Ford reinvented its Mustang pony car in 1974. It had gotten big and bloated, so it morphed into a subcompact from 1974 to 1978. The timing was perfect for Mustang II sales given the OPEC oil embargo that had arrived and caused gasoline prices to spike. During 1976-78, the Cobra II was the performance package, but it was more about looks, with a 302 cubic inch V8 being the top motor. This 1977 edition has had some mods, including the addition of a 351 engine. Located in Sherwood, Arkansas, this micro-Mustang is available here on Facebook Marketplace for $17,500. Thanks for the tip, Barn Finder Terry!
For a brief time, Mustang II sales almost matched the success of the original model in the mid-1960s. But by 1977, things had cooled off again, and production was just north of 153,000 units,s of which about 12,000 were the Cobra II. Buyers had three engine choices: an inline-4, a V6, and a small-block V8. So given the times, the Cobra II was more about looking sporty than driving as such.
The first thing that stands out on this ’77 Cobra II is the enormous front bumper/splitter combination. In most photos of the Cobra II, you see the splitter tucked in below/behind the bumper, but in this case, it sticks out. Way out. So, when driving this car, you’ll need to watch the curbs when pulling into parking spaces. This Ford has 99,000 miles, but we don’t know how many are associated with the replacement 351 V8, which would not be period correct.
This Mustang II was adapted for speed, with a 650 Holley carburetor sitting atop an Edelbrock intake manifold (4-barrel?). The little car has dual exhaust with Turbo Flow mufflers and a 9-inch rear end with an automatic transmission (a replacement, too?). The driving and running Cobra has American Racing Wheels to add to its looks. The paint and decals seem okay, and the interior is mostly good and may have been updated. Would you consider this Mustang II a muscle car?
The builder did what the factory didn’t. Too bad it’s not a stick. That could be a fun runner. GLWTS.
Man I had a 76 with a 351 4 speed I put in. It was so much fun. Did that same thing to a pinto. And a 84 mustang. They were all fun
they’re 4 lug cars….
Bumpers are fiberglass replacements without the indentation for the moldings. Front spoiler is aftermarket, not a Cobra II style. Black stripes were not a color option on Cobra IIs and the top stripes are not the correct width or style. Snake decals are on backwards. One has to do some research to determine if this is a real Cobra II or a clone.
Had a 78 Ghia when I was a teenager in 88 . Wanted to have duels put on it muffler shop said only way to do that would be to run both pipes down the passenger side because of the gas tank being on the left side, instead of doing that they just put on a bigger pipe with a glass pack.That was long time ago there were no aftermarket exhaust duels for a 10 year old mustang 2 .I’m shour there probably is today.
Did not really make it any faster, just sounded faster 😕.
Nothing lika a rusty air cleaner to help sell a car!
Big and bloated is the perfect description for the front of this pig.
Looks like a Pinto on cheap steroids.
I think replacement larger diameter rims with a five lug conversion improves the look of those cars. I wouldn’t consider a Cobra II a muscle car, more of a pony car.
Ugly, and still slow with a 351 in it Not worth anywhere near 17k… of course, its facebook marketplace.
I actually had Midas put duals on my 77 ,cut off the converter and left it off in 1977.
Never seen true duals on a mustang 2 out the back. Bet it sounded good.
I have glass true dual Dynomax Bullets on my 78 Rallye and the warmed over 302 sounds great.
Does Farrah Fawcett majors from Charlie’s Angels come with it ❓❗❓
Numerous problems with this car , as stated above , wrong bumper covers , wrong splitter , wrong stripes ( Ford never carried the stripes down to the taillight panel ) and the interior has been redone to the owners tastes. I had a 74 ll with the V6 and the 4spd , it was fun for frying the tires but nothing else was fun on it especially when you had to work on it. Very true Ford hit the mark for the times but I remember in the early 80’s when these cars couldn’t be given away. Buyer beware
I have a 1974 mustang 2 with a 331 stoker motor in it now four speep trans with a 4:11 poisit rear end it totally restored it’s pretty quick
I had a 78 King Cobra with a 4speed, and t -tops. Fun car for the times! Turned me into a gearhead! Owned a few other stangs, all V-8 and manuals. My favorite was 2007 GT 500! Look at what this car has become today!
this car does not have a 9″ rearend. If it does.. they went to the trouble of adapting it to use the same 4 lug axels that the original rearend used. I love these little cars but I would stay completely away from this one. I have a 78 King and a 78 Rallye that I bought brand new and I still drive them occasionally.