Ford Muscle Cars, Have You Driven One Lately?

Ford Muscle Cars, three words that did not go together in the opinion of many Mopar enthusiasts like myself back in the day. But I have long since learned to appreciate the fact that Ford produced some of the finest Street Machines to ever hit the asphalt.

The turning point for me was many years ago when I was filling the tank of my '70 Challenger R/T and I saw this gorgeous red 1968 Shelby Mustang rumble in to fill up at the pump next to me. That car looked and sounded so intimidating that I had to ask the driver what he had in it. He popped the hood to show me an infamous 427 SOHC (Single Overhead Cam) engine in full race trim. It gave me a whole new respect for Ford motor technology. Sure, the "Cammer" was allegedly copied from Chrysler's 426 Hemi, but I was still very impressed.

The most popular weapon in the arsenal of Ford Muscle Cars is the Mustang, which was introduced as a 1965 model that was based on the compact Falcon. The Pony Car class that the Ford Mustang helped to create is the only class of Muscle Car that still exists today.

The Mustang debuted as a simple sports car powered by a 170 cid six cylinder and a pair of available V8's. Originally the Mustang was named for the WW II fighter the P-51 Mustang, but preliminary allusions were made to the horse, and so the horse motif quickly became the emblem for the Ford Mustang.

Ford introduced a sporty 2+2 fastback body style to go along with the hardtop coupe and convertible. To the delight of Ford enthusiasts the new "K-code" 271 horsepower 289 V8 was available to put some performance under the Mustang's hood.

1967 saw a massive restyle of the Ford Mustang, which included bulkier sheet metal below the belt-line, a more aggressive grille, a concave tail panel, and a full fastback roof line. The engine compartment was also increased to accommodate the slightly detuned 390 cubic inch big block, producing 320 horsepower to compete against the new Chevy Camaro SS396.

The new GT500 was powered by a 355 horse 428 big block and some were built with the even more powerful, race ready Ford 427. The '67 Shelby's would be the last Shelby Mustangs actually built by Shelby-American.

The '68 Mustang received a limited number of 427 engines that were slightly detuned but still cranked out a staggering 390 horsepower, making it one of the most fear inspiring Ford Muscle Cars ever built.

In April of 1968, Ford unveiled perhaps its most famous line of performance engines for the Mustang, the 428 Cobra Jet. It included larger valve heads with larger ports, a racing intake manifold borrowed from the 427 race motor fed by a huge 735 cfm Holley 4 bbl, and an oil pan windage tray. It also had ram-air induction through a functional hood scoop. Output was listed at 335 horsepower but was rumored to be more around 410 horse.

The Mach 1 body style debuted in '69 and came standard with a 351 power plant but could also be had with the 428 Cobra Jet, which now came in three states of tune all underrated at 335 horsepower.

The first was a non-Ram Air version, followed by the Ram-Air version which breathed through a shaker hood scoop and the new Super Cobra Jet which came with the Drag Pack option.

The Super Cobra Jet used the shaker hood scoop, a modified crankshaft and stronger connecting rods. The Drag Pack included limited-slip 3.91:1 or 4.30:1 gear ratios.

These Boss Ford Muscle Cars were built to qualify the 429 V8 for NASCAR. The Boss package came with a race ready 429 big block with ram air induction, an aluminum high-rise intake and header type exhaust manifolds.

Options included a 4 speed tranny and a 3.91:1 Traction-Lok third member, an oil cooler, trunk mounted battery, and heavy duty racing suspension.

Thinking of investing in a classic muscle car? Click here for some helpful information.

New for 1970 was the 429 Cobra Jet rated at 370 horsepower, and the Super Cobra Jet rated at 375 horse. Sadly, despite these fine additions, this would also be the last year for the Shelby Cobras, one of the finest Ford Muscle Cars ever produced.

For more Mustang history and information check out Ford Mustang Hype, a Website for true Mustang fanatics.

Ford built 57 Fairlane based 427 powered race cars with fiberglass fenders, teardrop shaped hood blisters, Plexiglass windows, lightweight bucket seats, an air induction system with air intakes where the inner headlights used to be, modified front suspensions, and many special competition equipment features.

Sun-visors, mirror, sound-deadening, armrests, even the jack and lug wrench were all removed bringing the weight to about 3,203 lbs. The 425 horse 427 big block was heavily modified and actually cranked out around 500 horse.

It was linked to a beefed-up Lincoln automatic and 4.58:1 gearing or a Borg Warner T-10 transmission with a Hurst shifter and 4.44:1 gearing. Massive traction bars, asymmetrical rear springs, and a trunk mounted battery helped to get all that power to the pavement.

