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June 1978 was Ford's biggest sales month
ever. Lee Iacocca had been with Ford for 32 years. He had been
its president since 1970. After a dispute with Henry Ford II in
1978, Iacocca left Ford Motor Company. He became the president
of the Chrysler Corporation. Chrysler was another North American
carmaker. |
| The Mustang went on without Iacocca. It
had been around for nearly 15 years. It was a proven winner.
The Mustangs strongest competition continued to come from General Motors
cars. At General Motors, the Pontiac Firebird and the Chevrolet
Camaro had joined the Corvette as arch rivals of the Mustang. |
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The
SVO: Ford introduced the SVO Mustang in the
1980's. The SVO stands for the Special Vehicle Operation. The
SVO was a new breed of muscle car. The SVO had a turbocharged
four-cylinder engine. It could reach 60 miles per hour in less than
10 seconds. Camaros and Firebirds could not keep up with the SVO. |
| New Mustangs have kept the markings of the
classic Mustangs. They still have long hoods and short trunks.
They still have three vertical stripes in the taillights. They still
have the C-shaped scoop on the side panels. All of these features
are the Mustang trademarks. |
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The GT and the Cobra: Ford is still building
fast Mustangs. Mustangs continue to beat Firebirds and Camaros on
the test tracks. Today's Mustang buyers can choose from the standard
Mustang, the Mustang GT, and the Mustang Cobra. |
| The Cobra has a 32-valve V-8 engine with 305
horsepower. It reaches 60 miles per hour in five and one-half
seconds. The Cobra Cobra speeds through the quarter-mile in 14
seconds. It received a superior rating in road-handling ability at
80 miles per hour on the test track. |
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The GT has a high-output V-8 engine. The
instrumental panel looks like the cockpit of a fighter jet. It has
16-inch speed-rated tires. Speed rated tires are made to go faster
than regular tires. Speed rated tires are safer at high speeds. |
