Is it me or the 90s mustangs were underrated?

[the_edge]

60s mustangs = iconic, clasic
70s mustangs = bigger, "on steroids"
80s mustangs = downsized, hollow shells of their former selves. Fox body, square lines, for fairmont-like.

Then along came the 90's mustang:

http://www.americandreamcars.com/collec ... 100302.jpg

http://www.stage3motorsports.com/assets ... 0Image.jpg

These cars felt like Ford was trying to turn the Mustang into a sports car. No compromises, and it was a new styling language too, it wasn't trying to be the 1964 mustang or anything like that.

Then the car aged and sort of faded away... until the retro mustang of the 2000s, which lasted until last year or so. It was awesome, just a bit constrained by the fact it was trying to be retro.

We haven't truly seen a new "no compromises" mustang until the current one. Actually, I made this topic because the current mustang reminded me of the 90s one - not even retro design compromises them, they almost try to be sports cars (I know they're not).

[thewalrus]

I've actually come to appreciate the fox body Mustangs a lot more, lately. They have a cool, rectangular look that, I think, has aged pretty well. And the 5.0 at least was a real performer. I remember my cousin had one - tons of fun to ride in.

The only Mustangs I really didn't like were the late 70s era - bloated, heavy, under-powered, and not all that attractive to my eye. The Mustang II was just not good.

[Pennzoil GT-R]

No. They were shit.

[the_edge]

[thewalrus]

[Talon]

They were decent looking but slow as hell. The 4.6 V8 only put out like 215 hp. 215 friggen hp out of a Mustang GT. Get the hell outta here...

[the_edge]

[the_edge]

[Turbojett]

The ones from the Early 70's were alright, but when somebody says, 70's Mustang, I still think of the Mustang II. Which was smaller, back down to its original size and weight, but ridiculously neutered, and ridiculously fugly. I can begrudgingly give a hesitant nod to the Cobra II (properly equipped, of course) or the King Cobra. The Fox Body started out basically as a Fairmont coupe, but It came into it's own in the 80's.
I did always think it was kind of stupid that the car stayed on the same Fairmont chassis from 1979 all the way up to 2004, but they did pretty well with it.

As far as the 90's Mustang is concerned, I never really was a fan of it. I've kinda come around in more recent years, but I still don't really care for the jelly-bean styling all Fords had back then; I think they look bloated. Still the styling on the Mustang was nowhere near as bad as that on the Taurus or Escort*; they just seem to have gotten uglier over the years. When they redesigned the Mustang in '99 to look "New Edge", I thought they looked better, but it still took me a few years to warm up to them. The 2003 Cobra, "Terminator" helped a lot though:


as did the Mach 1:

have to admit, I still kinda want one.

[Honor]

[ryguy79]

Haters gonna hate (pennz) but I had a hell of a lot of fun in my Mustang, as well as the times I've driven my brother's old Mach 1. I would happily own another Mustang of almost any era, excluding Mustang II.

[Turbojett]

You had a New Edge (i.e. the MCE like the ones I posted) rather than one of the Jellybeans, right? I seem to remember seeing pics of it.

[Honor]

He had a silver 04 GT. I almost gone one just like it.

I would just get an LS1 Z28 now though. Same retail more or less and more power. Plus T-tops.

[ryguy79]

[ryguy79]

I sure did love that thing. It was so fun for blasting through the deserts and mountains of west Texas and New Mexico.

[the_edge]

[the_edge]

[the_edge]

[ryguy79]

[ryguy79]