Now that’s a two-car garage I’m sure many at CC would approve of! Perhaps neither car would be anyone’s first choice – Mustangs of this era are a bit blobby for some, and this version of the R31 is not the sexiest, but still, taken as a twosome, this is a fine selection of late 20th Century sporty-ish RWD steeds. So fancy the Musline or the Skytang?
Both of these are still sporting their original license plates, too. The Nissan, as per JDM habits, was calculated to fit exactly within the “5 category” (the lower tax band), with its width just under 170cm and its RB20 straight-6 a few ccs shy of the 2-litre limit.
None of that malarkey for the Mustang, of course. It would seem to be a V6 model, as if this was a 5.0 GT, that fact would probably be advertised somewhere on the car. (I may be very wrong about this as I have no experience with these Mustangs – CC will know and correct me if I’m wrong, I’m sure). Still, the Essex V6 weighed in at 3.8 litres, so way beyond the Japanese taxman’s tolerances.
And never mind that, feel the width (as the bishop said to the actress): that was also well above “normal” – so the Mustang had to be in the high tax band, just like Jaguars, Cadillacs and Ferraris. At least, this gave the Mustang the sort of company it could only dream to aspire to at home.
It’s amazing how much of a difference a decade used to make. The Skyline is pure, unadulterated ‘80s origami, even though this later model does sport somewhat softened headlight contours, as opposed to the early ones’ Lego-block items.
The greenhouse is still steeped in the pre-Audi 100 era – an aerodynamic nightmare. Even the quad round taillights, which were a Skyline trademark throughout the ‘70s, went away for the pillared saloon and the wagon of this 7th generation. The hardtops kept them, thankfully, but still. How enamoured of the quadrangle must one be to do away with a feature so iconic as this? Strictly no thinking outside the box.
For their part, Ford were pretty ahead of the game in rounding the squares back in the ‘80s, at least on some models, e.g. the Sierra in Europe, the Taurus in the US and so on. But it took a while for that philosophy to reach the Mustang, which kept its straight-edged ‘79 Fox shell for 14 years. But when the time finally came for Ford’s two-door to get a long-overdue makeover, rulers must have been banned from the design studios. Incidentally, the fact that this is a JDM car is evidenced by the amber turn signals, as I’m sure you and Daniel Stern will agree.
The same rounded design is evident in the cabin, naturally. This car’s soft top has seen better days, but the interior looks incredibly good, for a nearly 30-year-old US-made Ford. Of course, it helps that this Mustang is a rare car here, whereas these are probably still on the slippery slope to the salvage yard in their native land.
Aaaaand it’s back to the rigorous realm of the right angle in the Skyline. Think of car interiors of the late ‘00s / early ‘10s and the ones we see in the newest cars – there are a few differences, sure. But nothing this drastic.
Interestingly enough, the Skyline’s IRS and DOHC engine make the older of these two cars the more advanced one from a purely technical standpoint. But that blocky shape does make for a more outdated look, compared to the curvaceous Ford. Call me beastly, but I think the Mustang is the beautiful one in this duo.
Related posts:
Curbside Classic: 1988 Nissan Skyline (R31) GTS Turbo Hardtop – At Least, It’s Not A Pintara, by T87
Curbside Classic: 1994 Mustang – The Car That Almost Wasn’t, by Greg Beckenbaugh
Curbside Classic: 1996 Ford Mustang Convertible – It Still Is What It Was, To Me, by Joseph Dennis
That’s probably the best condition ’94 Mustang in existence. And also perfectly illustrates the concept of “forbidden fruit” where whatever is not generally available elsewhere becomes desirable due to that fact alone.
Over here, a ’94 Mustang with a V6 in general is of zero appeal to most that would consider themselves interested in cars. But the Skyline, even this one that looks a little too much Stanza-ish, appeals due to the same reason, i.e. its non-availability here. It’s probably the other way around in Japan, or France, or Australia.
These early “retro-Stangs” have mostly cycled through the junkyards out here already, at least the self-serve ones, most junked Mustangs are now the last of this generation with the refreshed and somewhat more angular bodystyle with the ’05 and newer ones starting to crop up ever more often.
