Why am I doing this?
There is no definitive top 5 list Mustangs, there are too many and too many ways to sort them.
So I can�t
help but leave out about 10 important cars.
But here goes.
I�m, B.C. with my Top 5 Mustangs, listed by the magnitude of legacy...
5 - 1969 boss 302
Built to answer Camaro�s growing threat to Mustang, the small block Boss was a 302 c.i.
Windsor block with 351 Cleveland heads
-- that�s Ford geek speak for a great breathing engine.
Fake side scoops were deleted, and a blackout hood, deck and rear transom on the fastback only body style completed the look.
They only made 1,600 of these so they were instantly collectible.
Flash forward today and the first boss begat the modern Boss 302, which is my favorite current production Mustang by far.
4 - 1967 Mustang Fastback
The �67 the first restyle of the original Mustang and became very famous in its own right for being flown, er, driven by Steve
McQueen in Bullitt, often still credited as having the greatest chase scene in film.
Flash forward and you can thank this Dark Highland Green fastback for inspiring the great film chase era: Bulitt in �68, French
Connection in �71 and the The Seven Ups in �73...
...all of which by the way were either choreographed, driven or both by Bill Hickman, the guy driving the black Charger in Bullitt.
3 - 1979 Mustang
This was the dawn of the Fox body mustang, named for the internal code name of the underlying platform.
It rescued Mustang fro the doldrums of Mustang II and became, arguably, the most popular generation of Mustang ever, running
for some 15 years.
Flash forward today and we have the Mustang, period.
Had the �79-�93 car flopped, Ford might have gone ahead with its planned
replacement for the Mustang, the front wheel drive car we came to know as the Probe.
2 - 1965 Shelby GT350
This was the first year you could get a Mustang that had Carroll Shelby�s touch, in a unique partnership between a carmaker and
a hot rodder.
With more power, better brakes and one color -- white with blue stripes -- the 306 HP original Shelby Mustang was high on grit
and low on B.S.
Flash forward today and the modern 662 HP Shelby Mustang is much responsible for re-igniting the big block muscle car
renaissance that includes Camaros and Challengers ..
1 - First Gen: 1964 ?
Mustang
Nothing car ever had this pop culture appeal.
Sales were predicted at 100,000 in the first year -- that actually happened in 3
months and a million in 18 months.
These first Mustangs were very simple, built up from a lot of Falcon parts, but with look and
role that made them something of the iPhone of its day: A must have icon that changed things forever.
Flash forward today and any time you see a sporty, affordable 4-seat car with a short deck and long hood there is a little debt to
be paid to the original Mustang.
