by itself. There was not another car out of 126 that was from that body style. Granted this one was almost showroom condition but even so, what was it about this style that has relegated it to the dust bin of history. The 60’s, early 70’s , 80’s and 90’s were represented in every flavor you can imagine, but only one, as in single, 1977.
Why was there only one? Well some research I did found that this car, produced from 74 to 78 has acquired some nicknames that may reflect the general feelings toward this car. Names such as: Black Sheep of the Family, Red Headed Step Child, and the horse that wouldn’t run are some of the labels attached to this car.
The owner took a trophy at the show which I suspect he probably does at every show he attends. I decided to see if these cars even existed in the real world.
My day job requires that I drive to Winter Haven or Lakeland everyday and I usually travel up 17 passing through some small towns and some not so small. I decided to keep my eyes open for any mid 70’s model Mustangs. Amazingly, as I passed through Wachula, there parked beside a service station sat a coupe of that vintage. As I went by I noticed that it appeared to be in pretty sad condition. It also is there everyday so I don’t know if it runs or if the owner just happens to be at work by the time I go by.
That was the only one I saw for several weeks, until this past week when twice, coming the opposite direction from me, was a white Mustang II traveling on Spirit Lake Rd in Winter Haven. This one appears to be in excellent shape. Surprisingly, in 1974 338,136 of these cars were sold all with 4 cylinder engines and this model won Car of the Year . By 1978 there was a Cobra package sporting a 302 V8 shoehorned in. Today the price of this car runs between $500 and $5000 with the average price a measly $1800. Not popular but could win a bunch of trophies by default!