Nineteen ninety - nine was a very good year for Ford Motor Company . earnings hit a record $ 7.2 billion as the livestock marketplace and new - fomite need kept get going strong in an unprecedented boom thriftiness .
Ford Division remained America ’s number - one - trade nameplate , own five of the land ’s top-10 favorites including the full - sizing F - Series pickup .
1999 Ford Mustang
The play of the hundred saw hard times for Ford , but the Mustang team deal before with a ' 99 redesign to observe the original pony auto ’s thirty-fifth day of remembrance .
The most obvious change to the 1999 Ford Mustang was a lower - soundbox reskin exemplifying " New Edge Design . " Instigated by Jack Telnack before his 1997 retirement , New Edge was both a follow - up and antidote to his aerodynamic " jellybean " styling , which had been so widely imitated that buyer had had enough .
Because it was basically a " geometric " approaching , with crisp line and intentionally jarring graphic elements determine against rounded forms , New Edge did not translate easily to the Fox-4 . AutoWeek likened the restyled coupe as " consanguine to couch a baseball detonating gadget on a shoebox . " Still , Mustang designers under Ken Grant manage a brisk look that was also " retro " and play .
The lattice was a peg down but deep trapezoid whose running - Equus caballus mascot was again corralled in chrome on fundament and GT model . A large dummy scoop shovel was set into a more visibly domed hood above wider wraparound headlamp clusters .
Body sides were take out out , wheel openings freshly flame up . The signature C - shape side computer graphic and its faux rear air scoop were exposit , but the sheetmetal within was now flat rather than " pre - dent . "
The rearward end was modernized with declamatory , feather - up erect taillamps and a trunklid made of spark , plasticlike tack shape compound . Bumpers bulk up as well . Coupes catch a revise rearward roofline with no quarter - windowpane " kink . "
Last but not least were front - fender emblem proclaiming Mustang ’s 35th birthday with a traditional " pony tricolor " encircle in chrome . All ' 99 Mustangs got this emblem but about 5000 GT mannequin got a special 35th Anniversary trim parcel . price at $ 2695 , it included 17 - column inch five - speak wheels , use side scoops , another raised scoopful and bleak striping for the cowling , alone cradle molding , rear pamperer , taillamp applique , and a specific black - and - silver medal DoI with leather upholstery , Al shift knob , and logo floormats .
As expected , mid - April brought more birthday bashes at Charlotte and in Southern California . And in a nice bit of timing , the U.S. Postal Service issue a special stamp latterly in the year to honor Mustang as one of 15 American icons of the sixties . depict on the mold was – what else ? – a flushed ' 65 exchangeable .
There was short celebrating in the sales office , however , as model - year book expend by nearly a quaternary to 133,637 units . The " dot - turkey " debacle and other bad economical news did n’t help , nor did high-pitched prices for the many ' 99 upgrades . Base sticker go up $ 500 on V-6 models , $ 900 on GTs , lift the compass to $ 16,500-$25,000 .
Mustang engineers were have-to doe with with improved manipulation and elaboration for the ' 99 card . To learn how Paul Giltinan and his team accomplished that chore , keep take .
The 1999 Ford Mustang Chassis and Engines
" New Edge " good looks were easy on the middle , but possible vendee also wanted to know what was going on under the goon of the 1999 Mustang exemplar .
Improved manipulation and refinement were the goals of chassis engineers under Paul Giltinan . Side railing were fully box , with insulate froth in the rocker - dialog box areas . in force floorpan sealing also helped lessen route interference . Convertibles gain underbody " runway extenders " project to reduce structural chill .
For agility , rear cartroad on all model was widened by 1.4 inches ( thus equaling the front dimension ) , and a 1.5 - inch higher transmittance tunnel allowed a niggling more up wheel locomotion . Smaller - diam antiroll bar and retuned shock absorber were specified to better drive compliance with no harm to handling despite adoption of steady springs . GTs shift from variable- to analogue - rate coils for the same reasons .
Steering was revise with less boost , better on - center flavour , and a utilitarian three - foot taut turn circle . The front disk brake gained aluminium twin - plunger calliper saving 10 Lebanese pound apiece in unneeded unsprung weightiness . novel pad material and a larger master cylinder provided more positive braking feel with less pedal travail .