The 1964 Ford Fairlane Special Performance Drag cars soon adopted the Thunderbolt name from the '63 A/FX Fairlane drag car, also known as "T-bolts." Driver Gas Ronda dominated NHRA's 1964 World Championship by running his T-bolt through the quarter mile in 11.6 seconds at 124 mph.

The GT and GTA packages were available on the 500/XL line of Ford Muscle Cars and included a special hood, a heavy-duty suspension, disc brakes, and bucket seats. The base 390 V8 was rated at 335 horsepower and featured a hot cam, special manifolds, and a single four barrel carb.

Ford installed a slightly detuned version of its race ready "side oiler" 427 wedge engine in approximately 60 Fairlanes to boost its performance image. Fairlanes equipped with the 427 included a big functional air scoop at the front of a lift-off fiberglass hood.

The 427 was available in two versions: a single four barrel carb, good for 410 horsepower, or with dual quad carbs rated at 425 horse. Free-breathing cast iron exhaust headers, low-restriction dual exhausts, and Ford's top-loader 4-speed tranny completed the power-train. These cars could do the quarter mile in under 13 seconds at almost 114 mph.

In 1967 the 427 was available with tunnel-port heads, which improved air flow and added an additional 30 horsepower. Less than 200 427 Fairlanes were built.

The Ford Fairlane was redesigned for 1968 and became nearly a full size car. There was a new fastback "Sportsroof" model and a new sporty Torino series, which included a standard 302 cid V8. Muscle car options included a 390 cid V8, and the 390 horse 427 that was replaced mid-year by the new Cobra Jet 428, rated at 335 horsepower. A Super Cobra Jet version was also available.

Torino GTs returned in 1969 with two new Torino Cobra models. Standard equipment included the 302 cid V8, three speed manual transmission, heavy-duty suspension, and wide 70 series tires. A 320 horse 390 and two 428s both rated at 335 horsepower were also available.

The new Cobra was designed as a budget street racer to compete against the popular Plymouth Road Runner. The Cobra had big snake decals on its front fenders that were later replaced with metal badges to give this Ford Muscle Car a unique identity. Standard was the 335 horse 428 Cobra Jet V8, though it really put out around 400 horsepower.

A four-speed transmission, beefed-up suspension, wide wheels, fat tires, a non functional hood scoop, and Cobra ID were all included. Options included bucket seats, and a functional hood scoop, tachometer, power disc brakes, and gearing up to 4.30:1 with a Detroit Locker.

As an option the 370 horse Cobra 429 was available with 11.3:1 compression, different heads, a high-lift cam, a 700-cfm Holley four barrel on a high-rise intake and functional Ram Air.

The Drag Pack with the Cobra engine added Traction-Lok 3.91:1 or Detroit Locker 4.30:1 gears, a hot solid-lifter cam, oil cooler, forged aluminum pistons, four-bolt mains, and a 780 dual-feed four barrel, good for 375 horsepower.

The 1971 Torinos were basically unchanged, but the standard engines were downgraded, the GT from a V8 to an I6, and the Cobra from the 428 to a 351 Cleveland V8. The writing was on the wall for the end of the Muscle Car Era.

The Falcon may not be considered a true Ford Muscle Car, but with a few modifications they come pretty close to qualifying for the coveted Muscle Car label.

It was really the 289 that first established the car's reputation however, leading it to be a strong contender in racing championships in 1964 and then to become a dominant winner in 1965.

The 1967 427 S/C Cobra with over 500 factory horsepower could do 0 to 100 mph and back to 0 in only 13 seconds!

The Comet received a performance boost in 1965 as the 289 V8 was upgraded to 225 horsepower, and though not technically available, some Comet's snuck out of the factory with the special order 289 with 271 horse and some even received the wild SOHC 427 "Cammer".

The Comet was all new for 1966 and shared its chassis and body shell with the popular mid-size Ford Muscle Car the Fairlane. The GT option included the new 390 cid V8 rated at 335 horsepower, which had a four-barrel carb, dual exhausts, a fiberglass hood with non-functional scoops, and optional four-speed or automatic tranny.

The Comet was restyled for 1968 with a fastback coupe body style. The engine lineup included a four barrel 302, two 390 cid V8s, and the 427 rated at 390 horsepower, which was available only for a few months, and then Mercury replaced it with the 428 Cobra Jet, with an under-rated 335 horse.

In 1969 the new hot Cyclone was the CJ, which was aimed at the budget priced Plymouth Road Runner. The CJ came with the 428 Cobra Jet rated at 335 horsepower with a four speed tranny and competition Handling Package.

Return from Ford Muscle Cars to Home Page

Performance Parts Directory