Posted on 04/08/2014 4:27:41 AM PDT by ilovesarah2012
When the Ford Mustang was introduced 50 years ago this month, it was first to break from the gate in a market class that would come to be known as pony cars.
With a long hood and a short rear deck — proportions carried forward by the Chevrolet Camaro, Plymouth Barracuda and many others — the Mustang looked ready to bolt. And bolt it did, as 22,000 wowed Americans placed orders for the car on April 17, according to Ford, the official first day of sales.
Naming the car for a horse proved to be a stroke of marketing genius. Not just any horse, mind you (a car named Clydesdale might never have been so popular) but one that conjured images of rugged wild horses roaming the American West: The drama that imagery invoked was supported by the car’s fresh style and a galloping steed front and center in the grille.
Underneath, the Mustang was essentially Ford’s Falcon, a solid compact that was available with V8 power and a 4-speed manual transmission. Those underpinnings were enough to get the pony car sales competition off to a fast start.
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
Didn’t AMX/Javelins use Ford engines, or were they AMC-built motors? I know they had 390 and 360 cu in motors as well.
“...throttle body FI...”
Fuel injection is the way to go.
Love that 72 Torino body style too. That was the body style change year.
RE Windsor Engine: That was an underrated motor; but done up right, it hauled ass. The Cleveland was the “favorite child” of the two, but I knew guys who loved the Windsor block and made them into street monsters.
Hey Dawg Sister!!! Woof!
No, I haven’t seen a site like that. But just google search the models of the cars your Dad had, and you’ll probably come up with some nice images.
I’ll ask my neighbor when I see him.
Not an American Motors fan. I do remember they borrowed technology.
I think they used mopar torqueflite tranny’s.
“...mopar torqueflite...”
Ahh, the 727... NOT the Boeing, but the MOPAR 727 Torqueflite!! Ha!
American Motors went downhill, sadly. Do you remember the Moon Buggy AMC Pacer? or the AMC Matador?
back in 1970 or 71, I had a head on collision with an AMC gremlin...I was already in the intersection, he blew the light. I was driving a 52 Cranbrook Plymouth 6 cyl ‘L’head. I walked away, he went to the hospital.
we currently have 3 torqueflite cars....2 aspens and 1 volare which are really all the same car...
“...AMC Gremlin..”
Wow, I’d forgotten those... they were those little compact hatchbacks that looked like some hacked off the back with an axe.
Bringing back memories...
RE Volare: My mother had a 1976 Volare, with the 318 V8 in it. Not a race car, but it moved pretty good with that engine. It had all the luxury refinements inside. Her first “nice car” as she put it. The Valiant that we had prior (which I wrecked) was an econobox - but it had the push-button transmission on the dash!!!
Like I posted in my first of the thread:
“...and my oldest boy just bought a 77 Dodge aspen 318 that is being seen this year in the show ‘The Americans’. the guy who rents them to the studio decided to sell this one....”
I have short video clips from the show.
It is cool to have this as new shows with the car is still coming out. 2 scenes from last weeks show.
The 318 has plenty of power. Though my son is looking to possibly put a 360 which should bolt right up.
I had multiple cars with push bottom shifting. Maybe as many as a dozen. Been driving since 1965. Had a few with 3 on the tree too.
The torqueflite were ‘bullet proof’ but they weren’t ‘Vaquero bullet t proof’ as my poor old father might have told you while he was still alive. His trannys were often destroyed by my propensity of doing nasty hole shots with his family cars.
Ok, I’ll try that. I know there was a site that listed every car ever made, and had photos of most of them. I thought I bookmarked it and but alas, I can’t find it.
Bow wow :)
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.