Powertrain engine driver under Bill Koche center on pumping up power . The 3.8 - liter pushrod V-6 with " tear - port induction " incur new cylinder heads , a freer - breathing intake manifold paper with two runners for each cylinder , gamy - tech piston coatings that reduced friction , and newfangled aluminum main and thrust bearings .
The 3.8 ’s horsepower jump by 40 to 190 , torque by five pound - foundation to 215 . A new contra - rotating " balancer " peter did nothing for performance but did dampen 2d - ordering vibrations for still running play .
Improvements were no less extensive for the GT ’s 4.6 - liter single - Cam River V-8 : bigger valve , reshaped combustion chambers , a new high - face lift longer - duration camshaft , straighter manifold runner for better air flow , and improved crankshaft , conrod , and thrust bearings . Horsepower here expanded by 35 to 250 , torque by 10 lb - ft to 302 . In increase , the former 3.27:1 " performance " axle was now stock for both engine , improving off - the - stock snap .
As before , an antilock pasture brake system ( ABS ) was stock for GTs and optional on base models ( $ 500 ) . An superfluous $ 230 bought the additional " active safety " of grip control , Mustang ’s first . spearhead by main project engineer Janine Bay , this used the ABS wheel - speed sensors to detect wheel slippage . In the event , organisation electronics would delay spark and reduce throttle valve gap until traction was reinstate ( bike speeds equalized ) .
At in high spirits route speeds ( up to 62 miles per hour ) , the traction - control organization could also brake either rear cycle as involve , hence the advertizement cognomen " all - stop number adhesive friction restraint . " A splasher " off " switch enable driver to have it literally all string up out when conditions , and skill , let .
Mustang fans were felicitous to greet the ' 99 Mustang SVT Cobra a few months after the residuum of the Mustang lineup debuted . Keep read to get a line about the SVT Cobra ’s special touch , including Mustang ’s first independent rearward suspension ( IRS ) .
The 1999 Ford Mustang Cobra
The 1999 Mustang lineup had something to please every pony auto lover , including good smell and smart innovations . But what of the SVT Cobras ?
As in prior old age , the ' 99 SVT Cobras defer a few calendar month after mainstream models and shared most all their improvements , with Artium Baccalaurens and traction control condition standard . SVT treated the twincam 4.6 V-8 to new " tumble - interface " cylinder heads and other revisal that extract an additional 15 horsepower for 320 total , the same as a top - choice Chevy Camaro / Pontiac Firebird . Also new were big Brembo disk brakes with diameters of 13 inches in front , 11.65 inches in back .
But the most - talked about invention was the first independent rearward hiatus ( IRS ) in Mustang account . It used inadequate - duration low control condition arms , upper toe - command contact , high - rate helix springs , and a dense ( 26 mm ) antiroll bar . All were mounted to a welded - up tubular subframe . Along with an Al differential housing ( from the late Lincoln Mark VIII coupe ) that had Cobra - specific halfshafts .
In a victory of ingenuity , SVT design the IRS as a square bolt - in replacement for the even solid - axle suspension system ; all it took was adding two hole with " weld nut " to the SN95 structure . That meant the IRS could be installed on the steady Mustang fabrication line – and on regular Mustangs mail - leverage , though it ’s doubtful that take place very often . apropos , Bentler , an outside declarer , provide the IRS as a preassembled mental faculty .
Thumbs Up
Except for styling , which draw mixed reexamination , the press gave a hearty pollex - up to the ' 99 Mustangs . Road & Track label the fortified V-6 " a estimable performer . It ’s not as spry or smooth as the GT , but it ’s no slouch . " AutoWeek ’s Daniel Pund agree and clap all role model for a more solid drive spirit . Though Ford ab initio take slightly improved rigidity , Pund quoted Giltinan as saying this was virtually unchanged .
" The perceived solidity is a by-product of shorten road noise , a more supple drive , and heavier , more lineal steering , " Pund surmised .
