Flipping through a box of old photos this morning, I came across a set of pictures and enjoyed a nice trip down memory lane. I have owned a lot of vehicles in my life, mostly forgettable, but some certainly do stand out for their rarity, such as this classic ‘four-eyed’ Mustang that I owned for a short period of time.
It was the summer of 1998. I was a year out of high school and cruising about the streets in a 1990 Cavalier Z24 and while that particular car offered plenty of punchy excitement, it was a bit of a lemon. I always had a fondness for the Fox body Mustangs and would have gladly picked one up, if I could only find one and for the right price. The occasional opportunity would present itself and always at the wrong time, either when I was happily immersed in another ride or I simply did not have the funds to move ahead. One day, it would happen.
I took a road trip down to Kelowna in July to visit a friend of mine and while cruising the local streets on a hot afternoon, we came across a secondary car lot with all sorts of classic goodies to peruse, including this 1984 Mustang 5.0 which we soon determined was actually a 1983 model as it was sporting the GLX tag on the trunk lid, this short lived trim level making it’s final appearance in ’83.
While it was already 15 years old at that time, it was in good condition, it’s silver paint still shining in the sunlight. Upon closer inspection, I noticed the bright red interior was loaded right up with all sorts of options that I had not seen in a Mustang of that vintage before, specifically the leather seats, which accompanied air conditioning, power windows, delay wipers, “premium” sound system (the actual deck itself was from a later model Ford vehicle) and a console with a fully functioning diagnostic screen.
The 5.0L HO engine in the 1983 Mustang was definitely a step up over the 1982’s 2 bbl offering, with a 600 cfm 4 bbl carburetor standard which helped to increase the hp rating up to 175 and could be mated to the T5 manual transmission for the first time, certainly a quick moving machine in the early 1980s. This particular car definitely got up to speed with no hesitation and would happily toss you back in your seat with a little push of the pedal.
I ended up trading in the Cavalier for the Mustang and a wad of cash and took the car back home. It was a fantastic ride all the way back to Smithers and my young and carefree self was happy to push the car to its limits all along the way, even a quick pull over in a speed trap just west of Kamloops (with a ticket to go along with it) couldn’t keep me from enjoying the power of that engine and the roar from it’s untouched factory single exhaust system, something I never did get around to upgrading as I had once planned.
The ‘turbine’ style wheels are from a later built Mustang GT and were on the car at the time of purchase, so my guess is that this car may have been equipped with the TRX wheel package when it was new, as it was a common occurrence for those early Fox body Mustang owners to upgrade the wheels when the original metric tires wore out given the extremely high cost and difficulty in locating replacements. I am not 100% on that, of course, but that’s always been my theory.
Unfortunately, being 19 years old at the time and not thinking ahead too much, this car became a bit of a hassle to keep straight on the roads in the early snowfalls I encountered in Smithers later that year. Given the fact that I was not making a whole bunch of money and could not afford to have a winter car, I visited the local Ford dealership in Smithers and traded it in for something more suitable for winter commuting, a 1992 Tempo GLS coupe with the 3.0L Vulcan V6, which was another interesting ride that perhaps I will cover another day.
It was a brief relationship, but absolutely it was a whole lot of fun. I’ve often wondered what happened to it and hope that it found its way into the hands of a loving owner who has restored it and kept it tucked away in garage… one can only hope, of course!
So was the intention to be an even more deluxe LX, sort of like a Ghia – LX?
After the LX trim level died out my favorite Mustangs were the GTs with the “GT delete” or “Spoiler Delete” package to make them a little more stealthy.
Yes, the GLX trim level showed up in 1982 as a luxury/premium package for the Mustang. It carried over into 1983 and many of the ‘new-for-’83’ convertibles were in GLX trim.
It was reduced to the LX trim in ’84 and that carried on until ’93.
