Yeah, they were fast!

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Aesthetics are subjective. I've done my fair share of embarrassing Fox cars with my II back in the day. Granted it wasn't a stock II 302, but no one knew that until I said something. It had a 68 302 transplanted with no other modifications which leveled the playing field with the newly redesigned 87 GT and LX 5.0. The II's performance was a victim of the times it was created. Fast forward a few years when engineering finally caught up and upgrade it with fuel injection, an OD transmission, steeper gears, and larger tires and you'll end up with something everyone wants to thumb their nose at while proving that they can be more than they can quite fathom them being able to become. Now, if you TRULY want to be different, build a II. Even Mustang people look down on them, as is shown in this thread alone.

Now, turning back to Fox cars, members of my family have had a few different cars from an 81 4 cylinder, an 84 T-top GT, an 85 GT, an 84 convertible, and now my brother with an 83 T-top GT and my current 87 GT convertible. They're fun to drive, and after owning a number of IIs as well, the Fox cars had a completely different feel in comparison. Again, as engineering and production processes advanced, so did the vehicles produced. The Fox cars had the advantage of a LONG production run and were able to capitalize on advancing methods. Comparing one model to a previous model is really only useful if you're comparing the new model's first year to the previous model's last, otherwise it's a moot point.

But to the point (I think... :shrug: ) of this thread, we had a little contest way back then with my 87 TA and the 85 GT. The GT walked all over the TA in about every aspect in our non-scientific test. (Meaning we were out f'ing around :D) Having 6 years to tweak and improve on about anything is bound to better it. And the Fox still had another 8 years of production from the 85. So it's not rocket science to conclude that the Fox would become what it is today, and in my opinion, it has absolutely NOTHING to do with the looks of it.
 
You two guys are the ones that need glasses, cause the ones you wear clearly aren’t working.
you can call it what you’d like...A mach 1, a Cobra II, or even a King Cobra....
Its still a freakin re-skinned pinto.
1594254060858.jpeg

Say hello to grandpa fellas,...for this is the seed that Mustang II can trace it’s origins back to.
And you can jam a F.I. 5.0 in there, back it with a T5, and route it all through a 8.8...it’ll still be a freakin pinto.

Who was it that said something like “ A turd by any other name is still a turd”.
 
There is only one person here really knocking the ll.
But that's what he does, that and stuff jap junk in a American car. Successfully hypnotizing us into following along with the hope that he can make sht run that ain't suppose to, adapt stuff that shouldn't work together all without severing a body part or maiming an innocent animal.
 
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You two guys are the ones that need glasses, cause the ones you wear clearly aren’t working.
you can call it what you’d like...A mach 1, a Cobra II, or even a King Cobra....
Its still a freakin re-skinned pinto.
1594254060858.jpeg

Say hello to grandpa fellas,...for this is the seed that Mustang II can trace it’s origins back to.
And you can jam a F.I. 5.0 in there, back it with a T5, and route it all through a 8.8...it’ll still be a freakin pinto.

Who was it that said something like “ A turd by any other name is still a turd”.
Yeah, but it could be a really fast turd!!!
 
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Says the guy who built a Fairmont. :shrug:

Which, in all honesty, I'd do too. The best looking one that I can think of was the one where the guy took a Fox LTD front clip and installed it on the Futura body. That one is sharp!

ford-fairmont-01.jpg


But knocking the II because it was BASED on the Pinto is the same as knocking any other car that was based on a platform of another econobox. That's been the Mustang for years, from the Falcon based original to the Pinto based II to the Fairmont based Fox and SN95. It seems to me that the II shares less components with a Pinto than either the generation before or after did with their counterparts. In any event, haters gonna hate. But until someone can come up with a better argument than what always seems to be brought up, I'll stick to my guns. They were what they were, nothing more. It's up to people's ingenuity to build them to their potential. And again, if you want to really be different, build a II.
 
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You two guys are the ones that need glasses, cause the ones you wear clearly aren’t working.
you can call it what you’d like...A mach 1, a Cobra II, or even a King Cobra....
Its still a freakin re-skinned pinto.
1594254060858.jpeg

Say hello to grandpa fellas,...for this is the seed that Mustang II can trace it’s origins back to.
And you can jam a F.I. 5.0 in there, back it with a T5, and route it all through a 8.8...it’ll still be a freakin pinto.

Who was it that said something like “ A turd by any other name is still a turd”.
Damn right it's still be a Pinto, and it'd still have more personality than that '79 Ghia. :rlaugh:

That's what was wrong with the 79-81 cars. They were generic copies of the Chevy Monza, with an emphasis on generic. The Pinto and II may be ugly, but they were far from generic, which is an even greater crime.

As I said, 82-84 got interesting... Then 1985 happened and the fox got SEXY... Only to be made generic again in 1987.
 
