1979 Ford Mustang print ad, as sourced from the internet.
A few weeks ago, my mom came to visit me here in Chicago. It was a wonderful time, filled with just enough culture, tourism, neighborhoody things, candid conversation, and just plain, ol’ couch time to make it all very memorable. I had only a little bit of time after our visit to be sad, as the ensuing week was then filled with after-work visits with friends, but I sill miss Mom being here a little bit, at this writing. I had always looked forward to when my mother and late father would make their annual trip to the Windy City to see their middle son.
1979 Ford Mustang Indy 500 Pace Car replica. Downtown Flint, Michigan. Friday, August 17, 2018.
This got me thinking about the amount of time I’ve lived in Chicago, which is now over a third of my life and also closing in on the number of formative years I spent living in my hometown of Flint, Michigan. I have now lived in Chicago for over fifteen years (approaching sixteen), a number which would almost exactly parallel the length of the run (fifteen model years) of the third-generation Ford Mustang (1979 – ’93). This realization blew my mind.
With my new-to-me, ’88 Mustang LX hatchback at the long-demolished Glo-Bell Motel. Near Bonita Springs, Florida. June 1993.
All of a sudden, here we are in 2019 – the fortieth anniversary year of the foxiest Fox, which seemed to remain in production for an eternity. When the ’79 Mustang made its debut in the fall of the previous year, I had just “graduated” from my purple tricycle to learning to ride my beloved, baby blue Schwinn equipped with training wheels. By the time the end-of-the-line ’93 Mustang was on its way out, I had just started my sophomore year of college, by which point I had owned an ’88 Mustang LX 2.3L hatchback (pictured above). The Fox Mustang and I had grown up together.
1993 Ford Mustang SVT Cobra “R”, as seen at the Chicago Auto Show. Saturday, February 18, 2012.
One thing that has always irked me just a little bit was that throughout its run, the Foxstang was (for the most part) either visually chic with middling performance (excepting the 5.0L-equipped ’79s), or the best performance deal available on the market with looks that, while attractive, were very stale by the end. To me, a Mustang had always traditionally (with a few exceptions) had its looks together, with performance also available, simultaneously.
1993 Ford Mustang LX 5.0 Limited Edition convertible. Edgewater, Chicago, Illinois. Friday, August 2, 2019.
Hindsight is 20/20, and I (again) really find the third-generation Mustangs really attractive and desirable, but by ’93, the only Ford pony that really seemed to possess my ideal combination of looks and performance was the ’93 Limited Edition convertible in Chrome Yellow (with the white or black interior) with the chrome “Pony” wheels. The beautiful, memorable SN-95 generation that followed for model year ’94 made my jaw drop in awe the first time I saw one in person (at a Stuckey’s parking lot in Florida), and as would be with a Fox in great condition, I wouldn’t kick a nice, pre-facelifted SN-95 out of my garage.
c. 1987 Ford Mustang LX 2.3L convertible. Lakeview, Chicago, Illinois. Sunday, October 14, 2012.
Getting back to growing up in lockstep with this generation of Mustang, I was a young professional in my late 20s when I had moved to Chicago in the early-/mid-Aughts. Full of optimism, pep and verve to start my new life in the big city, I’m sure I felt a lot on the inside like the ’79 Pace Car replica pictured toward the top of this essay looked on the outside at the time it first appeared. It’s inevitable that any significant amount of time spent in one place will bring, over time, its share of both triumphs and heartaches. After the end of my first, significant dating relationship, I might have been feeling a bit worn-but-presentable, like the above latter-day, red convertible. After some time had passed after that point, I was again capable of having (and being) a good time.
c. 1991 Ford Mustang GT hatchback. Edgewater, Chicago,Illinois. Wednesday, October 31, 2018.
