Is Ford's 2015 Global Mustang a Risky Bet?

[grbeck]

Say what you will about the Deuce, it was the right car for the times and sold well. It also kept the Mustang alive, something that would not have happened if Ford had kept building the same car it sold in '71, like Chevy and Pontiac did.

 

 

1974-1978 Sales (Source unknown)

Mustang/Camaro

1974: 385,993/ 151,008

1975: 188,575/ 145,770

1976: 187,567/ 182,959

1977: 153,173/ 218,858

1978: 192,410/ 272,631

 

1979: 369,936/ 282,571

 

http://www.camaroz28.com/forums/automotive-news-industry-future-vehicle-discussion-13/mustang-vs-camaro-yearly-sales-totals-reference-needed-7419/

 

I agree. People forget that the car was actually a big success (remember that 1974 was a TERRIBLE year for car sales in this country, so the Mustang II racking up over 350,000 sales for the year was very impressive).

 

The bloated 1971-73 Mustangs were ugly and not particularly well built. Except for the Camaro and Firebird, all of the ponycars looked overstyled and ungainly by 1971. It's also no coincidence that the Lincoln-Mercury Capri, Toyota Celica and Opel Manta started picking up sales around that time.

 

And note that the fat AMC Javelin and Dodge Challenger/Plymouth Barracuda were gone by 1975.

[grbeck]

The 1970's make me seriously wonder what they hell they where thinking....nothing that came out of that decade style wise was a good idea and all of it has aged really badly for the most part.

 

After driving three hours from Indiana, Pa., to Harrisburg yesterday, and watching an unending stream of silver, white and beige vehicles on the highway, I was ready to see some vivid shades from the 1970s.

 

The orange 2013 Dodge Dart and deep blue 2012 Focus were a welcome relief from the Sea of...Bland.

Edited April 1, 2013 by grbeck

[Mark B. Morrow]

Know what's worse than a poop brown and tan 70s Mustang II?

 

A poop brown and tan 4 door 70s Maverick. In high school I could drive that or the Orange 74 Hornet Station wagon with plaid seats. Let's just say I knew there was no way any of my dates were into me for my car.

Jon Stewart drove a Gremlin which he noted was an excellent form of birth control.

[Mark B. Morrow]

After driving three hours from Indiana, Pa., to Harrisburg yesterday, and watching an unending stream of silver, white and beige vehicles on the highway, I was ready to see some vivid shades from the 1970s.

 

The orange 2013 Dodge Dart and deep blue 2012 Focus were a welcome relief from the Sea of...Bland.

I saw a dark geen '70 LTD on Saturday sitting in a parking lot with a for sale sign on it. It reminded me of the late '60s when it seemed that every other car was green. My cousin had a Verdaro Green '68 GTO in '77. Every parts car we found in the local junk yards was the same color.

 

I miss the fun colors of the '60s and '70s like Ember-Glo, Plum Crazy and Gulfstream Aqua. Every few years they seem to make a brief comeback only to disappear again. When one of the local Ford dealers got a full shipment of Fiestas, they lined them up in front of the showroom with the brightest colors looking like candies.

[akirby]

Jon Stewart drove a Gremlin which he noted was an excellent form of birth control.

 

Fortunately I bought my own car when I was 18 - baby blue 75 cutlass supreme with a white vinyl top, chrome wire wheels and blue velour seats. Now that was a pimpmobile. And a piece of crap. 3 radiators, water pump, timing chain, heads, transmission, exhaust (that was on me - tried to park over a railroad track at school) plus the top was all rusted out under the vinyl.

[silvrsvt]

After driving three hours from Indiana, Pa., to Harrisburg yesterday, and watching an unending stream of silver, white and beige vehicles on the highway, I was ready to see some vivid shades from the 1970s.

 

The orange 2013 Dodge Dart and deep blue 2012 Focus were a welcome relief from the Sea of...Bland.

 

I have no problem with color...just that plaid interiors on cars? Denim too? LOL

 

I really want a Focus or the like in the Burnt Orange color that was on the Edge the first 2 years it was built. The Tangerine Scream on the ST is a good idea, but falls fail in execution.

[lfeg]

At least in the 70s you could get variety in interior and exterior colors. My 71 Torino was a sharp car - competition green polychromatic paint, olive green halo vinyl roof, olive green interior with bright green accents. Almost got one with the silver grey paint and a red interior. Then by the late 80s when I bought my Taurus all of the exterior colors seemed like they were picked out by half blind old men (very bland) and your interior choices were washed out grey or taupe mouse fur.What a let down.

 

It is good to see some interesting choices creep back in. Cudos to Dodge on the choices on the Dart.

[grbeck]

I saw a dark geen '70 LTD on Saturday sitting in a parking lot with a for sale sign on it. It reminded me of the late '60s when it seemed that every other car was green. My cousin had a Verdaro Green '68 GTO in '77. Every parts car we found in the local junk yards was the same color.

 

I miss the fun colors of the '60s and '70s like Ember-Glo, Plum Crazy and Gulfstream Aqua. Every few years they seem to make a brief comeback only to disappear again. When one of the local Ford dealers got a full shipment of Fiestas, they lined them up in front of the showroom with the brightest colors looking like candies.

 

I liked that dark metallic green, which Pontiac introduced for the 1968 model year. I didn't like that color combined a white vinyl top.

 

I liked the metallic magenta used on the Fiesta...very sharp.

[grbeck]

I have no problem with color...just that plaid interiors on cars? Denim too? LOL

 

I really want a Focus or the like in the Burnt Orange color that was on the Edge the first 2 years it was built. The Tangerine Scream on the ST is a good idea, but falls fail in execution.

 

I liked plaid interiors and plush velour upholstery (Lincoln and Oldsmobile did this better than anyone else), not to mention the "Levi's" interiors offered on AMC products in the 1970s.

 

Now you have a choice of gray, light beige or (maybe) black.

Edited April 2, 2013 by grbeck

[fordmantpw]

Fortunately I bought my own car when I was 18 - baby blue 75 cutlass supreme with a white vinyl top, chrome wire wheels and blue velour seats. Now that was a pimpmobile. And a piece of crap. 3 radiators, water pump, timing chain, heads, transmission, exhaust (that was on me - tried to park over a railroad track at school) plus the top was all rusted out under the vinyl.

 

You just haven't lived if your first car didn't require lots of money to keep it running!

[lfeg]

You just haven't lived if your first car didn't require lots of money to keep it running!

Especially if the lots of money was to keep fuel in it. My 64 Galaxie 500XL had a fuel gauge that would go down as fast as the speedometer would go up. (By the way, it was Pagoda Green with a white vinyl top.)

[Gnostic]

Especially if the lots of money was to keep fuel in it. My 64 Galaxie 500XL had a fuel gauge that would go down as fast as the speedometer would go up. (By the way, it was Pagoda Green with a white vinyl top.)

Haha, my buddy in HS had a 69 impala ss with a 427 and 410 gears. We used to say it passed everything but gas stations. Green with a white roof too.