Ford Mustang Mach 1 (1971-73)

The Ford Mustang is, with no shadow of a doubt, the iconic muscle car. It can even be said that without the Mustang, the muscle car wouldn’t exist. Over the decades, the Mustang has evolved and changed from the original 1960s model, spawning unique and special model variants that hold something for everyone. Today, we’re going to talk about the facelifted Mustang Mach 1.

The 1971 Mach 1 saw a reduction of content from the previous model, and a major redesign to the aesthetics of the car. Richard Hammond drove on in the ill-fated Patagonia Special with Top Gear, where they noted that the elongated front serves no other purpose than just making the car longer… because why not. The Mach 1 was available with a selection of V8s, ranging from 4.9 to 7.0 l displacements, and available with either a 3-speed automatic and manual or a 4 speed manual.

The redesign also came as a result of new NHTSA standards, which forced a change for the front and rear bumpers, leading to delete of the sport lamps and the park/turn signals moved from the front to a vertical orientation at the end of the grille. Only one of engines was available with Ram Air, due to stringent emissions regulations at the time.

The Mach 1 can be viewed as a simple a performance-package for the original Mustang, much like the Boss variants. However, I think this model stands as one of my favourite designs of the Mustang, embodying the over-indulgent engine displacement and the sleek and long design style that characterises how we view the muscle car. If I had to have a muscle car, it would probably be this one… if I could find one in Europe that didn’t cost me an arm and a leg. #ford #mustang #mach1 #muscle #cobra #hammond