1971 Ford Mustang Mach 1 429 Super Cobra Jet
The Ford Mustang is a series of American automobiles manufactured by Ford. In continuous production since 1964, the Mustang is currently the longest-produced Ford car nameplate. Currently in its sixth generation, it is the fifth-best selling Ford car nameplate. The namesake of the “pony car” automobile segment, the Mustang was developed as a highly styled line of sporty coupes and convertibles derived from existing model lines, initially distinguished by “long hood, short deck” proportions.
The last of the true kings-the 1971 Ford Mustang Mach 1 429 Cobra Jet not only heralded the end of an era in symbolic terms, but was also quite literally the final year for such monsters of the road from Ford, and represents the line drawn in the sand which distinguishes the years of serious development of the high output Mustang, and the hangers-on.
This 1971 Ford Mustang Mach 1 was built at Ford’s Dearborn, Michigan, assembly plant on September 18, 1970, and was initially delivered to John Bearce Ford of Washington, Illinois. It is finished in Light Pewter Metallic over black and powered by a 7022 cc (428.5 ci) 16 valve V 8 Naturally Aspirated Petrol engine paired with a four-speed close-ratio manual transmission and a 3.91:1 Traction-Lok differential.
The cabin features front bucket seats and a rear bench seat trimmed in black vinyl with pewter inserts joined by a matching dashboard and door panels. Features include a Hurst T-handle shifter, heater, defroster, faux wood trim accents, polished door sills, black Mustang-branded rubber floor mats, and a push-button AM radio. The two-spoke steering wheel frames a 120-mph speedometer, tachometer, and fuel level gauge. A trio of auxiliary gauges is mounted in the center stack.
With the Oil Wars of the early 1970’s the fate of the larger Mustang was in many ways doomed as was evident with the introduction of the Mustang II in 1974. But it was perhaps the last hurrah of the original ground pounding pony car that changed the automotive world forever.
