Ford Mustang (second generation)
The second-generation Ford Mustang, marketed as the Ford Mustang II, is a two- or three-door, four-passenger, front-engine/rear-drive pony car manufactured and marketed by Ford from 1973 until 1978. Introduced in September 1973 for model year 1974, the Mustang II arrived roughly coincident with the oil embargo of 1973 and subsequent fuel shortages. Developed under Lee Iacocca, it was an "entirely new kind of pony car." Ford "decided to call it Mustang II, since it was a new type of pony car designed for an era of high gas prices and fuel shortages."
| Second generation | |
|---|---|
Ford Mustang II coupe | |
| Overview | |
| Manufacturer | Ford |
| Also called | Ford Mustang II Ford T5 (in Germany) |
| Production | 1973–1978 |
| Model years | 1974–1978 |
| Assembly |
|
| Designer | Dick Nesbitt |
| Body and chassis | |
| Class | Pony car Subcompact car |
| Body style | |
| Layout | Front-engine, rear-wheel-drive |
| Related | |
| Powertrain | |
| Engine | |
| Transmission | |
| Dimensions | |
| Wheelbase | 96.2 in (2,443 mm) |
| Length | 175.0 in (4,445 mm) |
| Width | 70.2 in (1,783 mm) |
| Height | 2-door: 50.3 in (1,278 mm) 3-door: 50.0 in (1,270 mm) |
| Chronology | |
| Predecessor | Ford Mustang (first generation) |
| Successor | Ford Mustang (third generation) |
| This article is part of a series on the |
| Ford Mustang |
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It was 490 lb (222 kg) lighter and almost 19 in (483 mm) shorter than the 1973 Mustang, the second generation was derived from the subcompact Pinto platform using a unique unibody with an isolated front suspension and engine mount subframe which the Pinto did not use while sharing a limited number of chassis and driveline components. The steering was improved from the previous generation by using a rack-and-pinion design.
Named Motor Trend's 1974 Car of the Year and reaching over 1.1 million sales over four years of production, the Mustang II is noted simultaneously for both its marketing prescience and strong sales – while regarded by certain enthusiasts as having abandoned essential aspects of the Mustang heritage and in a retrospective after 40 years since its introduction described as embodying the Malaise era.