The Fox-body Mustang, 1979 to 1993: models, engines and sales by year

Fox body Mustang history

The 1979 Mustang moved to the Fox chassis that had debuted under the Ford Fairmont. Designers led by Jack Telnack kept the long-hood, short-deck proportions but made the car wedge-shaped and aerodynamic, offered as a notchback sedan and a three-door hatchback. Engines ranged from a 2.3-liter four (88 hp) and a 132-hp turbo 2.3 to a 140-hp 5.0 V8, and Ford sold 369,936 that first year, including 10,478 Indy Pace Car replicas.

Performance returned for 1982, when the 5.0 HO (157 hp, 240 lb-ft) arrived in a new Mustang GT; Ford's ads said "The Boss is Back." The convertible came back for 1983 after a ten-year absence, the intercooled-turbo SVO arrived for 1984 at $15,585, and the 5.0 kept getting stronger: 175 hp (1983), 210 hp with roller cam and headers (1985), sequential fuel injection (1986), and 225 hp and 300 lb-ft from 1987.

The 1987 restyle brought flush headlights and a new interior, and the lighter LX 5.0 notchback became a favorite of street racers and police departments alike, via the Special Service Package built for the California Highway Patrol from 1982. The run ended in 1993 with the first SVT Cobra, 4,993 built, plus 107 stripped Cobra R race cars.[1]

Years and production numbers

Generations and key variants

Engine and drivetrain facts

• The 1982 5.0 HO used a marine-derived camshaft, a two-barrel 356-cfm carburetor and dual-snorkel air cleaner for 157 hp and 240 lb-ft.
• For 1985 the 5.0 gained hydraulic roller tappets, forged pistons and tubular headers, reaching 210 hp with the manual transmission (180 hp with the automatic).
• The 1987 5.0 used E7 cylinder heads for 225 hp and 300 lb-ft; mass-air-flow metering spread from California cars (1988) to all 5.0s (1989).
• The T-5 five-speed manual arrived with the 1983 5.0; Hagerty identifies its synchros as one of the few weak points of the Fox powertrain.

Sources:[1]

What changed, generation by generation

1. 1979–1981Fox launch with Base, Sport, Ghia and Cobra trims; 1979 Pace Car; 4.2-liter V8 for 1980; T-roof for 1981.
2. 1982–1986L, GL, GLX then LX lineup; Mustang GT with 5.0 HO; convertible (1983); SVO (1984–86); 1985 front-end restyle; fuel injection for 1986.
3. 1987–1993Aero restyle with flush headlamps and new dash; 225-hp 5.0; 4-cylinder and 5.0 only; airbag (1990); 1993 SVT Cobra and Cobra R.

Sources:[1]

What to check before you buy one

• Confirm it is a factory 5.0 car: decode the VIN engine code on 1981–1993 cars, since many Fox Mustangs started life as 2.3-liter cars and were later converted.
• Inspect the rear lower control-arm torque boxes for cracks or poor repairs, especially on cars that have run drag radials or slicks.
• Check the unibody for rust and for signs of collision repair; on 1979–86 cars, check for a cracked dash top.
• Test-drive manual cars for worn T-5 synchros, and treat an aftermarket shifter as a sign the car has been driven hard.
• For originality, check whether the air box silencer is present on 1986–93 cars and whether the mufflers carry Ford part numbers.
• Check open recalls by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls (17-character VINs only, so 1981 and later).

Fox body Mustang prices and values

1984 SVO base price: $15,585, about $6,000 more than a V8 Mustang (Hagerty).[1]

Hagerty reported in July 2021 that the median #2-condition value of 1979–93 Mustangs had risen 132% since 2013, with the 1993 SVT Cobra up 190% and Cobra R up 140%.[1]

How to verify a Fox body Mustang's factory options

On a Fox Mustang, the difference between a 2.3-liter car, a 5.0 LX and a GT is in the factory build: engine, transmission and axle ratio, plus packages like the SSP police package or the 1993 SVT Cobra. A VIN build record confirms what a 1981–1993 car was built with.

17-character VINs became standard for model year 1981 (49 CFR 565), so 1981–1993 Fox Mustangs have them. 1979 and 1980 cars use Ford's earlier serial-number format.[3],[4]

For pre-1981 cars, the door data (warranty) plate carries the original factory codes, and The Henry Ford's Benson Ford Research Center in Dearborn holds extensive Ford Motor Company historical collections.