The GT earned its own kudos . Motor Trend found its " tidy dimensions , accurate steering and torquey [ V-8 ] make it one of the easiest cars to localise on line ; even at the edge of the tires ' limits …. "
As for straightforward - line go , the powder magazine ’s five - speed coupe dashed from 0 to 60 mph in 5.4 seconds and ran the quarter - mile in 14.0 seconds at 100.2 miles per hour – not tops in the modern muscular tissue class , but " as upright or respectable than any stock Mustang we ’ve ever tested , Cobra or not . "
AutoWeek soon experience into a GT ragtop , which clocked 5.9 second to 60 mph and the one-quarter - statute mile in 14.44 at 96.9 mph despite a 150 - pound weight penalty . " [ This ] is one trick pony , but finally , it ’s not a one - magic pony . It goes , and it break off , and it turns , but it does n’t twitch . "
But all was not right with the SVT Cobra – performance numbers did n’t pit up with what owners and reader expected . Keep reading to learn about a manufacturing fault that lead to decreased performance and forced Ford to recall all ' 99 SVT Cobras .
1999 Mustang Cobra Horsepower Snafu
The 1999 Ford Mustang SVT Cobra came with impressive innovations to please Mustang buff and car experts alike . However , all was not right with the Cobra .
Motor Trend noted that despite smaller tires and a hearty axle , the GT ’s slalom and skidpad numbers were surprisingly close " at 66.8 mph and 0.86 g , respectively [ vs. ] 67.8 mph and 0.88 g. Viewed in this way , the SVT super pony seems just deserving the surplus $ 7000 " – a start up tab of $ 27,470 for the coupe , $ 31,470 for the ragtop .
gondola and Driver praised the IRS for erasing 125 pounds of unsprung free weight , even though it was 80 pounds with child than the upstanding - axle assembly . On the other hand , kerb weight was down by a worthwhile 110 pounds , and it was split more evenly front to rear . With that , C / D ’s Barry Winfield judged the ' 99 Cobra " more supple and thus more clear in corners . The rear last is less susceptible to bump - steer … off - center steering answer is right , and [ the ] treatment is more neutral at the limit . "
But straightline carrying out was a puzzle . " We expected to attain 60 mph in about five seconds flat , " Winfield said , " but 5.5 was the better we could do – 0.1 - second slower than the previous model . Top speed was also down , from 153 to 149 mph … all of which confirms that our blue - mileage prototype trial auto was n’t make a full promontory of steam . "
Sure enough , a manufacturing glitch had will Cobra intake runners and some exhaust component with interior atomic number 13 residue or " flash " that tump over air flow and kept more than 30 horses from showing up .
After field a few dozen owner ailment , mostly from puff racers , Ford recalled all 1999 SVT Cobras on the ground to replace the manifold or ream out the existing one . Ford also charged nothing to replace muffler ( found to be too restrictive ) , recalibrate the engine information processing system , and deputize a more durable accessary - belt tensioner . A decal was affix in the engine bay to manifest the work once it was done .
Though Cobra owner did n’t seem to mind the recall or its inconvenience , the episode was a black oculus for Ford and SVT , enough that they decided not to do a 2000 Cobra . As the SVT web site propose at the clip , fixing the ' 99s had top priority .
" Rather than race to produce a limited bit of 2000 good example – and gamble production / manufacturing issue by hurrying – we ’re choosing to concentre our try on the well timed production of the [ ' 01 version ] . "
Cobra sale were also down but not mortally wounded by the AWOL - H.P. fluttering , and Cobra convertibles outsold coupe for the first prison term ( 4055 vs. 4040 units ) .
While the SVT was on grasp for 2000 , the 2000 Mustang Cobra R was unveiled as a racing - oriented speed motorcar . Go to the next Sir Frederick Handley Page to learn about this street - sound racer ’s ambition .
The 2000 Ford Mustang Cobra R
The 1999 Mustang Cobra ’s performance outcome were a black center for Ford . The Mustang team was dying to recover lost ground and keep fan slaked with the 2000 lineup .
damage hikes for the 2000 Ford Mustang were quite modest , just $ 50 to $ 150 . Despite a worsen thriftiness and little new among mainstream models , gross revenue in reality work up on a calendar - yr base , gaining 4.1 percentage to 173,676 unit .
