Ask a Mustang fan about the ugliest and most underpowered pony ever built and he’ll point out the second-generation model - the short-lived 1974-1978 “Mustang II”.
Ugly? Depends on taste really, some enjoy the short wheelbase. Underpowered? We have to agree on that. The Mustang II never had anything bigger than the 302 (5.0-liter) and horsepower barely topped 140 in 1975. But it was the seventies, and the second-gen pony came right when the oil crisis hit.
But despite its controversial looks and lack of power, the Mustang II managed to sell quite well in its first year, when there was no V8, and Ford says the 400,000 examples sold in 1974 helped save the nameplate.
“While many performance fans derided the Mustang II, it arrived just in time for the first big oil price spike as well as new emissions control and safety regulations. It certainly wasn't a muscle car and didn't even have a V8 engine in the first year on sale. But it was the right Mustang for the time and nearly 400,000 customers agreed in 1974, the highest sales since 1966. Without the success of Mustang II, the line may well have gone extinct in the 1970s,” Ford said.
Scroll below to watch the latest “Mustang Countdown” series video.
But despite its controversial looks and lack of power, the Mustang II managed to sell quite well in its first year, when there was no V8, and Ford says the 400,000 examples sold in 1974 helped save the nameplate.
“While many performance fans derided the Mustang II, it arrived just in time for the first big oil price spike as well as new emissions control and safety regulations. It certainly wasn't a muscle car and didn't even have a V8 engine in the first year on sale. But it was the right Mustang for the time and nearly 400,000 customers agreed in 1974, the highest sales since 1966. Without the success of Mustang II, the line may well have gone extinct in the 1970s,” Ford said.
Scroll below to watch the latest “Mustang Countdown” series video.