After four and a half decades on the road, the Ford Mustang is still one of America’s most beloved automobiles.
Unlike other pony cars that have come and gone throughout the years, the Mustang has endured the test of time. And as the years go by, the iconic steed keeps getting better and better.
The Mustangs that have evolved from 1994 to today represent the best of the best. They are the epitome of design, performance and fun – all of the qualities the brand promised to deliver when it was first introduced in 1964.
On April 17, 2009, Ford and the Mustang Club of America will celebrate the 45th anniversary of the Ford Mustang with a four-day event expected to draw more than 100,000 enthusiasts and spectators to the Barber Motorsports Park in Birmingham, Ala. In the weeks leading up to the anniversary, Ford is taking a nostalgic look back at Mustang history. Last week, we revisited the period from 1983 to 1993. This week, we conclude our retrospective, starting with 1994.
The Ford Mustang: 1994 to the Present
It’s 1994, and William Jefferson Clinton is serving his first term as the 42nd President of the United States. The price of a dozen eggs is 87 cents, and it costs 29 cents to mail a letter. O.J. Simpson flees the police in a white Ford Bronco, following the murder of his ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson, while the entire nation watches on television. Forest Gump wins the Academy Award for Best Picture. Seinfeld is a big hit on television. And Power Rangers are selling off the shelves in toy stores throughout the country.
The 1994 model year marked the beginning of the fourth generation of Mustangs. After 15 years of the same "Fox" platform, enthusiasts were ready for an all-new look and feel. And Ford was anxious to give them what they wanted.
“It was a do-or-die situation for Mustang at the time,” recalled William Boddie, then Ford’s program manager for small- and mid-size cars. “A lot of people at Ford thought we wouldn’t make enough money with the Mustang, and they thought we ought to kill it. This was going to be our chance to prove them wrong.”
Boddie says the team’s vision was clear.
“Our goal was to create a vehicle that would be recognizable as a Mustang, even without the badging,” he said. “It had to have traditional Mustang attributes, such as the three-box design, the long hood and the cockpit-like interior. And it had to symbolize power.”
With little time – 36 months – and limited resources, Boddie organized a team of 200 enthusiasts from various areas within the company. Since space at Ford was limited at the time, the team met in an off-site warehouse.
“We created a competition within the design studio to see who could come up with a car that best represented the image of the Mustang,” said Boddie. “The idea was to let the creative people see what they could do to maintain the pony car heritage yet still make the vehicle a bit more modern.”
The designers came up with three different mock-ups, and they nicknamed them “Bruce Jenner” (after the Olympic athlete), “Rambo” (after Sylvester Stallone’s movie character) and “Arnold Schwarzenegger” (after the muscular movie star, now governor of California.
“Rambo was the most far out design. It looked like a snorting bull,” checked Boddie. “The ‘Bruce Jenner’ Mustang was the most refined, and the ‘Arnold Schwarzenegger’ model was in between the two. That was the one that we chose.”
The design they chose was reminiscent of the vintage pony cars, yet modern enough to suit the changing tastes of auto enthusiasts. Its code name was SN95, and though its platform was a derivative of the Fox introduced in 1979, there was little resemblance between the two; 1,330 of the vehicle’s 1,850 parts had been changed.
The galloping pony emblem returned to the front grille after a 16-year absence, and the Mustang now had a shapely, rounded body that was available as a two-door fastback coupe or a convertible. The 1994 Mustang also offered the first purpose-built convertible in more than two decades – as opposed to a conversion of a hardtop car – and its 5.0-liter V-8 engine produced 215 horsepower.
“It was an immediate hit,” said Boddie. “The demand was greater than our supply.”
The Mustang remained relatively unchanged for 1995, but a new chapter in Mustang history opened in 1996, when the 5.0-liter small-block V-8 engine – a staple of Mustang performance for decades – was replaced by a new 4.6-liter “modular” V-8 that delivered the same 215 horsepower. The Special Vehicle Team (SVT) Mustang Cobras were equipped with a Dual Overhead Cam version of the 4.6-liter that produced a whopping 305 horsepower.
