What do you say when asked if it's a Mach 1, but it's not?

Virtually every time I have my car out a couple people will ask if my car is a Mach 1. My car is de-badged and only logo on it is the gas cap so there's nothing obvious for people who don't know the cars.

I get why they are asking and they are curious but it's often just someone walking by and not looking for a whole thing about trim levels etc. So my answer is always something like "no, it's just a regular Mustang". Almost every time that leaves people more confused and almost disappointed because they thought they knew that fastback shape meant Mach 1. I even had someone come back a few minutes later after googling it on their phone and tried to convince me that my car is in fact a Mach 1.

So any fellow non Mach 1 owners out there have a go to answer for this that is short and sweet and might leave some people happy with themselves for knowing a thing about cars, short of just saying yes it is?

BTW Had someone walking by the other day that asked if my car was a Mach 3. I really wanted to tell him yes, it's the original Mach E, but didn't want to make is brain break.

TheDude said:

Virtually every time I have my car out a couple people will ask if my car is a Mach 1. My car is de-badged and only logo on it is the gas cap so there's nothing obvious for people who don't know the cars.

I get why they are asking and they are curious but it's often just someone walking by and not looking for a whole thing about trim levels etc. So my answer is always something like "no, it's just a regular Mustang". Almost every time that leaves people more confused and almost disappointed because they thought they knew that fastback shape meant Mach 1. I even had someone come back a few minutes later after googling it on their phone and tried to convince me that my car is in fact a Mach 1.

So any fellow non Mach 1 owners out there have a go to answer for this that is short and sweet and might leave some people happy with themselves for knowing a thing about cars, short of just saying yes it is?

BTW Had someone walking by the other day that asked if my car was a Mach 3. I really wanted to tell him yes, it's the original Mach E, but didn't want to make is brain break.

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It’s been my experience that many think the sportsroof body style and “Mach 1” are synonymous. Non-Ford guys, or even just younger Ford guys often know the 71-73 years simply as Mach 1s. I was born in the late 70s in a mostly GM buying family; by the time I got into cars in high school I just thought all Mustangs from around those years were Mach 1s. Never even saw a vert or coupe until college.

Many who see my verts don’t even know they are Mustangs; others blanketly call them Mach 1s. The vast majority of the time it’s someone being friendly and complimentary; and nowadays with everyone so often being A-holes about so many things I try not to burst their bubble by being pedantic. Like you, when someone is reaching out to make some small connection I am loathe to discourage them.

If I was at a car show or something I might go into a bit more precise detail, but most of the time my response is “yeah this is from the years of Mustangs where the mach 1 really stood out. Technically mine is a different trim package but yeah this is from those years.” I try to remember they are in the ballpark after all.

I reckon the Marketing guy whose job it was to come up with trim package names just struck gold with Mach 1.

Simply state that it is a Frank Cone edition.

My go to is 'no, it's a convertible'. Like Lazarus mentioned, even us convertible guys get some Mach 1 love.

But seriously, if I owned a fastback body code my desire to correct someone would depend greatly on the situation. At friendly 'Nice Mach 1' at the gas station would get a 'Thanks!'. At cars and coffee, if the person seemed genuinely interested I would explain the difference and that Mach 1 had their own body code. (I have done this even while discussing the convertible). And of course, one of us would know to ask.

Unless it's a Frank Cone edition.

A non-car guy visiting my house looked at my '71 Mach 1 J-code in the garage and asked if it was a "Mach 11". He was close anyway and I didn't make a big deal out of it. When I was in high school (late 1970's) one of our friends had a red '73 Mustang with the base 302, side pipes, and louvers. I was amazed at how many people thought that 302 was a Boss 302. I guess people hear a catchy name and it just sticks with them.

I just say no, its a fastback. If they are still interested, I may offer up that its the same car as a mach1, just with different cosmetic stuff like the grille.

I do have a Mach 1 and I get the biggest charge when I'm driving slowly, windows down of course, and I hear a young kid say "look, it's a Mach 1!" That gets the biggest smile on my face.

I was at a show last week and unfortunately not at my car, when some guy was asking a friend about my car. He swore it wasn't an M code. My friend was a parts manager at a large Ford dealership for 43 years, so I guess he knows his Fords!! He tried to explain to the guy that he was confusing a 351C M code with a 351 M engine and they were very different engines. He walked away still not believing my friend.

I had two sportsroofs before getting an actual Mach 1. The first was just a primered travesty, the next one was nicely done up as a "Mock 1". I didn't correct people, as most just associate the sportsroof body style as only being a Mach 1.

You could simply say, indeed it is a Mach Won (Ford's marketing not my idea)!

Were there ever any years where there were fewer Mach 1s than all other Mustang versions combined?

This is interesting stuff that I never knew. I have a 73 Fastback, and I tell everyone that its a Mach1 Fastback. Am I correct in saying this?

Unfortunately, I do not have the build code, there are no stickers or labels stuck on the door jams because its been previously resprayed and the engine and gearbox have both been replaced. All I have is the chassis number and registration number.

The Heff said:

This is interesting stuff that I never knew. I have a 73 Fastback, and I tell everyone that its a Mach1 Fastback. Am I correct in saying this?

Unfortunately, I do not have the build code, there are no stickers or labels stuck on the door jams because its been previously resprayed and the engine and gearbox have both been replaced. All I have is the chassis number and registration number.

