Alright everyone, people who read my post on Sunday will already be aware of this but for all those who didn’t, Muscle Car of the Week has been moved to Wednesday’s. Today we kick off the newest installment in honor of a car that has just turned 45 years old. Although I have already done more than a few features on this car I feel that it is quite deserving even though some consider it only a pony car. Check out the 1965 Ford Mustang 2+2 Fastback.

Granted I have already done features on the Shelby GT350, GT500, Boss 302 and Boss 429, I still feel obligated to pay a bit more homage to one of the most legendary cars ever built. The Mustang turns 45 years old this year, quite an impressive feat for a car rooted in performance (we will exclude the Mustang II’s as they are abominations). What I did not know until reading an article from my favorite publication, MCR, was that there were plenty of goodies you could order from your local parts catalog to add some gitty-up to your pony car (more on that in a bit).

The debut of the Mustang halfway through 1964 was a smash hit with the youth market that Ford originally targeted and Mustang’s were literally flying off the showroom floors. Ford introduced the 2+2 variant of the Mustang that incorporated that legendary sloping rear window that became known as the Fastback, which only boosted sales higher. The peppy little 289 that was at the top of the pecking order for Mustang buyers was rated at 271 horsepower from the factory. This was a decent number for cruising but you sure as hell weren’t going to win any stoplight races against a big-block Chevy or Mopar. The 302’s and 429’s were not even in the works yet and the Shelby was a flat out race car that didn’t even have a back seat. What was a young guy in a new Mustang to do when he wanted to cruise around with three friends yet still impress a girl? Luckily there were a few options available from Ford that would really light a fire under that horse. Ford launched a “Total Performance Campaign” in the early 1960’s that was all about making more horsepower in the form of aftermarket bolt-ons that were to be installed by the dealership or owner.

The biggest power adder that you could order for the Mustang back then was one of several Cobra Induction Kits. These kits included an aluminum intake manifold and multiple carb layouts. Young men could have their pick between an upgraded 4-barrel, 6-barrel (three 2-barrels with progressive linkage), dual-quad or 8-barrel Weber set up that would force more fuel and air into the cylinders than ever before. The Weber setup was quite costly at $1,200 dollars back in 1965 so I don’t reckon many buyers opted for this over a Shelby GT350.  None-the-less these power adders were certainly potent and would push the horsepower numbers farther above 300 with every additional cfm added. So to all the nay-sayers out there that don’t think the Mustang was a muscle car, I challenge you to find an upgraded 289 with the Cobra Induction Kit and see how fast that horse can gallop. See you all next week.