Mustang ’s primary issue of 2000 was the new Cobra R. Like the last R - model of ' 95 , this one was street - effectual but obviously track - oriented – " a turn - key racing automobile , " as Road & Track call it .
Speed freaks salivated over a 5.4 - cubic decimeter 32 - valve twincam V-8 like that in the self-aggrandizing Lincoln Navigator SUV , thoroughly massaged by SVT and Ford ’s Special Vehicle Engineering mathematical group guide by John Coletti . As usual , the focus was on better external respiration . A new intake manifold sported large , curving " atmosphere cornet , " exhaust ports were enlarged , and there were tubular header connected to decade - tobacco pipe ahead of Borla silencer and twin side - exit exhausts .
Because of its extra height , the 5.4 snuggle beneath a very protrude cap with operative vents on a rear - face pocket . A high - mount spoiler help oneself keep the can down at focal ratio , as did an streamlined front - dashboard " air splitter . "
hanging was beefed up with ultra - stiff Eibach springs , voiceless bushings , and premium Bilstein stupor absorbers that slammed ride height by 1.5 inches at the front , an in at the rear . leaden - duty halfshafts were specified , along with jumbo Brembo record Pteridium aquilinum clamp by four - piston calipers . Tires were role - designed 265/40ZR Goodrich " g - Force KD " on 9.5 3 18 form - aluminum wheel .
complete the package was a short - throw six - speed manual transmission by Tremec – Mustang ’s first six - sprocket gearbox – work through a stock Cobra prehend to a special Gerodisc hydromechanial first derivative with 3.55:1 gearing .
SVT again overlook the back backside , air conditioning , sound system – and a lot of sound insulation . Curb weight was variously quoted at 3580 - 3610 pounds , far from feathery but light enough for the new R - modelling ’s 385 horsepower and 385 pound - feet of torque . The result was the degraded factory Mustang yet .
machine and Driver time 0 - 60 mph at just 4.7 mo and a standing after part - mile of 13.2 at 110 mph . Road & Track got 4.8 and 13.2/109.1 mph , but these and other published numbers slightly bettered Ford claim . More importantly , they ameliorate top Camaro / Firebird performance and at least touch that of the Chevy Corvette .
Skidpad grip was desirable of the standard Recaro hotfoot front buckets . R&T measured 0.99 g , C / five hundred an dumfounding 1.01 . " Handling is dead - self-colored predictable up to the considerable terminal point , [ when ] gentle understeer suggests you back off a bit , " C / D say , " but there is not a suggestion of tail - felicity . The Pteridium aquilinum … are superb , with spectacularly little fade even over extended periods of hard utilization . "
R&T noted surprising civility : " Out on the street , the Cobra R … doesn’t visit the same kind of body punches you ’d expect from a race railcar . Despite the ponderousness of the suspension and the absolute deficiency of consistency roll , there is enough fore - and - aft abidance to make the drive bearable . "
At last , Mustang could take a place at the very top of the performance Alfred Hawthorne . The only depressant were a fairly formidable cost – $ 54,995 , plus luxury and gaseous state - guzzler taxation – and just 300 copies useable , all red coupe and all rapidly sell . R&T was sympathetic : " The Cobra roentgen is a nice beginning – now have ’s see some real number , as in mass , out on the street . "
The Cobra still had some brass - keep open to do , and the 2001 good example went a long mode toward making up lose ground . Reviewers were thrilled by the Cobra ’s great power and precision . Go to the next page to ascertain all about 2001 and 2002 Mustang model , including the special Mustang Bullitt .
2001 Ford Mustang Cobra and Mustang Bullitt and 2002 Mustang
The Mustang Cobra had make out a long way in 2000 , but reviewers and drivers want even more – as in street performance to rival the competition .
Ford partly answer that challenge for 2001 by reinstating the regular Cobra with all 320 horses account for . machine and Driver put two cars on a ergometer just to be sure , then reeled off 0 - 60 in 4.8 seconds and a stunning quarter - mile of 13.5 seconds at 105 miles per hour .
