Photos from the CC Cohort by William Oliver.
Who doesn’t have at least a few awkward memories of their teen years? Hormones kick in, and the body evolves on its own. Often in undesired ways, depending on the gene pool. Quick growth, lanky proportions, acne, and so on. On top of that, the fashions. A period where trends are followed, with questionable results. But all in search of our true selves, right?
So I tend to think of the Mustang II as the model’s teenage period. Or maybe even early puberty? Whichever the case, the Mustang’s reinvention for 1974 has certainly left a questionable legacy. About which a great deal has been said at CC and elsewhere. Mostly on the negative, and I’m no exception (links below).
And here we have what seems quite a survivor, wearing all the period-correct 1970s Ghia regalia. From the peeling white top to the car’s trim and badging, plus the oh-so-70s lime metallic green paint. A rolling time capsule showcasing the trends and fads of the period.
And truly, where has this Mustang II been hiding all this time? A sorority girl’s locked garage from a CHiPs episode?
Not that it’s pristine; this Mustang II Ghia is certainly weathered. And is that a wood plank on what was formerly a proper sunroof?
But just like a teen-era photo from the ’70s, the edges roughen, creaks appear and colors fade. No matter how well one tries to store it. And to find one, hidden in the drawers barn years later, is always quite an event. Even exciting, up to a point.
Then again, when faced with distant pieces of our teenage days, emotions are certainly mixed. As they inevitably are with this survivor.
I was just a child when the Mustang II appeared in ’74, just a few years away from my teenage days (which certainly have questionable moments). Still, as far as the ’70s are concerned, I lived and can recall the fashions of the time. And even as a kid, I joined the prevalent polyester color-coordinated outfit wave (Thanks… Mom).
So, from that childhood era of odd wonders, I have a very vivid memory of being quite smitten with the Mustang II. Much had to do with the ads, which of course, are a kid’s weak spot.
Was it the cool lighting? Those glitzy overimposed sprinkles? Or the fact that the Mustang nameplate had not died as Mom had incorrectly told me?
It’s well known that Iaccocca referred to the Mustang II as a ‘Little Jewel’, and the ads made much effort in making the car play that part. And those images did create an impression in my kid’s mind that the Mustang II was ‘money’.
From those glitzy sparkles to the perfect lighting of each image, most starring upscale-looking couples. And let’s not leave aside that exotic-sounding Ghia II moniker, which added to the allure.
I could blame kid-me for being fooled by Iaccoccas’s spruced-up Pinto-based Mustang. But if so, a great deal of the public was. The Mustang II sold like hotcakes in those very dowry 1970s, with 418K 386K units leaving Ford dealers just in 1974. It would be one of the Mustang’s best showings ever, with only the first gen. being more successful.
Then again, the Mustang name had a huge halo. And after a few years of straying away from its original mission, the II arrived, somehow reawakening the old halo. At least in the public’s mind.
And that halo only grew in ‘angelic’ form, with the model playing a big role in that other oh-so-70s phenomenon, Charlie’s Angels. As previously mentioned at CC, Ford’s products had quite an angelic arrangement with Aaron Spelling’s productions, the makers of the show. So, with Ford’s happy endorsement, the Angels fought the forces of evil with the help of a cavalry of Mustang IIs. And well, one Pinto too.
Granted, nowadays those old Angel adventures seem as convincing to me as a Scooby Doo episode. And the Mustang II looks just as cartoony. But I guess each played their role at the time, selling and gaining fans by bucketloads.
And as a close Mustang-loving friend told me, without the II’s sales success, the nameplate might have died away long ago. (Mind you, his view is not impartial, he owned a Mustang II at some point.)
Still, without some awkward periods in our lives, we wouldn’t mature into our true selves. Of course, evidence from those days tends to fade away and become hard to trace. And the Mustang II certainly fits the bill of a period most prefer to skip over.
I won’t deny I wish the Mustang’s teen years would have played out differently. Then again, I also tend to hide away all traces of those youthful but awkward days. And I hope fate helps me to keep it that way…
Related CC reading:
Curbside Classic: 1974 Mustang Mach 1 – The Soul Survivor, by Dave Skinner
Curbside Classic: 1974 Ford Mustang II Notchback – Mustang II, Recognition Zero, by Joseph Dennis
Curbside Classic: 1975 Ford Mustang II Ghia – More Pinto Carlo Than PintoStang, by Joseph Dennis
Curbside Classic: 1976 Mustang II Cobra II – Ford’s Deadly Sin II, by PN
A rare find. And very will written. But sorry, unlike so many older cars which CC has given me the opportunity to look at afresh, more positively than when I was younger, the Mustang II just doesn’t do it for me. The II is still a zero.
I believe the car is known as the Mustang II Ghia, not Mustang Ghia II. The II always followed the Mustang name directly.
Fixed now; thanks.
Great find and essay, Rich! I’m pretty sure this one is a ’74 by that year’s specific grille (including horizontally bisected turn signals) and Ghia-specific vinyl roof. The ’75 Ghia got opera windows.
I also like the metaphor of the II representing the awkward teenage years. Still, I like the color scheme (metallic lime green! there’s nothing I don’t like about that!), and am a fan of the II. The added utility of the hatchback would appeal to me more, but I have been warming to the notchback models. I really hope this one gets a refresh.
