rusted to bits busted window, snotty toddlers and her inside- she looked worse than the car
I would make a beeline past a hundred new Mustangs to go check this car out. In fact, I have on several occasions, and any time I see a Mustang II at a car show I always try to give props to the owner since I’m sure they deal with all kinds of hate normally.
This Sunday in L.A. is actually the biggest Ford show on the West Coast and there’s always at least one or two Mustang IIs there. I’ll probably have the only Fox Body LTD in attendance.
https://www.fabulousfordsforever.com/
There was only one, so no worries about it getting loose and breeding. Always parthenogenesis, I suppose, but that seems unlikely.
Malaise finds a way.
You go, Mike!
The Mustang II is certainly merely a footnote in Mustang lore to most, but kudos to him for preserving that car. Dare to be different!
I know it’d probably weigh too much or some such nonsense, but that old ad makes me wish my fastback was a liftback.
Respect to those that save the not great, not famous, not high performance cars.
agreed
My older brother had one of those I learned how to drive a stick on it. My dad was so mad when he bought it because it had the “Pinto” engine. My brother liked the car and had it for many years. I wanted the Cobra Mustang II.
That’s an interesting color. I don’t know what to make of it.
I think, out of today’s readily-available colors, I’d still prefer dark grey or silver.
Still, that is indeed a beautiful vehicle.
(Although you made no mention of whether anyone brought a Mustang Mach-E just to stir shit up….please don’t shoot me, I’m just asking and don’t really have a strong opinion on the matter myself.)
Personally, I think the black rubber trim encircling the vehicle really sets that band-aid tan color off. That shot of the grill looks especially good.
Not quite Prosthetic Beige or Hearing Aid Tan, but close.
Close to the color of Silly Putty.
memories of my childhood …
That hood ornament! Wow… The pièce de résistance for sure!
This hood ornament was also included with the optional fashion accessory package. Designed for the lovely ladies according to the 1978 brochure for these Mustangs. I,ve always loved the Ghia models in black with a contrasting Chamois (Orange in Ford speak) landau top and side molding inserts.
The most important question I have is: how many Mustangs crashed at this event? It sounds quite dangerous.