If this is a traditional household with a married couple that owns two cars, which car is “his” and which is “hers”?
One thing that always bothered me about these Mustangs, brought to view by this one’s (of course) exceptional condition: the top of the headlights. There was no trim above the lights but under the hood, nor were they painted. The turn signal had a piece of weatherstrip or something above it which is all too visibly missing from the headlights themselves. It makes the hood fit look poor. If it was covered with rubber or paint, it’d make the front of the car look much better. I don’t even think that the New Edge MCE of these fixed that, either.
As usual, the very nicest example on earth is somehow in Japan.
I worked in Japan for Ford (actually Ford Credit) from 1993-1995, when we sold Mustangs, Explorers, Tauruses, Mondeos, and various re-badged Mazdas there. As confirmation of the “forbidden fruit” theory, the best sellers among the imports were Mustang and Explorer, likely because neither had an equivalent built by the domestic industry. Of course, none of them sold worth a damn, which is why Ford of Japan is but a distant memory. Having said that, I can understand why someone who owns one of the few ’94 Mustangs in Japan would keep it in pristine condition.
The center stack/console of this Mustang generation looks like a standing urinal in a men’s room.
This series of Mustang had quite a long run. ’94-’98, then the face lift to the “New Edge” which ran from ’99-2004. Ford made a lot of changes with these models. The last of the 5.0. the SOHC 4.6 which gained power over the run, DOHC Cobra variants, superchargers, IRS on Cobras, Bullitts, and Mach Ones.
The V6 models sport the tri color Pony badge on the fender, while the GTs have a 4.6 GT call out. More noticeable on V6s are the smaller 15 inch wheels, usually triple spoke designs. The GT came standard with 16s optional with 17s.
These cars were pretty popular as new cars, but the Mustang’s hottest car rep won with the Fox/5.0 was lost to the newer GM 5.7 models. Styling was controversial, some thought that it was too feminine or import looking. In my opinion the smooth aero looks, combined with the wedge like profile, results in the car blending in with modern traffic. I think that it looks much more contemporary than the S197 models that followed.
When I was looking for a newer Mustang, my Wife remarked that the new series (2015-2022) models looked like my old ’96. At first I discounted that idea, but after thinking about it, I realized that the new model looks like an evolution of the SN97, while the previous model was a retro throw back, an evolutionary dead end.
Maybe so, but I love the look, and my ’06 fills my need to have a classic appearing Mustang.
Here’s a pic, judge for yourself.
The 3.8 was somehow lamer in these SN95 Mustangs than the 2.3 four cylinder was in later foxbodied Mustangs, at least those were efficient and even practical if you got a hatch. The 3.8 got almost identical gas mileage as the 5.0 and 4.6 but had none of the grunt or the V8 soundtrack, and they ate head gaskets so they weren’t even as dependable! I don’t think the Mustang has to be a hardcore performance car but the V6s from the SN95 era only seemed to exist as a means to have lower insurance premiums with a Mustang badge.
I have to wonder what it feels like to drive LHD one day and RHD the next…
I rented a 94 Mustang with the 3.8 and it was the king of all show and no go. Embarrassingly bad. Granted it was an automatic but it had to be a low point for Ford. Though my friends stock 5.0 manual was the complete opposite and a real blast.
The Skyline’s instrument panel/dash with its squared off right angles resembles that of the first FWD Maxima (or Bluebird U11)…
The Mustang WOULD have been on schedule for an ’80s aero-rounding treatment, and in a sense it was: The Capella-based Ford Probe was supposed to be the successor to the Fox Mustang, but for 11th hour second thoughts about replacing the RWD Mustang with a four-cylinder FWD coupe of Japanese origins (at least mechanically).
R31 for me please, as long as it’s the 6-cylinder petrol/diesel. Though looking at the tiny base model wheels I suspect it’s the 4-cylinder… Either way the quality of most interior materials is far higher than the Mustang, lots more soft-touch surfaces.