FOX BODY MUSTANG - Everything You Need to Know | Up to Speed

(car engine revving) (tires screeching) - It's the ultimate unofficial muscle car of the '80s, smoking and tearing up the drag strip. It has a reputation for leaving skid marks not only on the pavement but also on passengers' tight underwear. (car engine revving) This European-influenced looking sports car reborn the American pony car and ushered in a new generation of drivers hitting Bernie's in front of the local Foster's Dairy Freeze. (car engine revving) (tires screeching) Buckle up, because this is

everything

you

need

to

know

to get up to

speed

on the Fox-bodied Mustang. (horse neighs) Whoa! Wow, great friend, great friend.

Let's ride! (electricity crackles) (old video game music) Oh, hello, I'm glad you're here. Donut just surpassed three million subscribers. Thank you to each and every one of you who have subscribed to our YouTube channel. To commemorate this moment we are making a special edition sticker of three million subscribers. It will only be available for the next 72 hours, it is proof that you were here with us at this moment. If you come in 78 hours, sorry buddy, you're late to the game. This is for you, we have no plans to stop anytime soon, now let's get back to work.

This is how we make videos. When we revved the Mustang, we gave the Fox

body

less than a minute of love. We thought about a car with so many fans and, honestly, such an interesting story that it deserved its own episode. So we'll look at how the Fox-bodied Mustang came to be, how it brought muscle back to the American pony car scene, and why it has a cult following like virtually no other car. (car engine revving) Now, before the Fox

body

came out, Ford was selling the unimpressive but confusingly successful Mustang two. Ford removed the V8 from the original Mustang, made it smaller, and used the Pinto platform to build the new Mustang two.

Now, the infamous '73 oil crisis hit people's wallets and gas-guzzling V8s fell by the wayside. (jazz music) In 1974 gas only cost 55 cents a gallon, that's 2.87 in today's money. Everyone pays that now! Although it lacked the sexiness of its big brother, the Mustang Deuce was a big hit as buyers wanted more fuel-efficient, lower-priced, less extravagant cars, okay, boo, no thanks. Fortunately, the oil crisis was over, and by the mid-'70s, people were again buying full-size horns that drank gasoline like no one drinks milk. But the people at Ford were smart and knew that all that drinking couldn't last forever.

And they decided to build smaller, more fuel efficient cars, because they thought that would be the name of the game in futsal. So Ford engineers got to work building a new platform on which to build its fleet of cars. They called it the Fox platform. Just to be clear, this is not the Fox-bodied Mustang. We're getting to the Fox body, don't worry. Ford wanted its new multi-car platform to be smaller, weigh less, have a wider engine bay than the Falcon chassis predecessor, and be versatile enough to fit a bunch of different models so you could drive fast or take your boring luggage. family around.

Ford vice president of product planning and research Hal Sperlich came up with the idea of ​​a global car, a Ford product that appealed to both Americans and Europeans. Now, with the blessing of Lee Iacocca, in 1973, Hal initiated the Fox platform. There would be two wheelbases, a long one, on which the Fairmont would be built, and a short version for the Pinto, Cortina and Mustang. There are a lot of cars built on the Fox platform, Mercury Zephyr, Ford Durango, Mercury Cougar, Lincoln Continental, Ford Thunderbird, and now that Ford was working on the new multi-platform chassis, we could start working on what the Mustang was. it's going to seem It took three different design teams, a ton of concept images were drawn up, including one based on a truck, but in the end, Ford opted for Jack Telnack's styling.

He was vice president of design at Ford of Europe and knew that smaller, Eastern European-looking cars could do well in the American market. The new third-generation Mustang debuted in 1979, the first Fox-bodied Mustang. (car engine revving) The new 'Stang had square, bucket-shaped headlights, set within a sloping grille. It had blinds on the side windows and a wedge-style hood. It was lighter, safer, more aerodynamic and a complete departure from the look of its predecessor. You have five different engine options, from an 88-horsepower 2.3-liter four-cylinder to the most coveted and beloved Mustang engine of all time, the damn five oh. (car engine revving) Although this first version of the five-liter V8 only produces 140 horsepower.

But there was a beast inside, it just

need

ed a little massage. We'll talk about that in a moment. The Fox body also gained three different trim levels during its initial first year. The first one was called basic (bleep), not really, it was pretty basic. Then there was the more luxurious Ghia trim, which after some research doesn't seem very luxurious. It had deluxe seat belts, map pockets, and a carpeted trunk. Which I guess would be a nice gesture to all the people you kidnap, because anyone who spent more money on these options is probably a psychopath. The third and final version was the Cobra. (thunder) Not the kind of cobra you're probably thinking of.

