Ford Mustang II

Motor Trend's selection of the Mustang II as the Car of the Year for 1974 was, for the first time in many years, a somewhat effortless decision. In 1974, in a time of introspection about the function and purpose of the automobile, and in a time when the entire motoring world is being reevaluated and radicalized by an energy crisis of enormous dimension, the Mustang II, as the advertisements declare, is indeed "a new class of small car." Ten years ago, the first sporty, performance-oriented but functional Mustang appeared. Those were different times, perhaps happier days. The Mustang then was most of all an "alternative car"; the swoopy, full-sized American car was both within the financial grasp of most Americans and it also was affordable to maintain and drive. Gas was almost half the price it is today, and there was plenty of it, and Ford en- gineers were not limited by power and economy-sapping anti-pollution devices. The free-wheeling, wide-open era of the American automobile, unfortunately, is over. Time to face reality. So, you ask, why is the Mustang II the Car of the Year? Here we go: Mustang II represents an excellent balance between a highway cruiser -- now impractical for many -- and the smaller urban/suburban economy car. Simply put, it is the right size at the right time for greatest number of motorists. Not small enough to be cramping, and not big enough to be

excessive. Timing in the marketplace, and timing in the middle of a strangling gasoline crisis, could hardly have been more perfect. It is, we suggest, the size of the immediate future. .With perhaps two other exceptions, it is the only really new car produced for the 1974 model year. The Mustang II need not be a "second-class" car for those buyers who cannot afford a host of add-on options. The fact is that the base car is very near to the top-of-the-line model, and with a base price of $2895, it's a remarkable bargain in 1974. Additionally, the number of options permits the customer to tailor the car to suit his needs. The Mustang II is the result of long-range, careful planning toward a goal, and not just a one-shot plunge into a given market area. The car, we suggest, has been totally thought out and conceived. Our final motive may sound vague to many, but its something that has been on our collective mind for some time. The Mustang II is one of the first American cars in many years that represents a serious return to standard-shift transmissions. This car literally helps the driver instead of hindering him. More than anything else, in selecting the Mustang II, we feel Ford, and perhaps all of Detroit will follow, has placed good taste, function and handling/performance before frill, flash and fad.