Ford Mustang Canada

The name “mustang” is rumored to have been suggested by Robert Eggert a research designer for Ford at the time which was a horse breeder and had recent received a book about Mustangs, while there were several other names suggested for Ford’s new muscle car, the name “mustang” was the winner in various focus groups and surveys. The Ford Mustang was the pioneer of what was later known as “pony cars” (inspired by the mustang name) with several new models and competitors like the Chevy Camaro, Plymouth Barracuda, Pontiac Firebird & later the Dodge Challenger.The Ford Mustang is a sports coupe car manufactured by Ford Motors since 1965, after the Ford F-150 pickup, the Mustang has been in production the longest, currently on its fifth generation and after close to five decades it remains being the most searched sports car online, with hundreds of Mustang Clubs one of the most known clubs in Canada includes the Canadian Mustang Owners Club based in Toronto and has been around for over a decade and includes forum, reviews and DIY autotuning.

Mustang 1964-1973
The first Ford Mustang was unveiled at the New York World’s Fair in 1964, later that year the Ford Mustang made its on screen debut with Sean Connery in James Bond’s Goldfinger, the movie was an ideal marketing campaign and Ford released the Mustang in Canada as a 1965 Mustang. The first lot of Mustangs manufactured are commonly known as 1964.5 (or 1964½ Mustang). The first Mustang was equipped with a Taunus V4 engine and shared Ford Falcon platform and other components. Ford set a production estimate of 100,000 units for the first year and they were all sold out in the first three months, over 400,000 Mustangs sold in the first year and over 1 million were manufactured in the first 18 months. The 1965 Mustang included an engine upgrade with a V8 4.3L engine & was soon changed to a V8 4.7L engine followed by a V8 4.7L Windsor Hi-Po engine (for high performance) which was also used in the 1965 Shelby GT350. The now popular 1965 Mustang GT was also introduced the same year and became the fully loaded version of the Mustang.

The 1967 Mustang was the first model to be completely redesigned, the Mustang grew significantly in size adding over 300 lbs to its curb weight, adding a more spacious and luxury interior design and more aerodynamic exterior; in 1968 an optional V8 7.0L Super Cobra Jet engine was available for drag racing rated at 305HP. The 1969 Mustang was again redesigned growing in size featuring a V8 4.9L engine with 220HP, the high performance Boss 302 Mustang was launched in 1969 and 1970 with a V8 4.9L engine which could do 0-60mph in 6.9 seconds, with an alternate Mustang Boss 429 which Ford manufactured to compete directly with Chrysler’s 426 Hemi engine in Nascar’s Sprint Cup Series, the Boss 429 Mustang is currently one of the rarest Mustangs with a limited 829 units manufactured. Ford launched the 1969 Ford Shelby Mustang in two models the Shelby GT350 and GT-500 available with a V8 5.8L or V8 7.0L engine. The Shelby was then dropped until the 2006 Mustang Shelby GT was at the New York Auto Show.

Mustang 1974-1978
When Lee Iaccoca became CEO of Ford Motors in 1970 he asked Ford’s design team to create a smaller and more compact version of the Mustang, in the last eight years the Mustang has increased in size and weight with each new design, the 1973 Mustang now weighed over 1000 lbs more than the original model. The 1974 Mustang was based on the Ford Pinto’s (in Canada it arrived as the Mercury Bobcat) smaller platform, with a 2+2 configuration similar in size to the Toyota Celica and Datzun 240Z. The second generation Mustang sold over 1 million cars in its four year production being the shortest generation yet for the Ford Mustang.

The 1974 Mustang II returned to its smaller roots and was awarded the Motor Trend Car of the Year. Following the 1973 oil crisis Ford’s new Mustang II base model is equipped with a fuel efficient 2.3L SOHC engine including only one optional V6 2.8L engine. While the 1975 Mustang had an optional V8 4.9L engine with a top speed of 106 mph (171 km/h) and became the first metric V8 engine in Canadaand North America, although it is technically a 4.94L engine it is branded as a 5.0L V8 engine.