At the end of a five-year relationship last June, I was feeling certifiably broken for much of the rest of 2018. This black GT hatchback in my neighborhood had been in pristine condition when it first arrived to the curbs of Edgewater maybe five years ago. And then the center caps on the wheels went missing, and I thought, Wow – they’re always the first to go. Stupid thieves. Then the paint started to fade. A front parking light / turn signal got broken (and not fixed).
The rear bumper cover started to sag, and the weather stripping around the flush rear quarter windows started to chalk. Then huge dents appeared in both doors (not pictured above). I don’t want to say anything that might potentially sound critical of its owner, but pride of ownership of even my most meager possessions was something ingrained in me at a young age, and I can’t imagine letting such a once-fine specimen of one of the hot cars of my teenage years go to seed in such spectacularly fast fashion.
1993 Ford Mustang GT print ad, as sourced from the internet.
Even as the run of the Fox Mustang and my previous, long-term relationship ultimately had to end, there was and is life afterward. Charting the course of the different model years of the third-generation Mustang has been a fun road map to the parallel changes in my own life that had taken me from pre-school to college. And like the success that was the ’94 Mustang which followed (which, at 137,000 units, represented a 20% increase in sales over the prior year), I have so many reasons to believe that while the most semi-recent chapter of my life brought some significant personal challenges, the next chapter – still in the process of being written – will be every bit as memorable and exciting. The Mustang has endured. So will I.
The Fox has touched upon a lot of us; my Mom herself had a ’79 notchback in white, similar to the lead photo, but loaded out like a Ghia (it wasn’t). Wire wheel covers, Chamios top, sunroof. Very vogue for the times. The fact that was 40 years ago is jarring to think today. Time marches on…
It’s funny… I used to think of the very first (1979 – ’82) gen-3 Mustangs as my least favorite of that 15-year run, but now they’re toward the top.
I was recently scouring classifieds and found a low-miles, ’79 Ghia hatchback (turbo?) that looked stunning. These Mustangs lacked the curves and visual dramatics of the GM F-bodies, but time has shown me how Ford’s “Euro”-inspired approach with these struck a chord with U.S. buyers.
Agree they struck a chord; Mom ran to the Ford dealer to ditch her daily Honda CB750 when they came out. I dug the internet to find a match of hers and got close; replace the turbine wheel covers for her wire ones and that’s what it was:
Joseph, as we are nearly the same age, I never paralleled my life to the Fox-generation Mustang, but after reading this, I cant see how I didn’t catch it.
When the ’79 Mustang came out, I had also just gotten my metallic blue Schwinn Stingray, although I was done with training wheels by then, and I was in my third year in the military when they wrapped up production of the Fox and the ’94 SN95 (which I hate) came out; the Fox was such a nicer, cleaner, less-gimmicky car to look at.
I was a hard core Mopar fan in the ’80s, but when the ’87 came out with the SFI 225 HP 5.0, it was hard to hate. I also (briefly) had an ’88 Mustang LX, although mine was a 5.0/5 speed car, and it was cheap, fast fun. I remember all of the Grand National VS Mustang GT tests in all of the hot rod magazines.
Styling-wise, my favorite from the era is the 1990 “7 Up” edition, since it has my favorite color combination in the less obnoxious LX edition with the nicer GT wheels, and the “4-eyed” ’86 GT is a close second.
Relationships. One door closes, another opens, and one must endure. Mustangs made it through the recessions, gas crises’ and the threat of FWD, and look, its still here, probably the fastest and strongest its ever been.
As Im in my mid 40s and starting to reflect on life more as I prepare to take my first born off to college next week, I think here is a great song from right in the middle of the Fox era, without having to give any due reference to Vanilla Ice, that offers reflection on life, romance and time.
LT Dan, so much awesomeness contained in your post above. I had almost forgotten about the “7-Up” convertibles. Those are right up there with the chrome yellow ’93 Limited Edition convertibles, with me.
I also would have wanted my ’88 LX to have the 5.0L/5-sp combo if I didn’t have to also insure the car myself. I basically had to choose between nicer/newer and older/more fun, as far as my budget went back then.