And yes, it replaced the Ghia as the luxury Mustang. The Ghia trim started out on the Mustang II where it was offered only on the notchback coupe, but was expanded to the hatchback as well for the ’79-’81 Fox Mustangs. I’ve read part of the reason the Ghia name and logo were dropped was because they had to pay licensing fees to the Ghia design firm, but it was also Detroit’s inferiority complex in the ’80s and onward that meant aping the imports was always better than the traditional American way. Thus, upmarket models no longer were Custom, Limited, Brougham, Ghia, etc. but rather LX, GL, GLX. Even the actual letters used were the ones various Japanese or European brands used. Why are G, L, E, X, S and T the only letters used in most trim-level designations? Why is the top-line model never the FMH?
From Italian design studios…. Get ready for ….the ‘Forgettaboutta My Hamster” edition… 🙂
Ford has owned Ghia since 1970, so it wasn’t an issue of licensing fees.
The Japanese have some delightfully offbeat trim-level designators, most of which they keep in Japan. But back in the ’90s, Nissan Australia would sell you a Pulsar Q.
There are reasons some letters don’t appear. Toyota briefly had a sport package for its pickup trucks called “X-SP”. Sound that one out.
Carey is correct only in 1982 and 1983 was the GLX trim offered.
The lineup was; L (Notchback only) GL, GLX, then GT. In 1984 the L was entry level again and could be notchback or hatchback, followed by LX, GT and SVO.
Interestingly, in recent years (since 2011, near as I can tell), the Mustang GT (now denoting the V8) includes a spoiler delete option by default. The base model includes a spoiler the GT specifically excludes unless you ask for it.
I remember seeing these Mustang GLXs when they first came out. I found them more attractive than the GTs that were also being sold at the time.
I would love to have a Fox body with those options and in that condition today.
I owned one of the early model convertibles with the HO 5.0. It came with a 4-speed manual; the 5-speed came out later in the year. What a fun car to drive. No matter how fast I was going it always had more to give.
I’ve owned a few Fox body Mustangs, my first being a 79 Cobra with the turbocharged 4 cylinder and TRX suspension with leather seats. Wonderful car and when I was living in Prince George regular trips to Vancouver were a blast on highway 97.
Sadly so few 5.0 Coupes or Fastbacks have survived unmolested. I keep looking around and checking out Kijiji. My last find was a GT convertible V8 I found in Calgary, also an 84. It was an early build and does not have fog lights. I’ll do a little more work on it this summer. All my Fox Mustangs were good cars, reliable and enjoyable to drive. Even the 84 L model with the wheezy 2.3 litre four and automatic.
Wow, I had forgotten all about the GLX version of this car. For me, the years of 1982-83 were sort of an automotive wilderness. None of my close friends or family members bought a new car then, and I was finishing college, working to save money and starting law school, so new cars were a million miles from my mind. The result is that there is so much about cars of those years that is new to me.
I really like this one. My test drive in the 85 Mustang GT woke up my interest in these which had been pretty tepid from their intro in 1979. If only you had bought in in the spring, then you would have had at least 9 months out of it. 🙂
Didn’t they also have a GLX trim level on Escorts and Tempos also?
Yes, the Escort GLX was offered from 1981-1983 and the Tempo in 1984-1985.
I am shedding tears here, as it is almost impossible to read: “and traded it in for something more suitable for winter commuting, a 1992 Tempo GLS coupe with the 3.0L Vulcan V6” without doing so!
I’ve driven a stock 1985 Mustang V8 with the manual transmission (my friend still owns it, although it has been parked for several years waiting for a new clutch), and to me, that vehicle single-handedly embodied the rebirth of the American muscle car, which only got better once they switched over to fuel injection. Sure there was the Corvette and the F-body twins, but to me the Mustang had them beat in terms of how fun it felt to drive.
The key to driving one of these in the winter was to install a set of skinny studded snow tires in the back, along with as much weight in the back as you could find, and a posi rear end also helped (for getting started, anyways, but hindered while making sharp turns on slippery surfaces).
I agree 1000% !!! Gave up a Foxbody Mustang for a Tempo.
On that day at least,he must have been a few bricks short of a load or his cement was still wet.IMO the Tempo was/is one of the biggest pos boring cars I ever drove and I can think of a bunch of other models or even better makes/models I would have chosen over a Tempo.