Agree – the 74 was also the only one with a deep header panel in front of the hood. In 1975 the hood was lengthened towards the front and the header panel became barely thick enough to contain the F-O-R-D letters that lived there.
I spent lots of time in the Mustang IIs of two close friends – a 74 Ghia and a 75 in standard trim.
The 418k units for the 1st-year M-II gets a lot more respect when we factor in the terrible economy and awful car-sales-year that 1974 was. The original Mustang debuted into a strong sales market and had nothing to stand in the way of success. The 74 had to power through economic headwinds, which it did mightily.
I will also say that in Ghia trim, the inside was as nice as anything in a Ford showroom. Even in standard trim, the M-II seemed nicer inside to me than the Chevy Monza. But then Ford interiors of the mid-late 70s seemed more luxurious than those in low-end GM cars of that same period.
The correct number for 1974 is 386K. And I have a quite different take on those sales: it wasn’t headwinds the MII faced; it was a mighty tailwind, given that this was of course in the heart of the energy crisis. Buyers were freaked out about fuel prices and shortages, and ditching big cars for little ones. The Pinto was the best selling nameplate in MY 1974, and for those that couldn’t quite stomach a Pinto, a gussied up one that looked like shrunken-head Monte Carlo was right on the money.
Given that MII sales plummeted over 50% in 1975 makes it pretty obvious that as soon as folks got over their fuel price anxieties they moved on to bigger and better things, like the Olds Cutlass Supreme coupe, another car very much in the same vein, but more to the size Americans were accustomed to.
The 1974 MII did not sell to traditional sporty car buyers; it sold to PLC buyers. As the MII ads proclaimed: “The right car at the right time”. If the MII had come out a year sooner or later, it would have been the wrong car at the wrong time.
Great find and report, Rich. A proper wider track, and larger wheels and tires, would have helped improved the Mustang II’s looks immensely. See, the example below. Would have helped offset, and compensate for, the curvy and bloated bodywork. Boosting, its masculinity as well. The hatchback, the better looking version, IMO.
And further, in the context of modern tastes, an all-steel roof would aid the appearance of this example.
That II is really sharp looking. Love the color.
I know that I am in the minority, but I have always liked the Mustang II, especially the Ghia. I would love a loaded 75 or 76 Silver Luxury Group Ghia with cranberry velour and glass moonroof.
I know it’s probably not operational now because it’s covered, but the sunroof option on this featured car is mighty rare. The sunroof wasn’t all that expensive ($143 option in 1974… which was less than the AM/FM stereo option), but I hardly every saw them on the road.
Still amazes me the stupid money they charged for even a lowly AM pushbutton radio back in the day.
Ah those gussied up, “Pinto’s”. They were everywhere! With the “4 cylinder”, they could go good in the wstrn PA , winters.
Not enough power to “spin the back wheels”.
A bit a weight in the back was needed though.
I like the ones without the “padded vinyl” tops best.
I’m there with you. Ford lucked out with timing, but to me the II was refreshing compared to the ‘71-‘73 monsters.
I remember scads of these every where .
To bad they didn’t look anywhere as appealing in life as they do in the adverts .
I have so many embarrassing memories of the 1970’s it kills me .
I never had the Polyester clothes to blame though .
I don’t mind the odd, compact design now as much as I did when they were new .
-Nate
On a positive note, the Ghia variants had really nice interiors.
I’m not a hater, I think that these were the right cars for the moment. They emphasized “luxury” over performance, but when gas prices went over a dollar a gallon, the public freaked out. Gas cost three to almost four times that it had cost previously, a good reason to be concerned. These were very plush cars, more like a T Bird, than a gussied up Falcon. Unfortunately the four cylinder engine was pretty weak, as was the small V8, with worse mileage.
I can’t fit into my old Angel Flights, but I’ll put a few disco CDs in the car stereo and enjoy a trip back in time. Every once in a while.
As I’ve said here before, I’m of the minority amongst my fellow Mustang enthusiasts, in that I don’t hate these cars.
While I understand that the Fox that followed was the better car, the II actually looked like a Mustang, unlike the early Foxes.
Make mine a blue and white Cobra II like one of the girls on Charlie’s Angels drove, or better yet, the blue one that Daniel shows us above. That’s actually a good looking car.
A midnight blue Ghia with a white vinyl top and white interior would be a sharp looking one of these as well.
In 1974, I accompanied my sister to the Ford dealer to pick up her brand new 1974 Pinto hatchback and on that day, I saw another car which I immediately recognized as a Pinto with some extra body lines stamped into the door. My thought was I wonder how much for this extra door stamping Pinto option?
I remember the first Ghia I ever saw. A neighbor had traded in his wife’s 1972 LTD Brougham for a 1975 Mustang 2 Ghia. It was almost a rose color with matching velour and all the options. The funny thing was that he drove a then-new Cadillac Eldorado so maybe fuel was not a big deal. She only kept it a year, though, saying it was just too small. I believe a new Granda Ghia replaced it.
Great article. And I like that color
I’ve just realised it suffers from TR7itis; the wheelbase is too short & the track too narrow for the bodywork.
Mind you, it was probably more reliable and better-made.
I’ll take a Fox or the GM quadruplets(?) thanks.