Photo: Classic Cars
By the time the world entered the 1970s, the muscle car war in the U.S. was so intense that it was becoming increasingly hard to make sense of things. The original cars that started the movement grew, diversified and mutated to such a degree that few recognized them any more.
One of the many versions of Ford’s hit Mustang thrown into this battle is the Mach 1. It arrived on the market in 1969, five years after the Mustang bloodline was born, and joined a growing list of variants that were already around, including the GT, Boss 302, Boss 429 and the two Shelbys.
The Mach 1 was an instant hit, and quickly pushed the GT out of the production roster, outselling it by the tens of thousands right from the start, both thanks to the styling and the many engine choices available. Among them, and quite popular, was the 351 Cleveland.
Because so many Mach 1s were sold back in the early 1970s, there’s plenty of them to still go around. The big problem is that most of them are either in poor condition, or have had their engines swapped for something else and not necessarily better suited.
Not the one in the gallery above, though. The 1973 model year ticks all the right boxes for someone in search of the original package. Most importantly, it packs the 351 Cleveland it left the factory doors with, linked to the original 3-speed automatic transmission, and the correct 9-inch rear.
Wrapped in gold paint over a black and tan interior, and riding on Thompson Drag Radial tires, the Mach 1 does come with some styling and mechanical modifications, but nothing as severe as we usually see on tuned Mustangs of this type.
The car is for sale somewhere in Illinois, and the price sticker on it reads no more than $34,000.
The Mach 1 was an instant hit, and quickly pushed the GT out of the production roster, outselling it by the tens of thousands right from the start, both thanks to the styling and the many engine choices available. Among them, and quite popular, was the 351 Cleveland.
Because so many Mach 1s were sold back in the early 1970s, there’s plenty of them to still go around. The big problem is that most of them are either in poor condition, or have had their engines swapped for something else and not necessarily better suited.
Not the one in the gallery above, though. The 1973 model year ticks all the right boxes for someone in search of the original package. Most importantly, it packs the 351 Cleveland it left the factory doors with, linked to the original 3-speed automatic transmission, and the correct 9-inch rear.
Wrapped in gold paint over a black and tan interior, and riding on Thompson Drag Radial tires, the Mach 1 does come with some styling and mechanical modifications, but nothing as severe as we usually see on tuned Mustangs of this type.
The car is for sale somewhere in Illinois, and the price sticker on it reads no more than $34,000.
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