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4th digit of the VIN will tell you. 2 is a fastback, 5 is a mach1. Should be on the dash and on the buck tag under the hood.
If you know that yours is the original front end, the grille and headlight bezels are different between fastback and mach1. Silver headlight bezels and a large "horse with the corale" grille is a standard mustang. Black headlight trim and a grille with a small horse with red/white/blue stripes behind it was the mach1.

The partial VIN number stamped under the driver's fender specifically does not have the body code. Presumably, they left it off when they made the body because the fastback and mach1 bodies were identical. They didn't know what the car would end up being at the point that they stamped the VIN in the body.

giantpune said:

I just say no, its a fastback. If they are still interested, I may offer up that its the same car as a mach1, just with different cosmetic stuff like the grille.

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That's more or less what I do. It's Mustang or a fastback Mustang and same, if they want to know more I tell them. It's usually the guys that don't have time to stop and chat that look more confused than satisfied with that answer. Someday I'm going to tell someone it's a Pinto just to see their head explode.

Hemikiller said:

I had two sportsroofs before getting an actual Mach 1. The first was just a primered travesty, the next one was nicely done up as a "Mock 1". I didn't correct people, as most just associate the sportsroof body style as only being a Mach 1.

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I actually thought of getting a license plate that said Mock 1 or NotMach1. And for the record, my car is closer to that primered travesty than something I want to brag about being a Mach 1.

I am just happy when guys like our cars.

If we are being technical, wasn’t the “fastback” term phased out by Ford after ‘68 or thereabouts and replaced by the term “sportsroof”?

TheDude said:

Someday I'm going to tell someone it's a Pinto just to see their head explode.

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I remember the first time I learned of the foxbody mercury capri. It was the same car as the mustang GT, but I had always associated the "capri" name with little 4-banger girly cars.

One guy asked me the same once, and my car is a coupe!

giantpune said:

4th digit of the VIN will tell you. 2 is a fastback, 5 is a mach1. Should be on the dash and on the buck tag under the hood.
If you know that yours is the original front end, the grille and headlight bezels are different between fastback and mach1. Silver headlight bezels and a large "horse with the corale" grille is a standard mustang. Black headlight trim and a grille with a small horse with red/white/blue stripes behind it was the mach1.

The partial VIN number stamped under the driver's fender specifically does not have the body code. Presumably, they left it off when they made the body because the fastback and mach1 bodies were identical. They didn't know what the car would end up being at the point that they stamped the VIN in the body.

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I believe, and I could be wrong on this, that one of the trim levels named 'decor group' included the 'Mach 1' style grill.

I’ve had people ask if my convertible is a Mach 1, and a few people even thought it was a Camaro. The fact is people that ask are not knowledgeable of classic Mustangs, or maybe classic cars in general, and probably weren’t alive when these cars were made, but they’re interested the cars. If the person asking is thirsty for knowledge, I am happy to explain, and if they are not, the short answer works fine.

cjstaci said:

I’ve had people ask if my convertible is a Mach 1, and a few people even thought it was a Camaro. The fact is people that ask are not knowledgeable of classic Mustangs, or maybe classic cars in general, and probably weren’t alive when these cars were made, but they’re interested the cars. If the person asking is thirsty for knowledge, I am happy to explain, and if they are not, the short answer works fine.

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I have gotten the Camaro comment a few times as well. The fact is, 71-73s do share some stylistic cues with the first-gen camaro (front end… maybe due to the Bunkie Knudsen connection?) and some from the challenger (like the speed-line/crease going down the side). Take a look at this pic below of a 67 Camaro and a 71-72 Mustang convertible (with 73 grille) and one can see why the untrained might be confused when seeing a vert:

Thanks for the info, my 4th VIN digit is 5 so that makes mine a Mach1, and it supports the small horse with the red, white and blue stripes. So, am I right in saying there is NO difference between the body style of the Fastback and the Sports roof, just the trim?

giantpune said:

The partial VIN number stamped under the driver's fender specifically does not have the body code. Presumably, they left it off when they made the body because the fastback and mach1 bodies were identical. They didn't know what the car would end up being at the point that they stamped the VIN in the body.

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When the VIN number was generated (serialized), the final product was already known down to the very last option. Keep in mind that the cars would have had to have had the correct firewall, cowl and floor pan for AC vs non-AC, along with the 4V cars getting the staggered shock upper mounting plate and reinforcements for the rear bar. Lots of other items for trim, fold down seats etc that all needed to be in place. The bodies may have been bucked in batches, but when that VIN was stamped into it, there was no question about what it was going to be.

The Heff said:

Thanks for the info, my 4th VIN digit is 5 so that makes mine a Mach1, and it supports the small horse with the red, white and blue stripes. So, am I right in saying there is NO difference between the body style of the Fastback and the Sports roof, just the trim?

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The physical structure of the car is the same. As above, there are differences in sheet metal parts that were attached to the body for various options and equipment.

will e said:

I believe, and I could be wrong on this, that one of the trim levels named 'decor group' included the 'Mach 1' style grill.

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The 72-73 Decor Group gave you the Mach 1 "look" on a base coupe or convertible. I believe this came about because the 71 Spring Special coupes were such a good selling package at 9003 units.