By 1999, it was time again to freshen the Mustang’s appearance. The result was the so-called “New Edge” Mustang, which sported angular body creases, more pronounced hood and side scoops and bulging wheel arches -- plus a special 35th Anniversary badge on the front fender.
SVT produced its third limited-edition “R-model” in 2000, with a unique 386 horsepower 5.4-liter V-8 that was a hint of Mustang power to come. Another specialty Mustang, the Bullitt GT – inspired by the 1968 Mustang 390GT driven by Steven McQueen in the movie classic Bullitt – made its debut in 2001. The vehicle was an instant success, spawning special Bullitt fan clubs across the country.
The 2003 model year was a memorable one for Ford performance fans, as the Mach 1 nameplate returned to the Mustang lineup, complete with a hot V-8 and functional "Shaker" hood scoop.
But the era's benchmark car was SVT's newest Mustang Cobra. Nicknamed “The Terminator,” this new Mustang performance flagship featured a beefed-up twin-cam 4.6-liter V-8 topped with a supercharger to produce a torque-laden 390 horsepower. It left an exclamation point on the fourth-generation Mustang, ensuring that the SN95 platform would go out in a blaze of glory.
The Fifth Generation of Mustang: 2005 - Present
The fifth generation of America’s favorite pony car – built on the new S197 platform – made its debut in the 2005 model year.
“The biggest challenge for our team was to develop a new generation Mustang that would have the functional and cost structure ‘bandwidth’ to cover the entry V-6 model all the way up to the high-performance Shelby GT500 convertible model,” recalled Hau Thai-Tang, then chief engineer of the Mustang program. “That amount of market coverage in terms of pricing and performance is very tough to achieve with one common platform.”
From a styling perspective, the aim was to design a vehicle that captured the essence of the original Mustangs from the '60s. Designers brought in a 1967 Mustang for inspiration.
“Every member of our team rallied around the vision of making the 2005 Mustang the best Mustang ever,” said Thai-Tang. “Our goal was to build on the tremendous legacy of the Mustang, to make it instantly recognizable as a Mustang and to deliver on the Mustang promise: fast, fun and affordable.”
The result was a modern interpretation of first-generation Mustangs. The canted nose with its big grille and round headlights recalled the ’67 to ’69 Mustangs, while the side sculpting, fastback roofline and taillights recalled the ponies from 1965.
“Most people don’t realize how much of a risk Ford took by choosing to invest in the development of the 2005 Mustang,” said Thai-Tang. “We were the only remaining player in the segment, and we could have easily played it safe and done just enough to keep the Mustang going. Instead, Ford raised the bar.”
The 2005 Mustang was an immediate sales success.
Little changed for the 2006 Mustang, but for the 2007 model year Ford’s SVT delivered the Shelby GT500 – the most powerful factory Mustang ever produced, boasting 500 horsepower. It featured Shelby, Cobra and SVT badging and was offered as either a coupe or a convertible.
Thai-Tang says one of his favorite Mustang moments occurred during the development of the Shelby GT500 program.
“Automotive legend Carroll Shelby was driving one of our convertible test mules, and I was riding in the passenger seat when a young man pulled up to us in a Camaro. He looked over and saw an 82-year-old man driving a funny looking Mustang, and he wanted to race us,” recalls Thai-Tang. “Needless to say he lost the race. When he finally caught up with us, he did a doubt take. He realized that it was no ‘ordinary’ 82-year-old and no ‘ordinary’ Mustang!”
A special “Warriors in Pink” Mustang was introduced for the 2008 model year to help raise funds for Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure breast cancer research. The second limited-edition Mustang Bullitt debuted the same year. To commemorate the 40th anniversary of Shelby's "King of the Road" GT500 (KR) model , Ford introduced the 540-horsepower Shelby GT500KR, which surpassed the Shelby GT500 as the most powerful production Mustang ever produced.