The first Fox-bodied Cobra was another appearance package that had a non-functional center-mounted hood, pinstripes, and slightly different bumpers. If we were to rank Cobras, this is about one in five whistles. A year later, the '80s arrived, and with them came a McLaren-built Mustang? You heard me right, there are Fox-bodied M81 McLaren Mustangs, 10 production versions, to be exact. Sketched while in a Mexican restaurant in California, the story goes like this: Well, then this guy, Gary Kohs of Marketing Corporation of America, went to his friend Roger Bailey, who worked at McLaren. And he said: we want to build a McLaren Mustang.

Good friend, rock and roll. But first, we'll build some race cars and with your guys' name attached, they'll sell like hot cakes, man. Sounds great (burps). True story, that's how it happened. Competing in the IMSA series, the McLaren 'Stang had a Cosworth BDA four-cylinder engine, Ford four-

speed

manual transmission, and a quick-shift rear end. Of the two race cars built, chassis number two raced in the GTX Class at the 1981 24 Hours of Daytona. The car finished 21st overall, which isn't that great, and eighth in its class, which isn't that great either. It's so good. But they had an accident, so I guess they did pretty well.

From those racing cars came the production McLaren Mustangs. McLaren took the 2.3 liter turbo engines and gave them a good old hot rod tune with some head porting and blue printing for durability and performance. They made a respectable 190 horsepower when you turned the dash-mounted boost control all the way up. The M81 has BBS wheels, a WayScape hood, all sorts of suspension hardware and front-rear anti-roll bars, and inside, it even has an anti-roll bar. Only 10 of the hand-built M81s were sold, and at a price of 25,000, which is about 70,000 in today's money, they weren't cheap. - In Washington, pressure is increasing again to review gas rationing. - In 1979, a second oil crisis hit the United States and, trying to catch up, Ford abandoned the five-liter V8 to save fuel and meet consumer demands.

And it was replaced by the 255 cubic inch V8 in 1980 and 1981. The only V8 option for the Mustang produced a small 120 horsepower, the lowest horsepower ever achieved for a Mustang V8. Ford also eliminated the 2.3-liter turbo, so if you wanted a real performance engine in your 'Stang in the early '80s, you were SOL, unless you were the police. (engine revving) (tires screeching) In 1982, Ford produced some SSP models. SSP means special service package. The California Highway Patrol ordered some Mustangs to test as fleet vehicles after testing about 79 Chevy Camaros over 18 months and they weren't a good fit.

The five-liter four-speed must have ticked some boxes because the CHP bought 406. - Fasten your seatbelts now. - And a year later, Ford opened the SSP to other police agencies. And these cars were made until the Fox body was retired. The bodies of the Fox police cars are so sick. - The boss is back. (tires screeching) - After a 13-year hiatus, Ford finally brought back the GT in 1982. Ford marketed the new GT when the boss is back. A tribute to the Boss 302 of the 70s. The new boss 5.0 obtained an increase in power with new valves, cams, exhaust and intake.

The popular five-liter is back and here to stay, baby. (car engine revving) The five-year-old Fox body received some cosmetic upgrades a year later with a redesigned front shelf that was more rounded and a new front grille. If you change the front, you have to change the rear, of course, plastic surgery 101. And the rear has new taillights and a new blue oval Ford emblem plastered on the trunk. After nine years of not being able to let your hair blow in the wind, you can finally get your little pony with a convertible finish. (acceleration of the car's engine) 1984 marked the 20th anniversary of the Mustang, and to draw attention to the 20 years of the 'Stang, Ford brought back the GT 350 of the same name.

Now, if you were an '80s dude or duo and you heard that Ford was bringing back the beloved GT 350 of the '70s, you probably clenched your butt cheeks in excitement, well, relax those buns, because again, it was basically another cosmetic . package. It got some upgraded suspension components, but overall it didn't do much to match the legacy of the original GT 350. That same year, a familiar name in the Mustang scene hit the road racing. Saleen. Ford Saleen jumped in and built its own American supercars. Fox-bodied Mustangs were coming up. Steve Saleen was looking to take advantage of all the potential the Fox body had and turn it into racing car gold.

