A whole new breed of Mustang was presented for 1979. It was derived from the Ford Fairmont platform and featured unit-body construction. With dramatic new sports car styling, it had one of the most efficient, aerodynamic body designs of its era and also had 20 percent more interior space than the previous model.
The Mustang now had a 100.4 wheelbase, a 179.1 inch overall length and weighted around 2,600 lbs. Precise handling was delivered by a variety of suspension improvements. The two-door notchback model was priced at $4,858 with V-8 power and the three-door hatchback ran about $5,223 with the big engine.
The 1979 V-8 had a 4.00 x 3.00 inch bore and stroke for a familiar sounding 302 cubic inches. With a single Motorcraft two-barrel carburetor and a 8.4:1 compression ratio, it was no muscle car compared to those of the ’60s or those available today, but it was pretty snappy for 1979. The 5.0-liter V-8 generated 140-hp at 3600 rpm and 250 lbs-ft. of torque at 1800 rpm. While this was obviously not a real drag racer, the Indy Pace Car model had the “look” of a genuine performance car and more or less honored the return of the V-8 that started the ball rolling to a lot better things in the years to come.
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