As you see by the cover of this magazine, exciting things are in store for the reader. The feature car, a beautiful ’92 Bright Red GT Mustang convertible, sets the pace both for the era of the Fox-bodied Mustangs and the direction of FOX Mustang Magazine. Along with this great news comes our excitement of being able to offer Marti Reports for the ’79-’93 Mustang crowd. And this is no small crowd — there were more than two and a half million Mustangs built during this period. To put things in perspective, rival Camaro barely pulled two million units.
A tremendous advantage that Mustangers have over the Camaro crowd is the ability, with certainty, to determine “how many” of anything. Since Ford kept accurate records of every vehicle built, and Marti Auto Works is licensed with that information, any imaginable question about production statistics can be answered. A recent visit to one of the largest Camaro websites found its author lamenting that “no one is able to say how many Camaros were produced exactly like yours or even close to yours.” Once again, Chevy — 0, but a huge 1 for Ford.
Not everyone is into numbers, but most of us are curious about the history of our Mustangs. A Marti Report lets an owner know where his or her car was originally sold, which is useful information for tracking down whether any original sales info or warranty details still exist. Curious about the rear axle that belongs in the car? How about what body tape or striping came on the car originally? Even a small detail like what day the car was born is fun information to have (I know some guys who buy birthday presents for their Mustang, although they do it privately). Ford kept track of all of this information.
Why does history matter? You wouldn’t want to take a rare car in a direction that’s very expensive to undo, would you? On the other hand, most Mustangs were built for the general public to be personalized to the owner’s satisfaction. And to this day the trend continues to a large degree. It’s best to know that before you start wrenching on your car.
Are you thinking of joining the Fox-body group? Potential buyers can find out whether a Mustang is as claimed. After all, after so much time has passed (the youngest Fox-body is almost 20 years old), it’s easy for details to have been changed by previous owners. Throughout the last couple of decades, a lot of these cars have had rearend swaps, tranny swaps, even entire interiors replaced.
But back to those numbers. Every Mustang is special to its owner. And with the large number of specialpromotion Mustangs built and the vast array of specialty Mustangs like Saleen, McLaren, and SSP Police units, owners can be in for a pleasant surprise sometimes. Fox Mustangs have been used by the IRS, the U.S. Air Force (as chase cars for the U-2 plane), in various movies, and more. Just like the firstgeneration Mustangs, these cars were part of everyone’s lives. When Marti Reports are run on Mustangs, these special car details often emerge in the Reports.
Looking to get an idea of the value of your Mustang or one you’re thinking of buying? Remember, rarity enhances value. Not sure if the steed you’re looking at is a 7-Up Edition or a feature car? It might make a difference in whether you restore or restomod. There are plenty of Ponies to choose from. Make sure you know what you’re getting into when you’re horse-trading. You never know — your Mustang might be special enough to show up in the pages of this magazine.
Article originally published in issue 2 of
Fox Mustang Magazine