He took the cars to several SCCA races and won along the way. His success on the track gave his new Mustang some street cred, and if you had the money, you could buy your own Saleen-equipped Fox body, too. So what made his conversion to Saleen so special? Well, he worked on the things that make a race car better: the chassis, the suspension, the brakes. He didn't even touch the engine, for two reasons, one, he didn't want any problems with the EPA, they were still pretty strict at the time regarding emissions, and two, it allowed him to sell his conversions while keeping the Ford Factory Warranty.

Elegant. (car engine revving) It used Racecraft suspension, custom wheels, and a body kit that was very period correct. And in the early '90s, Saleen launched the Saleen SSC and SC, his first shot at his own Fox body with a modified engine. Saleen squeezed 290 horsepower out of the beloved 5.0 for the SSC, and got even more power from the SC with a 304-horse upgrade. While Saleen was modifying Mustangs, back home, Ford was looking to put some muscle back on its production horse. The oil crisis was over and performance junkies wanted more polished horses to put back on their four-wheeled steeds, and Ford needed a division of its own to do it.

So they decided to form a division that would oversee not only Ford's racing program, but also spearhead production of high-performance street cars. Ford came up with the Department of Special Vehicle Operations, or SVO for short. His first task was to turn the Mustang into a more performance-oriented car. Surprisingly, instead of going the conventional route with the five-liter small-block, the SVO team used the 2.3-liter turbo, generating 175 horsepower and 210 pound-feet of torque. The SVO 'Stang was the highest performing of the time. Now, remember when McLaren was making waves with its own turbo four engine? Well, the newly formed SVO didn't like that.

So they killed it, they killed the McLaren Mustang and said, "We're not going to do this." Now it didn't take long for them to find their mistakes, about a year and a half, for Ford to make the change and focus on the flagship five-liter V8. Gone are the days of the stifled 140-horsepower versions of the infamous small-block, and the high-output, 200-plus-horsepower 5.0 is here to stay. (car engine revving) It will become the power plan that brought muscle back to the Mustang line. In 1988,The success of the higher-powered engine led to more than 200,000 Mustangs being sold annually. One of the best American sports cars of the time.

Just look at the movies that featured a Fox body. Caine's GT convertible sitting atop a gold 10-inch Dayton in Menace to Society. Arnold Sshwarzenegger drove one in Twins. Tim fucking Tool Man Taylor bought his son Brad a GT as his first car. Fox's bodies were wildly popular, from grandmothers who wore them to church to 16-year-olds who destroyed Bernie's in church parking lots. The cities were full of square 'Stangs'. But by 1990 Fox's own body was getting a little old. Ford continued to make special edition Mustangs for the next few years. You got the summer edition and the triple white, but perhaps the best Fox body of all came with a three-letter badge on the side, SVT. (thunder rolls) SVT stands for Special Vehicle Team, and they built some of Ford's most incredible performance cars over the years.

Like the damn Lightning and the Focus, but SVT started it all with the Fox Cobra body. The 1993 Ford Mustang SVT Cobra was launched during the 1992 Chicago Auto Show as a way to showcase Ford's new performance division. The Cobra got an upgraded engine, with 235 horsepower and 280 pound-feet of weight. It could go from zero to 60 in 5.9 seconds and do the quarter in 14.5, this was a whoosh five out of five, with an upgraded transmission, rear disc brakes and the best looking wheels ever on a body Fox. (car engine revving) The Cobra was a damn beauty. The only other Mustang that could outperform the Cobra was the Cobra R, why?

Because R means racing. (car engine revving) The R was the swan song for the Fox-bodied Mustang, showing the world that the SVT team knew how to build performance cars. It was a complete race car, with no radio, no speakers, no air conditioning, no sound-deadening material, and no back seat. Only 107 Rs were built, specifically for IMSA and SCCA class B racing. Most of them are in the hands of collectors though, so they're just sitting in some old guy's garage. The Fox body came to an end in 1993, but to this day it remains one of the best and most beloved Mustangs of all time.

It made the Mustang back to the muscle machine it once was and if you have a green five liter notch back Calypso with a manual, hit me up in the comments below. Wait a second, you're a Donut fan, but you don't even own any Donut products? How will the other idiots

know

that you have more power, honey? Head over to donutmedia.com and show everyone what a big dork you are. Donutmedia.com, also if you want to work for us, that's where you do it, there's a blink to join the team. This could be you. I love you.