Great song, BTW!
A very nice retrospective, Joe – on both life and the Fox Mustang. You remind me that I long ago crossed that line where I have lived longer in my adopted city than in my hometown.
As one a bit older, I had just started college when the Fox Mustang came out. An old friend bought a 79 with a V8 and . . . I just didn’t like it at all. I had become a Mopar guy by then and the Fox was just too European for me (yes, that sounds stupid but that is how Ford’s modern stuff struck me at the time).
Only 6 years later I came close to buying one, an 85 GT. There are times I wish I had, and if I had been in a similar station in life two or three years later I might have actually done it. By the mid 80s the Fox Mustang had hit its stride and made for a really nice car, especially those with the 5.0. One of those (particularly a convertible with a 5 speed) would be a car I would still consider owning today.
JPC, I just finished college when the Fox Mustang was introduced. While I was driving a bent-up Maverick, mom got a brand new 1979 Mustang hatch. It looked nice, but the 2.3L with automatic transmission relegated it to plebeian driving.
Four years later, I splurged on a new 1983 convertible… exactly like the brochure cover with the 5.0L 4-barrel, TRX wheels and 5-speed transmission. I drove with the top down nearly all of the time, including a few pop-up rain showers (just kept driving, avoiding stops). I loved engaging the clutch and mashing the throttle… to hear that great engine. I was on borrowed time for an impromptu meeting with a traffic cop.
But my long work hours meant other members of the family were enjoying it more than me (don’t ask; I was just trying to make points with my new in-laws). And to reduce the risk of losing my license, I trade it for a 1984 convertible with 3.8L V6 CFI automatic. No fun.
Our 1st kid showed up in 1985, so we lived sans Mustang until 2010 when my wife approved the purchase of a Kona Blue Pony for our youngest child… who well-earned it. Now a chief resident, hopefully the doctor in the family can afford a GT350 or GT500 in a few years.
JP, the Fox Mustang’s renaissance of the mid+ ’80s was nothing short of stunning, when we all think about it. A design (in this segment) that was already old by the mid-’80s, that kept getting better and current-looking as the decade progressed… it’s almost like it was aging in reverse.
Joe, you are the metaphor king, and you’ve hit on another beauty. Curbsiders of different generations can reflect on what car and its run best parallels their own coming of age.
Fox bodies seem to get a lot of love here at CC, and even the newest ones have just about graduated into being seen as classics. I don’t think anyone sees the SN95 as a classic right now, and I think opinions on that car will be a lot more divided in another 10 or 15 years when it reaches the age the Foxes are now.
It’s a reminder that the Mustang has always been a zeitgeist, and some generations look a lot better than others in hindsight. Even though Joe pointed out that the car felt stale by the end of its run, and that the Fox was not a top-notch performance-mobile, I think it had the right combination of looks and mojo to make it a classic. I think a lot of people must agree judging by how many of these have been popping up at car shows and on the streets again.
Scott, I love that these are finally getting some love at car shows. There’s a generation that doesn’t even associate these with “Mustang”. Just a few years ago, I was showing my young nephew pictures of my Mustang, and he said (jokingly, just to push my buttons… not at all in a truly mean way), “THAT’S a Mustang? It’s kind of stupid-looking…”. That’s when I realized that the retro, ’05 generation is the one many adolescents today first associated with the nameplate.
Had a ‘90 that was a virtual twin of your ‘88, as well as an ‘80 Ghia hatchback, also in white.
Despite being built for way too many years, I’ve always felt that the Fox Mustang did a good job of transitioning the Mustang from being a glorified economy car in the Mustang II, to becoming a credible machine in SN-95 (which retains some Fox DNA), and a solidly built performance car in the S-197 and S-550. It’s the last generation to share things like the dashboard and seats with other models, and who would’ve ever expected that it would go on to outlast its parent platform for as long as it did?