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Says the guy who built a Fairmont. :shrug:

Which, in all honesty, I'd do too. The best looking one that I can think of was the one where the guy took a Fox LTD front clip and installed it on the Futura body. That one is sharp!

ford-fairmont-01.jpg


But knocking the II because it was BASED on the Pinto is the same as knocking any other car that was based on a platform of another econobox. That's been the Mustang for years, from the Falcon based original to the Pinto based II to the Fairmont based Fox and SN95. It seems to me that the II shares less components with a Pinto than either the generation before or after did with their counterparts. In any event, like I said, haters gonna hate. But until someone can come up with a better argument than what always seems to be brought up, I'll stick to my guns. They were what they were, nothing more. It's up to people's ingenuity to build them to their potential. And again, if you want to really be different, build a II.
That has always been a favorite car of mine, and there was a time that I considered doing exactly the same thing to mine..But in the end it’s been done before,...and we all know what i think about something that’s been done before.
 
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Damn right it's still be a Pinto, and it'd still have more personality than that '79 Ghia. :rlaugh:

That's what was wrong with the 79-81 cars. They were generic copies of the Chevy Monza, with an emphasis on generic. The Pinto and II may be ugly, but they were far from generic, which is an even greater crime.

As I said, 82-84 got interesting... Then 1985 happened and the fox got SEXY... Only to be made generic again in 1987.

I want to clarify something here:

While I do very much feel that the 87-93 Mustangs look generic, that doesn't mean they were bad. My 4Runner looks generic as hell, but overcomes that by being a V8, full-time 4WD, semi-luxurious beast of a vehicle under the skin.

The 1987-1993 Mustang is very much the same. It may have been generic-looking on the surface, but below the skin it was an absolute beast, and the cheapest form of raw power on four wheels available for the general public to use on public roads.

I've even owned three of the damned things.
 
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I want to clarify something here:

While I do very much feel that the 87-93 Mustangs look generic, that doesn't mean they were bad. My 4Runner looks generic as hell, but overcomes that by being a V8, full-time 4WD, semi-luxurious beast of a vehicle under the skin.

The 1987-1993 Mustang is very much the same. It may have been generic-looking on the surface, but below the skin it was an absolute beast, and the cheapest form of raw power on four wheels available for the general public to use on public roads.

I've even owned three of the damned things.
Thanks for that. I was beginning to wonder how someone who is a moderator of a mustang website could be so anti (any) mustang model.

I like all of them. Yes some more than others but if it's made by the blue oval and named mustang I support it.
 
I want to clarify something here:

While I do very much feel that the 87-93 Mustangs look generic, that doesn't mean they were bad. My 4Runner looks generic as hell, but overcomes that by being a V8, full-time 4WD, semi-luxurious beast of a vehicle under the skin.

The 1987-1993 Mustang is very much the same. It may have been generic-looking on the surface, but below the skin it was an absolute beast, and the cheapest form of raw power on four wheels available for the general public to use on public roads.

I've even owned three of the damned things.
Opinion time.....
I think that a Fox Mustang will go down in history as one of the best looking variants of that namesake ever built.
Having had some of the most coveted body styles this badge has ever been placed on..69 351 mach1, 65 GT 2+2 fb, 69 428 cj mach 1, 68 390 GT fb......I believe I can say that.

When the car is “right”, and is brought back to new condition,...i.e. doesn’t have non working sht, hasn’t been gutted, and the interior isn’t being held together with 6 of the 12 screws, and now rattles just because it’s running....This is the closest anybody ever needs to get to a true Dearborn made muscle car.

The car is fast,( subjective) fun, easy to work on, and can be modified to make it competitive on any track you choose to put it on, using the existing drivetrain. ( try that with a 69 428 cj car) The cabin is perfect for 2 people, and proportionate.( Sit in a 71-73 mustang, the seats are equivalent to sitting on a the ground, and about as supportive, the dash is a wall of plastic, as long as a lunch counter, and when you look out in front of you, you’d swear there‘s enough room to land a plane on its hood.)

And when it’s setup right with paint, wheels and tires,....Nothing looks better that a fox notch. Something that could never be said about any of the body styles that preceded it.
 
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Ahhhhhhhhhhh,
I don't know how to take that. Is this because he is converterless? I've heard not having a converter can be traumatic.
At least he didn't bash the ll :shrug:
Wheres the confusion? I obviously like the body style, otherwise I’d be like the rest of the mindless horde and start haunting the S550 forums.
” Oooohh....cool air filter dude”
 
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Opinion time.....
I think that a Fox Mustang will go down in history as one of the best looking variants of that namesake ever built.
I'd have to disagree. I think the New Edge, S197, and 1964-1978 all look better. I'm not crazy about the S550 exterior (Shelby GT350 excepted), but the interior of even the base model is sublime.

If you're talking about performance, cultural impact, the aftermarket, and even technologically, the fox has the biggest impact once you get to the 1984 SVO and 1986 5.0L cars. They changed the car hobby as a whole, and not many cars can say that.

Thanks for that. I was beginning to wonder how someone who is a moderator of a mustang website could be so anti (any) mustang model.
That's easy, most of them just pick on IIs.
 
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Well,....you also like a MII well enough to own one...Completely discounts your objectivity.
One? Hell, I've had three of them, two S197s, and three foxes... Besides, you hate them enough that you wouldn't, likewise discounting your own objectivity.

I'm currently on the lookout for a fourth II or a fourth fox... but I'm being really picky this time. The II must be a Cobra II or a King Cobra, or the fox must be an 85-86 car... or a Capri, with a preference to the Capri ASC McLaren hatchback.
 
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