There is no way Ford planners could have foreseen conditions that would prevail at introduction time when the Mustang II program was initiated, but it's doubtful if they could have formulated a more timely car if they somehow could have gazed into a magic crystal ball. The realities of 1974 promise to bring down the curtain on the traditional domestic car as we have known it - certainly for the masses. Such cars were feasible with unlimited supply of cheap fuel, lots of wide open spaces and smaller populations, but those conditions no longer existed.
The Mustang II arrived -- re-emerging as a "small car." Reduced in size and weight, it was a serious attempt to recapture the verve and spirit of a previous era. Ford management had recognized the problems of the oversized Mustang and with several years lead time, again sponsored a design competition to create a 1974 Mustang that would have to be one thing. It would have to be a "little jewel."
Also see: The Mustang Story |
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