But that was " only part of the story , " say tester Larry Webster , " as the Cobra has leave its crude pony car roots and conjoin the ranks of competent sport coupe …. Now you could point the Cobra exactly where you want and accept it will go there . " Webster declare the 2001 was " nothing scant of a Cobra transformation … a superb all - arounder . "
The same could be said for other 2001 Mustangs notwithstanding their less impressive functioning . Unlike the Cobra , the Qaeda and GT models added several styling features of the thirty-fifth day of remembrance package , let in a raised ( but still nonfunctioning ) hood scoop , special side scoops , and a reshaped trunklid coddler , plus smuggled headlamp surrounds . Changes were otherwise few – a fresh console , received 17 - inch rack for GTs , a few options shambling – until midseason , when Ford displace a Bullitt .
The 2001 Mustang Bullitt
Previewed as a 2000 concept , this specially equipped GT coupe was brokered by styling gaffer J Mays ( Jack Telnack ’s successor ) in a nostalgic nod to the iconic 1968 Steve McQueen film , " Bullitt . "
Mays , who had helped make the extremist - clean Audi TT , had proceeds with Mustang ’s ' 99 styling and did his good to correct them on the Bullitt , neglect the rearward spoiler and adding a unique hood scoop , rearward - ceiling - column trim and rocking chair modelling , plus a brush - Al fuel - filler doorway .
The cockpit was dressed with special seats and leather upholstery , an aluminum shift knob and pedal clipping , Sixties - style caliber graphics , and chrome doorsill plate with " Bullitt " in Art Deco eccentric . Ride tallness let down by 0.75 - inch also helped appearance , as did red - painted brake calipers peek through five - spoke 17 - inch American Racing " Torq Thrust " wheels mimic those of McQueen ’s movie ride .
Ford also retuned the GT ’s Tokico jar / strut units , establish specific antiroll bars , and tally " frame - track connectors " to serene organic structure shake . Finally , the GT V-8 bugger off a magnanimous throttle body , plaster cast - aluminum intake manifold , modest accessory - ride pulleys , and a freer - flow exhaust organization .
The resolution was a mere five extra horses and three pound - ft of torque , so the Bullitt was not usefully faster than a fund GT coupe despite costing $ 3500 more , $ 26,230 and up . Still , Ford had no trouble moving the plan 6500 unit . Most were painted Dark Highland Park Green , another echo of Steve ’s car , though black and gloomy blueing were useable , too .
Motor Trend account that the Bullitt was " the first in a serial publication of brusque - terminal figure special designed to bring special excitement and collectibility into the current [ Mustang line ] . "
Excitement was surely needed , judging by gross sales for the entire 2001 Mustang argument , which comfort 2.6 percent for calendar ' 01 to 169,198 .
The 2002 Mustang
Mustang sales sum up 138,356 for 2002 , a worrisome 18.2 - percent drop in a year when zero - percent financing had stoked the general market to red hot . Then again , mainstream Mustangs once more testify footling pregnant variety .
Indeed , Ford ’s with child move for ' 02 was to turn pop pick groups into unimaginatively named models : Base Standard , Deluxe , and Premium , ( all upgraded to stock 16 - inch wheels ) , and to create Deluxe and Premium GT good example .
In the spring of 2003 , the SVT Cobra reemerged . This powerful machine return thrust to 2000 Cobra level , but with a friendly price tag . Keep take to determine all about the 2003 Mustang SVT Cobra .
The 2003 Ford Mustang SVT Cobra
Ford Mustang sale for 2002 were down a troublesome 18.2 percent . Ford need to take out out the big gun to bring back purchaser .
The Mustang SVT Cobra was MIA for ' 02 , but only until spring , when the 2003 versions made an former launching pack a Brobdingnagian new wallop : 390 HP and 390 pound - ft of torque .
conduct a Thomas Nelson Page from the live - rodder ’s enchiridion , SVT bolted an Eaton M112 Roots - type centrifugal supercharger to the Cobra ’s twincam V-8 and made legion variety to accommodate it . These include using an iron block for enduringness under pressure , plus a water - to - aura intercooler , new cylinder heads , and revised pistons with fitly blue 8.5:1 concretion .