The 1976 Mustang added a Stallion Mustang trim and the Mustang Cobra II performance package, while the 1978 Mustang King Cobra became available with a limited edition of 4300 units manufactured and was available with the V8 5.0L engine. The Cobra II and King Cobra featured a cobra snake decal on the hood.

Mustang 1979-1993
The third generation Ford Mustang was based on the larger Ford Fox platform, it was a disappointment for some Mustang enthusiasts who where expecting Ford’s new Mustang to go back to the original platform and performance, the 1979 Mustang carried over the same engines from the previous Mustang II, starting with a base 2.3L engine with 88HP which it shared with the Ford Pinto, a V6 2.8L Cologne engine and a V8 302 cu in. 4.9L Windsor engine. Ford added a 2.3L turbocharged 4-cylinder engine with 132HP. The Mustang was chosen to compete in the Indianapolis 500 with Ford manufacturing a limited production of 11,000 Mustang Indy 500 edition.

The 1980-1981 Mustang replaced the 4.9L V8 engine with a 4.2L V8 engine due to better fuel economy with the third oil crisis on 1979, this engine was coupled with a 3-speed automatic transmission making the 2.3L turbo 4 engine part of the performance package. Again in 1982 the V8 4.9L engine was added to the lineup called Mustang HO (high output) and a Mustang GT trim model.

While the 1983-1986 Mustang used the same basic design, it did receive a minor face-lift and added a Mustang convertible most equipped with a V6 GLX engine with a total of 993 units manufactured for the US market and a very limited amount of 8 Mustang GLX convertibles built for Canada. In 1984 Ford added the Mustang SVO performance trim model equipped with a 2.3L turbo charged engine shared with the Ford Pinto.

The 1987 Mustang was completely redesigned, with a new exterior look and smoother design using the newly designed Mustang SVO, the V6 2.8L engine was dropped leaving the Mustang with two optional engines a 2.3L 4-cylinder engine and performance based V8 4.9L engine (aka 5.0 Mustangs). The 1993 Mustang SVT Cobra was released using the 1994 Mustang design and built by Ford’s Special Vehicle Team, powered by a V8 5.0L Windsor engine with an impressive 235HP and capable of doing 0-60 mph (97 km/h) in 6.9 seconds.

Ford 1994-2004
The fourth generation Mustang received the first mayor redesign in 15 years, Patrick Schiavone was named head designer for the new Mustang and is hailed for saving the original “pony car”, he has since designed the 2004-2008 F-150, Ford Expedition and the new Ford Focus. The 1994 Mustang was unveiled at the 1993 North American Auto Show in Detroit, the Mustang III concept car was coupled with a V8 supercharged 4.6L DOHC engine with 450HP. While the new Mustang was based on the same Fox platform it grew significantly in size and weight with a slick aerodynamic design.

The base model Mustang was mounted with a Canadian manufactured V6 3.8L OHV (overhead valve) engine, the engine was built at the essex engine plant in Windsor, Ontario and unlike the European counterpart the Canada built Essex used a 90 degree V configuration coupled with a 5-speed manual transmission. The Mustang GT was was reintroduced in 1994 sharing the same 5.0L V8 performance engine with 215HP 285 lb/ft of torque, making 0-60 in 6.5 seconds and a quarter mile in 15 seconds. The 1994 Mustang GT was equipped with a sporty handling suspension, upgraded transmission, 16″ wheels and was named Motor Trend Car of the Year in 1994. A 1995 Mustang GTS was launched using the same engine and performance parts as the GT version excluding some of the interior extra features. The same year Ford’s Special Vehicle Team put out the 1994 Mustang Cobra, based on the GT version with a supercharged 5.0L V8 engine and 240HP, while the 2006 Mustang Cobra was coupled with a V8 4.6L 32-valve engine capable of reaching an impressive 305HP and 300 lb-ft of torque.

