Mach 1 VS Sportsroof

[cudak888]

The green car in the picture is a coupe

It is a Sportsroof that has been airbrushed into a coupe. Look at the height of the rear quarter panel hips and the curving driprail line.

-Kurt

 

[OMS]

The green car in the picture is a coupe

It is a Sportsroof that has been airbrushed into a coupe. Look at the height of the rear quarter panel hips and the curving driprail line.

-Kurt

Look at the top of the back seat and package tray

 

[cudak888]

Look at the top of the back seat and package tray

Also retouched. Look at how wide the left-hand half of the rear seat is - there isn't any room for the inner armrest/quarter panel. The right-hand stitching also begins abnormally far to the right as well.

Someone retouched the angle of the seat to match the coupe, but didn't get the width right.

Fact remains too that the flying buttress/C-pillar on that image follows a much higher beltline than the real thing.

-Kurt

 

[Boss1Ray]

I have to say, some retouching sure looks obvious, but I really think the car in the pic is a coupe/hardtop.

The area you mention; cudak888, the C pillar (I think) looks angled funny because of the angle and depth-of-field for the image subject (car). See how the driver's door looks extremely short? I think some of this confusion is due more to the desired angle of the car for the advertising pic.

But hey - I wasn't there and to see employees of J. Walter Thompson Co' (Ford's Adv. vendor of shoice) make the decisions and take the photograph, develop the film - and most likely modify/airbrush for varied reasons. So mine - just like everyone elses idea is just a guess.

With supporting info and good observation they become educated guesses - but still unverified.

Thanks to both you and Don (OMS) for the observations.

BTW I find it interesting to show perfect body gaps and alignment on these brochure pics! LOL

Ray

 

[RacerX]

So what is my car missing in order to be a mach 1, other than the grille?

The VIN number is different for certain.

spoiler has the factory 40yr bow in the middle

Only spoilers with bowing like that have been aftermarket. My 2 factory spoiler '73 Mach I's don't have any bow at all, and they're used to the hot Texas sun.

 

[cudak888]

In regards to the Decor Group image:

Case closed; I was right - though the car is a Mach 1. Didn't realize they went so far as to airbrush the hood, though the modification is apparent if one looks closely:

Note that it is NOT the same negative, but another picture taken during the same photo shoot under different light. Same location, same models, but the negative has been reversed just to make it different.

VS.:

Also notice that the artist had to swap the steering wheel position as well, which explains why it looks abnormally thin.

-Kurt

 

[marks73]

I'm sorry. What was the question again? :shrug2:

 

[Steve73QMach1]

Kurt - you are exactly right on the hardtop being an airbrushed Mach 1. Even at low resolution, if you magnify the two photos, the rework is apparent. One thing that caught my eye originally was that the seats in the hardtop are not right. If you look right behind the steering wheel on the hardtop photo you can see the metal emblem in the center that goes on the Mach 1 interior equipped cars. Now that you added the ad for the Mach 1, it all makes sense. That emblem is only visible on the passenger side of the Mach 1 photo but on the hardtop photo it is now on the drivers side. Also, both cars mysteriously have the radio antenna delete option. The print on the girl's shirt is also flipped and it buttons on two different sides.

Looks like Ford just went to the 1972 photo archives when they pitched the Decor Group ad campaign (probably later in the model year). At least they got the running horse emblem going in the right direction on both.

Geez Kurt - with that level of attention to detail, I'll bet it drives you nuts working on your own car

 

[auron73mach1]

And her belt is flipped

 

[Kit Sullivan]

The Mach 1 had all the regular sportsroof features plus the following additions/ substitutions:

1) 302 2V

2) NASA hood

3) color-keyed hood/ fender extensions

4) honeycomb grill w/ sportlamps

5) dual color-keyed racing mirrorsn(

6) 2-piece "action styled" hub caps

7) honeycomb rear panel applique

8) pop-open racing-type gas cap

9) lower-body tutone ( black of argent) and bright seperation molding

10) "Mach 1" fender and trunk lid decals

11) trunk lid and 1/4 panel end-cap stripe

12) deluxe 2-spoke steering wheel

13) competition suspension

14) variable ratio steering box

Some things were available on the sportsroof that were not available on the mach 1:

1) rocker moldings

2) wheel-lip opening moldings

3) 6-cyl engine

4) vinyl insert bodyside moldings

 

[hyena429]

It is a diffrent picture....Notice on top picture her hand is not covering her belt buckle...Yet on the reversed picture..She is covering it...her hair not in the same place either..Nor is he tucking his head so far into her shoulder....Top picture you cannot see their legs...Bottom they a bit closer and you can see their legs...It is a diffrent picture....sun and shadows a bit diff too..Looks like one shot done earlier..then they tried to pull the same shot later in the afternoon.

Does not mean they did not do a little funny biz on the picture thou....and definitely reversed one of them.

 

[JimNiki]

This post has got me curious also about the pics.

One picture is flipped (mirrored) as the stripes on her shirt go the other way.

Just not sure which is the original ..someone would know which side a ladies jumper has the buttons.

On another note, can someone tell me how they would open the hood in the second picture with no hood opening in the honeycomb grille?

 

[cudak888]

The Mach 1 had all the regular sportsroof features plus the following additions/ substitutions:

....

2) NASA hood

Only if the no-cost NACA hood option was not deselected. One could order a Mach 1 with the base hood; we even have one in the registry.

-Kurt

It is a diffrent picture....Notice on top picture her hand is not covering her belt buckle...Yet on the reversed picture..She is covering it...her hair not in the same place either..Nor is he tucking his head so far into her shoulder....Top picture you cannot see their legs...Bottom they a bit closer and you can see their legs...It is a diffrent picture....sun and shadows a bit diff too..Looks like one shot done earlier..then they tried to pull the same shot later in the afternoon.

Does not mean they did not do a little funny biz on the picture thou....and definitely reversed one of them.

Yes, it is a different negative - but it looks as if Ford spent their advertising money wisely by having each "scene" shot multiple times with various lighting conditions.

Would be interesting to know how many photos wound up in the archive bin.

-Kurt

 

[VintageUpgrades]

Interesting comments on the sagging spoilers. In 69, the spoiler was a plastic material. It had an issue of sagging in the heat. The solution for the late 69 and 70 was a more dense material. This caused a problem with the hinge springs, so Ford added a prop rod to the 70 models. On a correct, early 69, I actually look for the sagging spoiler. It is the only OE Mustang spoiler I know of that did that. Then it usually split in half and fell off the car.

Ron, I love the car. It needs some sidepipes.