1985 Ford Mustang LX Manufacturer Promo
“Forget 1985’s GT — only came in the fastback hatch, too much filligree, overweight, insurance companies freaked, too. LX sedan… stiffer chassis, a lot lighter, Q-ship “secretary car” look.
Ticking the 5.0 option box got you the 5-speed manual and the “2-link” mod to the solid rear (horizontal leading shocks welded to the axle, which completely stopped wheel hop and axle tramp). Surprisingly, you could get a 5.0 LX with the stock skinny tires on steel wheels! I ordered the alloys with the Goodyear Gatorbacks…
Engine: Carburated 302 (600 cfm Holley; last year of the carb 302), factory headers and stainless steel exhaust, pretty cast-aluminum valve covers, 215 h.p., 265 lb-ft of torque. If you were so unwise as to order the auto gearbox, you got the fuel-injected 302 that made 5 less h.p.
With A/C and the “light group” (basically, a map light in the cockpit and an underhood bulb), manual windows, the sticker was $10,055 (base of around $6,995).
My insurance company (State Farm) didn’t even know what it was. All they cared about was that Ford’s designation for it was “66B 2-door sedan,” so I paid the same premium as if it were a four-banger grandma car…
The first Ford dealer I went to, by the way, told me I couldn’t get a 5.0 sedan. “Cops only,” I was told. But I had read in the buff books that a “civilian” could, in fact, get a non-GT 5.0 for 1985. Found another dealer, who said, Sure, but it’ll take a few months to get. I said, “no problem…”
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The 5.0 liter HO engine pkg for the 85 LX was 210 hp with the 5 spd and came with 15″ aluminum wheels. If you ordered the 5.0 pkg with automatic, you got the 180 hp FI motor and 14″ steel wheels with hubcaps. Same suspension though.