The only transmission was the Tremec six - hurrying conversant from the 2000 Cobra R. Suspension was of course recalibrated , with individual damping rates for the coupe and transmutable . Rolling stock comprised column inch - wide five - spoke mold - alloy rims jade 275/40ZR Goodyear Eagle F1 tire . SVT also added a vented hood ( necessary with the impart locomotive engine - bay warmth from the blower ) , revised front fascia and rocker - instrument panel skirts , a rearward air diffuser , and a Modern humble - visibility decklid despoiler .
With all this , SVT ’s latest Mustang deliver near 2000 Cobra universal gas constant thrust at a much well-disposed starting damage of $ 33,460 . The stats told the tale : 0 - 60 miles per hour in 4.5 - 4.9 seconds , quarter - nautical mile ETs around 13 indorsement , 0.90 GB skidpad travelling bag . All this in a car you could drive to work day in and twenty-four hour period out .
You might not call it polish , as Road & Track ’s Doug Kott observed , " Yet it ’s refined enough for those who elevate performance and affordability … above ultimate sophistication …. [ T]he SVT gang should be acclaim for … breathe fresh life into Ford ’s workhorse . "
Ford revive the Mach 1 name after 25 years for the 2003 Mustang Mach 1 , a variation on the GT coupe . Keep reading to learn all about the 2003 Mach 1 , along with the 2004 Mustang card .
The 2003 Ford Mustang Mach 1 and 2004 Mustang
Mustang theoretical account were at long last back on track after the 2001 performance debacle . Powerful pony cars and street - legals racer were bringing in rave reivews .
The 2003 Ford Mustang Mach 1 was a follow - up to the boomermobile 2001 Mustang Bullitt . quicken the Mach 1 name after 25 days , this novel variation on the GT coupe carried a naturally aspirated twincam Cobra V-8 tune for 300 H.P. and topped by a operable " shaker " hood scoop straight from the Sixties .
foundation price was $ 28,370 , a stalwart $ 3715 above the GT Premium coupe , but that also included a slimly lowered intermission , primo Brembo bracken , a black toughie stripe and other unique cosmetics , and " comforter - weave title " leather upholstery .
automobile and Driver pit the converted Mach 1 against three new high - technical school foreigners for a December 2002 test and ranked it second behind Nissan ’s formidable , newly converted izzard - car .
" The Mach 1 gain its silver decoration because it is brute fun , " the editor suppose . " Drop the hammer , and with no peculiarly refined technique , 60 miles per hour is yours in a scalding 5.2 seconds … the riotous time in this psychometric test by a full half - second base . "
As ever , there were gripes about solid - axle handling and dated ergonomics . But C / D take on the Mach 1 " generates more grin than grimaces … . [ It ] is an ode to the past . Perhaps Henry Ford was unseasonable : History is n’t bunk , it ’s a hoot . "
All by themselves , the Mach 1 and the sizzling supercharged 2003 Ford Mustang SVT Cobra made 2003 a vintage Mustang year . The only other variety of bank bill was a $ 595 Pony appearance packet for V-6 models . gross sales improved fractionally , adding a bit over 2000 units for the calendar yr .
The 2004 Mustang
The trustworthy old steed was distinctly marking time . As everyone knew , a frisky unexampled filly was on the elbow room for 2005 , previewed with a pair of construct at the January 2003 Los Angeles and Detroit Auto show .
That implied few change for ' 04 , Mustang ’s 40th day of remembrance year . Sure enough , there was piddling word that season : an extra 10 horses for Mach 1 , three more for V-6 models . But of trend , Ford did birth the obligatory birthday package , this sentence an $ 895 outfit for Premium V-6 and GT coupes and convertibles . This bundled an Interior Upgrade Package ( unremarkably a $ 295 stand - alone point ) with unique wheel , special badging and trim , and fold - in mirrors ; inquisitively , it cancel the stock rearward spoiler .
It was n’t much of a present for such a milepost birthday , but it did n’t have to be . The genuine solemnization was yet to come .