Last year, Ford marked a major milestone when the 9 millionth Mustang was built. The company also introduced the 2009 Mustang, which offers a segment-first factory-installed glass roof as well as special 45th Anniversary badging to commemorate the birthday of the iconic car.
The legendary Mustang drives into the future as the best muscle car yet. The 2010 Mustang is a fun-to-drive vehicle that combines modern technology and safety with Mustang's sporting heritage, including a more powerful V-8 and an even-throatier signature Mustang exhaust sound.
“The 2010 Mustang is drop-dead gorgeous,” said Paul Randle, Mustang chief engineer. “This car marks the best efforts of 45 years of passion and enthusiasm among the best designers, engineers and manufacturing experts in the business.”
* The 1994 Mustang, which ushered in the fourth generation of Mustangs, was dramatically restyled to evoke its pony car heritage. The hatchback style was dropped, leaving the two-door coupe and convertible. The SVT (Special Vehicle Team) Cobra launched with a 240-horsepower 5.0-liter V-8.
* 1995 was the final model year for the 5.0-liter V-8, which began life as the 260- and later 289-cid engine. The second SVT Cobra R was introduced with a 300-horsepower 5.8-liter V-8 and five-speed manual transmission.
* In 1996, Mustang GTs and SVT Mustang Cobras were equipped for the first time with 4.6-liter Dual Overhead Cam (DOHC) V-8, which produced 305 horsepower.
* Ford’s Passive Anti-Theft System became standard on all models in 1997.
* In 1998, the output of Mustang GT’s 4.6-liter V-8 was increased to 225 horsepower.
* A redesigned Mustang debuted in 1999. It sported sharper lines, pronounced wheel arches plus new hood, grille, fascias and lamps. The SVT Mustang Cobra became the first Mustang with independent rear suspension. The 4.6-liter DOHC V-8 produced 320 horsepower.
* In 2000, the third Mustang SVT Cobra R was produced in a 300-unit run. It came with a 386-horsepower, 5.4-liter DOHC V-8 mated to Mustang’s first ever six-speed transmission.
* Inspired by the 1968 movie, the first Mustang Bullitt GT model was offered. It featured unique side scoops, 17-inch “Bullitt”-styled wheels and lowered and specially-tuned suspension.
* In 2002, production ended for two of Mustang’s closest competitors: Chevrolet Camaro and Pontiac Firebird.
* The Mach I returned in 2003 with a 305-horsepower V-8 under a signature ram-air “Shaker” hood scoop. The supercharged SVT Mustang Cobra produced 390 horsepower.
* In 2004, Ford produced its 300 millionth car – a Mustang GT convertible 40th anniversary edition. The 2004 models were the last cars built at Ford’s fabled Dearborn Assembly Plant, which built Mustangs since the car’s 1964 introduction.
* In 2005, production of the all-new Mustang moved to Flat Rock, Mich. Plant. The Mustang’s V-6 engine was increased to 4.0-liters and the V-8 increased to 300 horsepower.
* The V-6 “Pony Package” debuted in 2006. GT models got 18-inch wheels, and owners could configure instrument panel lighting in 125 different colors, an industry first, using Ford’s MyColor instrument gauge.
* In 2007, Ford introduced a special “Warriors in Pink” Mustang, designed to help raise funds for Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure breast cancer research. The vehicle lineup also included the Mustang Shelby GT and the Shelby GT500KR. The second limited-edition Mustang Bullitt was introduced in November.
* The 9 millionth Mustang – a GT convertible – was built in 2008 and sold to an Iowa farmer.
* The 2009 Mustang features a glass roof option and special 45th anniversary badging.
* The 2010 Mustang was introduced in November at the Los Angeles Auto Show. It cleverly combines modern technology with Mustang heritage and a V-8 with even more horsepower and even throatier signature Mustang exhaust sound. It will be available at Ford dealerships later this spring.