Mach 1

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1971 Mustang Grande
Can anyone tell me why Ford offered a 2V Engine on the Mach 1. :huh:

Being new to 71-73 Mustangs my observation of the specific Mach 1 brand is it looks like a sportier version of the Grande. Add to that the word "Sportsroof" is included in Ford's description of the brand, Mach 1. So with that in mind why use the less powerful 2V version of the engines. Surely a 4V Engine should have been standard spec for this brand. :chin:

 
You could also get them with the 302 and the straight 6 (250). I guess some people were just interested in the style and not performance. When I push on the pedal I want response :)

 
It is all about selling the customer up. You have for 1972 Mach 1 standard with 302 2-V with three speed or Select Shift. If you went with 351 2-V you only had the same transmission selections. Then if you went for the 351 4-V you could get the Select Shift or 4 speed. The top engine for 72 was the 351 4-V HO and it only came with a 4 speed.

For 73 you had the same options. The Mach 1 was more of an appearance package than a performance but you still had to pay for more options to get the good stuff. The Mach 1 option gave you Trim Rings W/Hub caps, Dual Racing Mirrors, Competition Suspension, Color Keyed Carpeting and All Vinyl Bucket Seats.

Now if you break it down all you really got on a Mach 1 that was not on other models was the plastic insert in the front carpet, the words Mach 1 in the stripe and if you paid $115.44 more you got the Mach 1 Sports Interior Option.

ALL OTHER OPTIONS COULD BE HAD ON OTHER MODELS.

You can have a vert, grande or sportsroof that is a much better car than the Mach 1 if optioned right.

Options are the reason it is so easy for Marti to make your car a one of one. Every Mustang built could have been different with all the options of color, interior, tires, wheels, trim & the list goes on and on.

They do not do that today to keep their jobs simple. Colors yes but not so many options just packages that give you a group of options. It greatly reduced the SKU's possible and made inventory a much easier task with fewer combinations. Reduced the amount of parts that had to be on the line for assembly and made cars easier to build. So in affect Ford makes the cars for less now but we pay way more. Consumers are like they say a sucker born every minute.

The marketing strategy in the 60's and 70's was give them options and they will buy cars. Today most people do not order their car just go pick one out on the lot, too impulsive and spur of the moment, not as personal as it was. Buying a car in the past was something you thought about and studied over not just go to a big lot and pick one out.

Now at BMW they still build the majority of their car from orders from actual customers not stock orders. The build sheet will have the customers name on it.

To give you another example on another brand. Chevy offered the SS package. It had nothing to do with performance you could get it on a 6 cylinder. Today everyone says SS like it is special when it was mainly a trim package to dress up the car.

 
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Yeah when i ordered my new Nissan i had many options to choose from. If memory serves me correctly there were around 30+ differant options which included interior, wheels, engine, transmission, 2 or 4 wheel drive, differant color bolt on pieces externally, differant color combination panels and more options i can't remember off the top of my head. After i placed the order i got a email about a week before the build started and was given the option to personalise my build.

I still think if you wanted a Mach 1 sportsroof you should of only been able to have the option of highest powered engine ONLY. Then everything else as a option. That makes sense to me. Just the name "Mach 1" is the terminology used predominatley by pilots for the speed of sound.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mach_number

 
You are in the minority. Most people only want the car to look fast, and Ford is happy that way as they can make more money selling them the sporty package at a premium price.

 
Also remember that by 1973 the power difference between the 351 2v and 351 4v wasn't that much. I run a 351c 2v from 1973 and with a few minor tweaks and proper tuning of the engine it makes pretty good power and is a fun ride.

 
Pegleg, It's like David said, these cars were built when it was all about having a dizzying array of choices. Having looked over the order guide for Ford vehicles alone, I don't see how the salesmen kept up with it all. Figure all the car lines Ford had, plus the dozens of Trucks of all different sizes.

As far as engine sizes, a lot of folks just wanted to look good and didn't care about going fast or the extra maintenance, insurance, and fuel costs with a larger engine. Insurance costs were starting to spiral upward as the insurance companies were starting to pass the cost of the losses they were incurring with these muscle cars. So you'll notice the 250 6cyl as the standard engine in all but the Mach1 which got the 302 2bl.