“Posi” is short for GM’s brand of locking rear axle, “Posi-Traction”.
Ford’s brand name is “Trac-Loc” and Mopar’s is “Sure-Grip”.
Nice to see a Mustang of this vintage in good shape, this era of the Ford Mustang’s are starting to grow onto me, for some reason I prefer the coupe version of the pre-Euro headlight Mustang’s over the fastback version’s, I also love that it’s a 5.0 and a 5 speed.
I would say that better than 50% of the GLXs I have seen over the years were V6 convertibles, almost never a V8 with manual coupe.
Back in 82 and 83 I was looking for a sporty, economical, American-built car but it seemed as though nearly all 4 and many 6 cylinder Mustangs I saw were oddball two-tone cars. Dark brown over a lighter brown was “popular” as was medium blue or red over white….yuck. I finally settled on a J2000 hatchback.
Would love to find a nice 2 door Mustang V8, or even a V6 of this era. This one is a nice combination of colors and different Ford parts.
Here is a picture of my 1983 Mustang GLX with a t top. I looked for many years for a this body style with a t top and when I saw it locally, I grabbed it.
This is super-cool. (So was Carey’s ride.)
T-roof in a notchback is not very common. Good for you to score that one.
I was just thinking that. A T-top notchback is a Mustang variant I’m pretty sure I’ve never seen!
There is a T-roof notchback for sale a few kms from me. Reasonable and looks okay but the pics showing parts of the underside tell me it’s been sitting in damp grass for a long time. Lots of surface rust and dirt, Looks like it came from Ontario. (Canucks from out there know what I mean). Tempting but not the kind of Fox Mustang I want at this point in life.
Such a tale of ecstasy and woe, one wonders what might have been if you only held on to the ‘Stang! I’m sorry your ’83 wasn’t a keeper, but at least you were able to briefly enjoy a memorable car. I’m loathe to admit that like so many others, I never took the time to properly appreciate these Mustangs back when they were common, and now they’ve all but vanished from the roads. When I came of age the facelifted ‘Stangs with the aero fascias were a dime a dozen, even in the northeast. But most that I recall seeing were either hatches or the convertible – the notchback was always a rare sight. But seeing the pics of your earlier Mustang have given me a newfound respect for the taut angularity of the original Fox Stang, much of which was sadly lost with the refresh for 1987. The original c.1979 design has such a delightfully clean and purposeful stance, especially in notchback form.
I have fond memories of the original Fox-body Mustang and the GLX trim in particular, as when I was about 11 my dad drove for a couple of years a 1982 GLX with the carriage roof. It was a dealership demo and had the humble 200CID straigh-six with auto and wire wheel covers. I remember it ate its front tires’ outside shoulder at an alarming rate, or maybe dad was just pushing it regularly through the LA freeway off-ramps. I didn’t care too much about the carriage roof because it was a pain to keep clean (I was the resident car-washer at home) and also because I was naturally more into the GT. For regular Mustangs of that vintage, I prefer the notchback body because it looks trim and proportioned. To me the regular hatchback looks terrible and really needs the GT spoiler to gain proportion. In any case my dad’s 82 Mustang did look cool and I remember people in other cars asking to lower the roof! I remember it had an interesting option, a stereo with an amplifier that you activated by pulling a chrome knob under the dash. I thought that was a bit silly because, why not just leave the amp on all the time. I guess it was a marketing gimmick, as in “…wait ’till I pull the amps on!”.
As for the GLX in the pictures, I think it had some suspensiĂłn work because Mustangs of that vintage didn’t have that much forward rake in their stance.
Definitely want to read about your 1992 Tempo GLS V6. I also had one (a sedan).
Sweet Four-eye!
Nice-looking GLX. I’ve never cared much for the four-eye notchbacks, but I like yours–maybe I’m just used to seeing them in bland colors with hubcaps and four-cylinder exhaust notes. The turbine-style alloys really suit it.
Was the car lowered? It doesn’t look to have anything resembling stock ride height.