The 1999 Mustang was redesigned with Ford’s New Edge styling which was also used with the 2000 Ford Focus in Europe and was awarded the European Car of the Year in 1999. A limited 35th Anniversary edition Mustang GT was also launched with 2300 units manufactured. The 1999 Mustang saw the return of the base 3.8L engine with 190HP, the fourth generation Mustang saw a great variety of engines for each year, the 2001 Mustang engine was upgraded to an intake manifold runner control boosting the engines horsepower. While the 2004 Mustang received a V6 3.9L Essex engine with similar performance. The 2003 Mustang GT could now do a quarter mile in 14 seconds beating previous performances by a few seconds.

A 1999 Mustang Cobra was released as fully loaded performance based model, equipped with a V8 4.6L 32-valve engine rated at 386HP, a newly designed independent rear suspension was included improving handling, Mustang enthusiasts claim the suspension improvement was one of the important changes in the newer SVT Cobra. A limited Mustang Special Edition Bullitt trim was released in 2001, slotted between the Mustang GT and 2001 Mustang Cobra, with upgraded brakes, lower suspension, Tokico chocks, including revamped intake and newer exhaust, it used the same GT engine with improved results of 265HP.

Mustang 2005-2012
The last generation Mustang GT convertible made its debut as a concept Mustang at the 2003 North American International Auto Show in Detroit with a modified 4.6L engine and impressive 400HP, while it was officially unveiled at the 2004 North American Auto Show, the newly designed Mustang follows Ford’s original retro styling which made the V8 engine 1967 Mustang a true pony classic. The 2005-2009 Mustang is available with three optional engines, the base V6 4.0L SOHC engine with 210HP coupled with a Tremec T-5 manual transmission manufactured by Borg-Warner which includes a unique overdrive shift, a V8 4.6L modular engine and the fully powered V8 5.4L 32-valve DOHC modular supercharged engine which is mounted on the 2009 Mustang Shelby GT500 rated at 500HP. All 2005 Mustang models use independent MacPherson front suspension and live axle rear suspension.

Each year Ford added key features in the Mustangs optional equipment, including a Mustang Pony Package for 2006 Mustangs, using GT’s upgraded suspension, 17 inch wheels, spoiler and limited Pony decal. The 2007 Mustang included an optional GPS navigation system with incorporated DVD entertainment system, other optional features included in the 2008 Mustang were HID headlamps, Sirius satellite radio and standard side airbags. While the 2009 Mustang added Ford’s SYNC fully integrated GPS navigation, communications and touch screen entertainment system with instant voice recognition and bluetooth connectivity.

In 2008 Ford unveiled a redesigned 2010 Mustang at the Los Angeles Auto Show, it arrived at Ford Canada dealers in late 2009, the newly designed Mustang shared the same D2C platform as the previous model yet grew in size and weight. Some of the more noticeable exterior designs are the rugged new headlights, using a similar grill design the 2010 Mustang changed from round ubiquitous headlights to parallelogram shaped lights changing its faccia for a bolder look, with a smooth aerodynamic style. The interior was refined looking for a more luxury and comfortable feel then the original raw sports car, Ford’s SYNC premium navigation and entertainment system was made standard on all models except the base model.

The 2012 Ford Mustang in Canada is available with a standard V6 3.7L
Ti-VCT (Twin independent Variable Camshaft Timing) engine coupled with a 5-speed manual transmission, with an impressive 305HP, including Electric Power Assist Steering (EPAS). The V6 Mustang in Canada is available in V6 Performance Package with stiffer suspension and 19 inch wheels, while the V6 Pony Package includes 18 inch wheels and the V6 Mustang Special Edition. The 2011 Mustang GT returns to Canada powered by a modified V8 5.0L with 412HP, and top speeds of 260 km/h, and after 40 years the legendary Mustang Boss 32 returns with several performance upgrades, using GT’s base V8 5.0L engine with serious modifications the supercharged Mustang Boss 32 achieves 444HP and 280 lb/ft of torque, some of the upgrades include Brembo brakes and decklid spoiler, with an optional 2011-2012 Mustang Boss 302 Laguna Seca package, which includes rear-seat cross-car X-brace, brake cooling ducts and front air splitter. The 2011 Mustang is available with a newly designed panoramic glass roof, optional for the Mustang V6 and Mustang GT, with tainted high performance safety glass for a cooling effect.