I'm in the same category as Don C. I wanted 'em Loud and fast, and 351 and 429 4bls were fine for me!

The big three made a lot of money on options and upgrades. The vehicles produced now are fairly well equipped, but still have a staggering amount of options. If you get a chance go to the Ford web site and check the standard content on a new Mustang and then the options. All about the choices and be sure to bring your checkbook!!

 
Pegleg, It's like David said, these cars were built when it was all about having a dizzying array of choices. Having looked over the order guide for Ford vehicles alone, I don't see how the salesmen kept up with it all. Figure all the car lines Ford had, plus the dozens of Trucks of all different sizes.

As far as engine sizes, a lot of folks just wanted to look good and didn't care about going fast or the extra maintenance, insurance, and fuel costs with a larger engine. Insurance costs were starting to spiral upward as the insurance companies were starting to pass the cost of the losses they were incurring with these muscle cars. So you'll notice the 250 6cyl as the standard engine in all but the Mach1 which got the 302 2bl.

I'm in the same category as Don C. I wanted 'em Loud and fast, and 351 and 429 4bls were fine for me!

The big three made a lot of money on options and upgrades. The vehicles produced now are fairly well equipped, but still have a staggering amount of options. If you get a chance go to the Ford web site and check the standard content on a new Mustang and then the options. All about the choices and be sure to bring your checkbook!!
So the most powerful engine fitted at Dearborn in a Mach 1 would have been a 429 4bl? And did that have option of auto transmission?

 
So the most powerful engine fitted at Dearborn in a Mach 1 would have been a 429 4bl? And did that have option of auto transmission?
Through 1974 you could still get the 351 Cobra Jet option (not for the Mustang in '74 but I'm sure it was available) - I had a Grand Sport Torino with that engine. The research I was able to do turned showed that Ford only 5 cars produced with that engine.

 
Taking everyones comment on board i can see where you are coming from. Then i think if i really wanted a Mustang with extra power and more of a sports version it would be a Shelby. Maybe Ford meant the Shelby to be the car for the speed demons?

 
They do it for various reasons. Not everybody needs the big dog engine in their cars. For instance, I bought a '97 Ram 1500 4x4 used, and it came with the 5.2 Magnum V-8 - that was the smallest engine available with the 4x4 package. They also offered a 5.9 Magnum V-8, V-10, and Cummins turbo diesel - and every one had more power on-tap, but were respectively more expensive.

Not everybody wants to pay incrementally more money for respective gains in power that may or may not ever get used.

The 351C-2V put out 245hp, which was only 135hp less than the 429SCJ, and 40hp less than the 351C-4V. Not a lot of difference, really, but I'm sure it still hurt more in the wallet for the extra power.

 
Pegleg, the big three (and to a lesser scale AMC) all had some very formidable cars on the road in the 60's and 70's. Problem I had then was I could afford the car, but insurance would have been more than the monthly car payment. Now I can afford insurance, but not what these big block monsters cost now!! The 429 SCJ could be had with a C-6 automatic, but no AC. There was large group of Ford gear heads I hung out with, and including my 72 Gran Torino, there was seven 429 cars. Ben's 69 Boss 429 was the fastest in the group. The second fastest was a 70 Mercury Cyclone with a 429 SCJ with a Super Drag Pak. That included a Detroit Locker differential, 4:30 gear, and a engine oil cooler. It had a C-6, but don't let that fool you, that car was insanely fast.

As far as the Shelby's, the insurance companies were starting to catch on about those cars. They realized that most people that bought those were not taking Grandma to get her hair fixed. At the time I had insurance with G***O (the one with the lizard) who had a list of cars they would not insure. A lot of heavy hitters were on that list. On the Ford side I remember seeing Pantera's, Shelby Mustang's, AC Cobra's, etc. Everyone knew tougher emissions controls were coming, and insurance was becoming harder to afford. So 71 was the end of the road for the 429 Mustang. In fact I believe it was also the last year for the production installed 426 Hemi! So it was a sad time for a lot of car nuts back then!

 
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