I was 13 when the Fox Mustang debuted and I remember how incredibly modern and European it looked after five years of the Mustang II. The second-year ’80s were a bit scary with the 302 V8 dropped (we didn’t call it the 5.0 yet); the future looked like buzzy turbo four-bangers at the time. The ’82 with the revived and more powerful 5.0 was the car that signaled to me that the malaise era was finally ending. That feeling increased in 1983; for the first time I could remember, new cars were getting more powerful than the previous year’s. My favorite is probably the 1986 LX with the 5.0/manual drivetrain. The interior in these, especially the dash, was oft criticized in car mags for being old fashioned, but I liked it and found the ergonomics to be very agreeable. For a few years ending in 1986 the dash glowed with a nice orange-red light too. The refreshed interior in 87 was a poor imitation of Japanese interiors of the time but without their finesse.
The only 5+ year relationship I’d ever have overlapped the last few years of Foxstang production, though it was also a long distance relationship that allowed us to see each other only occasionally and as such, looking back, feels less like a long-term relationship and more like a short-term relationship dragged out over 8 excruciating years. Not doing that again, I hope….
“…..the future looked like buzzy turbo four-bangers at the time….”.
heh, heh.
LA673, I’m with you!
I was 14 when these came out, and I had the some of the exact same thoughts–modern and European.
With the V8 and 4-speed, according to the car magazines, the V8 could do 0-100 in UNDER 25 seconds. Big deal in 1979, as cars continued to get slower. 1979 was the last year of the ‘real’ F-cars from GM too (that had some power, that is).
The return of the 302 4-speed in 1982 (after two years of the anemic 255 V8), together with the 83 Rabbit GTI, to me, marked the end of the malaise era, and the dawn of fun cars. I test drove a 83 Capri RS V8 4-speed–it was easily the quickest car I had ever driven up to that time.
I personally think the original 79 was the best looking. And I liked the original dashboard also, and I also like the optional TRX wheels.
Next, I liked the looks of the 85-86. Came close to getting a new 86… good memories
la673, I actually really liked the interior of my ’88. I thought it was one of the strong points of the car, given its economy powertrain. The dashboard just made sense. The rocker switches flanking the instrument panel seemed like intuitive places to put the headlight controls, etc. I always thought it was a comfortable, classy place to spend time. For a base car, it seemed just refined enough not to feel like a penalty box. I loved the wide-wale corduroy seats.
I also remember when the 1979 Mustang came out. It was a lot more “European” than the 1974-1978 Mustang II. I think that one of the mistakes they made after 1986 was discontinuing the 6 cylinder engine. The 3.8 Litre V-6 I thought had a good balance of power and was still good on gas. The Fox Mustang remember almost was replaced in the early1990s by the car that became the Ford Probe. There was a big protest at the time. No front wheel drive Mustang. The 1994 SN-95 Mustang was on a revised Fox chassis. 25 years for a basic platform is really good! Only outlived by the Panther platform that lasted 30 years!
I also had wondered why the six was dropped! I wonder, if kept available in the Mustang and refined over time, what it’s potential could have been.
I was at a local car show last Sunday (Mustang Mania) to lend support to a friend (2003 Mustang owner) and I looked around, out of all the Fox Body Mustangs shown, none of them had the 2.3l 4 cyl engine in it. There was a nice stock 1987 5.0L with a auto trans which looked so nice but the others were hopped up Fox Body Mustangs
I would think the 2.3l 4cyl models would get more love as they made up most of the Mustangs sold from 87-93
”I would think the 2.3l 4cyl models would get more love as they made up most of the Mustangs sold from 87-93.”
One would think, but I suppose it’s not unlike most old cars; the base models often give up their lives so that faster and fancier ones can live (and be turned into “tributes”).
Having owned a 2.3, I’ll say that it’s not a particularly pleasant car to drive, especially with an automatic. So to that end I would say, “Good riddance.”
My 2.3L-equipped Mustang was pretty slow – I remember having to switch off the a/c on certain expressway entrance ramps to get up to speed.
I still loved that car, being my first, major on-my-own purchase as a young adult.
Yikes! Forty years since I bought my new 79 Cobra with turbo four and TRX wheels.
It was quite a step up from my Vega GT and a fun car for city cruising or on the opening road. But the small gas tank and 20 mpg on the highway meant more stops for fuel than I would have liked. Still, it was ideal on twisty roads and I could tolerate the turbo lag until the revs piled up. Since then our family has had a few used Fox body Mustangs. I’m hoping to find another when we downsize and retire in a few years.
Thanks for the feature on a car in 1979 that turned heads and sold very well.
Thank you, Garry. And based on my research of classifieds, really nice early Foxes are coming out of storage and being out up for sale. There are some great examples out there.
I looked for a Fox body for quite a long time. I had driven Hondas, Datsuns and Acuras and wanted to stay away from V8s. I read the forums trying to figure out how to improve the performance of the four cylinder. The only real way was with a turbo. The nice V8 examples were out of my price range so I moved up to the 4.6 models. My ’96 GT convertible has been great. I’ve had no regrets with my choice over the years. Now even these are beginning to evoke nostalgia.
I remember the debut of the Fox-body Mustang in the fall of 1978. It was a quite a shock to see this car wear the Mustang nameplate after five years of the Mustang II. It was radical for that time, at least for an American car, let alone a Ford.
My 11th-grade English teacher loved cars, and he traded his 1975 Mercury Cougar for a 1979 Ghia hatchback. That was the first Fox-body Mustang bought by someone I actually knew.
These are starting to show up at various Carlisle events, both for show and for sale. The challenge is finding one for sale that is both in good condition and has not been heavily modified.
I, too, have lived outside my home territory for far longer (too long probably, they’re starting to talk to me) than I did in the place I still feel most linked to. 35 years (this week as it happens) is a long time to live without hills.
I know the Foxstang gets some stick, but looking at the cars in this post you can clearly see an attraction. Yes, they look 80s and 90s but they are lasting well, and maybe coming back in their appeal.
Lack of hills will take longer.
I guess I could say I “grew up” with the original NSX in the same way. It came out a couple of months before I was born, and I was in high school when it went out of production. I remember Automobile magazine’s eulogy to it in 2005, comparing it to the music of the Rolling Stones.
I don’t think I’ve ever seen an NSX in the flesh, though.
I hadn’t thought about it, but since the Fox body cars covered so much of my growing up that they are just “Mustangs”. All of the earlier models are “Old Mustangs” and the 4? generations since are the “New Mustangs”
47 years young and still living the 80s Fox body dream here! My ‘’89….well the picture didn’t make it…
I was born in perhaps the middle of the fox era, 1985. Seeing one always reminds me of my childhood as I grew up riding around in two of them. My dad bought a brand new 1985 GT 5-speed with t-tops. He still has it today although it’s forlorn and just sitting in the backyard. However, I grew up riding around in that car. We were not the traditional ’90’s family in a minivan or SUV. Nope, my mom was driving that manual fox body GT. I went to school many days with a wet right shoulder and leg from the poorly designed window weatherstripping on that t-top car.
The other was an ’89 GT 5-speed my aunt (dad’s oldest sister) bought new in ’89. It was the only car she ever ordered. White with black accents instead of the red it was supposed to come with. She even had the dealer black all of the emblems on the car. It was sharp. I love her story of the salesman’s shock when she insisted on a 5-speed manual. She told him “Yeah, what would I want with a fun car like a Mustang GT with an automatic?” She had it for 10 years and when she traded it (and cried when she did so) it was immaculate. She takes care of a car like no one else I know. She would even change the oil herself and clean the engine bay afterwards.
I don’t really have any desire to own a fox body but I love that they are gaining in popularity as cars to restore thus showing up at car meets. It always makes me smile. Reminds me of simpler times of my childhood in the 1990’s either being picked up from school, my brother and I sleeping in the back of my dad’s with the back seats folded down after a day at the lake, or riding around in that pristine ’89 with my cool aunt.
A bit of irony considering my namesake here, but I’ve had several Fox Body cars, and not one of them was a Mustang.
‘79 Fairmont Futura
‘83 Thunderbird (3.8L)
‘88 Thunderbird LX (5.0L)
‘88 Thunderbird Turbo Coupe.
But I’ve always liked them. A neighbor of mine had an ‘84 GT350 with the TRX wheels and I really liked that car. I also like the four eyed ‘79 Pace Car.
But that teal convertible LT Dan posted above… yeah, I’ll take that one. Nice.
Want to wake up a Lima powered ‘stang? Just drop in the engine from the aforementioned Turbo Coupe. 😉
Happy belated middle child day (August 12). I’m a middle child too. Chicago is also the place I’ve lived in the longest amount of time. I’ve been in the Windy City since 1985 (which happens to be the year Barrack Obama moved here) with the exception of a Pacific Northwest 1991-95 Seattle grunge hiatus, I’ve lived in Chicago 30 years!
The 1979 Mustang is one of a handful of cars that I remember the debut of. It came out at the time I was about to obtain my drivers license- can’t believe that was nearly 41 years ago! Didn’t get a new Mustang, but did have the Revell 1:25 scale orange turbo version.
I don’t have a close association with the fox-stang, except a close friend of mine traded in his ‘86 EXP for a then new ‘93 teal 2dr Mustang. My friend Phil was my first non-dorm roommate in Madison WI, a former hippie he was 17 years older than me, his first new car was a ‘67 Mustang. Phil was transferred to Chicago in 1986, he had moved to Florida by the time he had the ‘93 Mustang – I only rode in it a couple time when I visited him. I gave him a hard time for his last car; a 2dr Explorer, which in the year 2000 a fatal crash ended his life at 55. I’m now 56.
I love that Middle Child Day is a thing! Same to you, Friend!
Very nice tribute, also, to your friend Phil.
I know I can always count on the Curbside Crew for more than just car stuff. It’s music. It’s life. It’s commonly shared cultural experiences. Thanks all, and have a great day.
I bought a new 1981 Mercury Capri Black Magic with a 255-CID V8. It had sat on the dealer’s floor until October of ’81. I still remember signing the papers for $7999 out the door. It had crank windows and the only options were AC and the AM/FM/Cassette radio.
My brother was so envious of it, he went and found a nearly identical Black Magic. His had a bunch more options (moon roof and power windows & door locks) but had the German V6. I still have photos of them in my parents driveway.
Neither of us realized that these were limited production and, if we hadn’t used them up, they may be collectors’ items today. But, they sure were fun!
Thanks for a great story linking a car with your life. I have never owned a Fox Mustang (or any Fox) but I did have a few memorable interactions with this car. Off the top of my head:
– A very boring rental Capri, 4 cylinder automatic in about 1980. Not a great experience, though better than my previous rental, a Pinto, perhaps.
– In 1981, considered and actually test drove a used ‘79 or ‘80 Turbo Mustang
– 1986, test drove a new 5.0 LX Mustang but bought a Ranger instead.
– In 1989, traded my Ranger for a friend’s ‘87 GT for a few days.
– 1999, again test drove a used Fox Mustang, this time a 5.0 LX convertible (20 years after the Turbo!) but bought a Ducati instead.
I’m catching up on CC reading after being on vacation. This was a good one! I also feel like the Fox Mustang was a constant in my formative years, though I never had the privilege of owning one. I do own a latter-day 5.0 now, though (2011).
The street-parked black GT is a shame. It is predictable that any car kept on the street in Chicago long term would not have a happy life. It’s just too bad someone chose such a primo car when he/she didn’t have a place to park it indoors. It was already basically a classic car 5 years ago, so I would consider that negligent. Unless it was badly rusted then, in which case it had no prospects for long term survival anyway.