It doesn’t happen often, but every now and again, we see a modified car that is seemingly very well done. The right mix of upgrades that speak to the period when the vehicle was new can also have an outsized impact on potential buyers, as it inspires confidence that the builder was selective in what they chose to modify. The seller of this clean 1984 Ford Mustang GT Turbo listed here on Facebook Marketplace started with a well-preserved example of a four-eyed Fox and then made some tweaks that only served to improve its appearance and performance. The asking price is reasonable, too, with the seller asking $10,500 for this manual transmission-equipped GT.
The Mustang has a bit of a Saleen vibe at the moment with those gold mesh wheels, set off nicely with a polished lip. The clean paint looks too good to be original, but the seller doesn’t mention a respray. In fact, he doesn’t talk about cosmetics at all, despite appearing to be quite good. He focuses on the brass tacks of how the engine and chassis have been improved to deliver a superior driving experience compared to how it left the factory, noting the suspension now consists of Eibach lowering springs, welded subframe connectors, a front strut tower bar for additional support, and obvious the fatter wheels and tires.
Inside, we find a clean, mostly-OEM interior with the awesome Flofit bucket seats in great shape. If this were my car, I’d swap in the 3-spoke steering wheel from the SVO, but otherwise, it looks great inside. The dash is crack-free and the seller even replaced the speedometer with a 140 m.p.h. unit. In what appears to be some indication with attention to detail, the seller has recorded the Mustang’s mileage on both the chassis and post-engine rebuild, calculating chassis mileage at approximately 120,000 and rebuild miles at 30,000. While I expected to see a 5.0L V8 under the hood, this turbocharged Mustang is basically an affordable SVO with the right upgrades done.
The engine bay is where the true magic happens with this ‘Stang, with several upgrades noted as part of the engine rebuild: Ported E6 exhaust manifold, roller cam and roller rockers, Esslinger adjustable cam gear, a 3-inch exhaust system with Dynomax glasspack muffler, a Black Magic electric cooling fan, and 3.45 rear end gears. There’s also a Ford Motorsports front-mount intercooler and March Performance ram air intake. That’s a slick package no matter how you cut it, and it’s clear some level of knowledge about the 2.3L turbo-4 engine and the best upgrades for it was involved in this build. The best part is it’s not so overly-modified that it feels like no semblance of the original car is left.
This is a very nice Fox Mustang. I’m a stock-first kind of guy, but the modifications on this one are reasonable, appropriate, and well-done. Overall the car looks good, not beat up like so many Foxes. And it’s not expensive. Should be lots of fun for the new owner.
Good job Jeff.
Slick Ford.
I was not expecting to see that thoroughly massaged 2.3 turbo under the hood. I’m right with Bob, I usually lean towards stock, but this looks like they definitely knew what they were doing and did a great job. Has a nice stance, and love the period correct rims too. Bet its a blast to run through the gears too.
While a nice enough car, especially for a Fox Mustang (sheesh!) I’m not a fan of the 2.3 Turbo, “built” or not. If I had this car I’d transplant a gently massaged 5.0 liter V8 (as God intended a Mustang to have) into it and have a much more fun car to drive.
The 2.3 is capable engine with the right mods and this one is probably a great performer. I’m sure it has less mass up front to make it a more balanced car. The early 302 was nothing to get too excited about. Nice Fox!
Very cool listing! Thanks for the history lesson because I did not know that the Mustang GT in 1984 came available with a turbo four-cylinder engine! I always thought those were SVO cars. Digging around the Internet, the four-cylinder was 30 hp less than the V8 and a bit of torque less than the V8 as well. 0 to 60 was in the eight second range for a stock turbo four-cylinder engine while the V8 was under seven seconds so it was a bit quicker. With the mods to this engine, I don’t know the horsepower but the move to the four-cylinder was to improve handling and fuel economy. This is a sharp looking car and very unique.
These Turbo GT’s were very rare. I’ve never seen one in the wild. Makes sense, since the V-8 was available.
Nicely done car, I really like it.
I have an ’83 GT Turbo T-top car, one of only 81 in Red. Since no one really knows how many t-top cars were made, we can’t be sure what the exact production figure is. Also have an ’84 GT Turbo solid roof car, one of 57 painted Light Desert Tan, for those who are fans of very limited production numbers.
I like it. Nicely done. I am a fan of SVOs and also 4 eye Foxes. However, is this a GT that has its 5.0 removed? Is it really a GT at all? The grille is not SVO, nor the hood. What do we have here?
Ford made around 4000 Turbo GTs in 1984. That was a lot less than the 5.0 version. So, yes, this is legit. There is a Marti Report in the ad that supports this.
I have owned 3 other Fords with 2.3 engines: An ’84 Tempo manual, a Merkur XR4Ti (2.3T) and now a ’22 Bronco (2.3T).
It would be interesting to take this modified GT out for a drive – I bet it performs nicely and probably better than an ’84 stock 5.0.
These engines can be surprising. The 300HP in the Bronco, in Sport mode, really gets the job done.
It’s unreal just how much power, from such a small displacement they’re getting out of modern engines. And then in turn, ( when driven gently) can get very good mpg as well. And I’m with PRA4SNW, I want to take this for a spin. It would most likely be a blast to run through the gears.
I had the OG 2.3 liter. In a ’74 Pinto. You couldn’t kill it. And I tried!
Neither the 2.3 HSC (in the Tempo) nor the modern 2.3 have any lineage, aside from the displacement, of the Lima 2.3.
Thanks, PRA4SNW. This GM guy didn’t know about the GT Turbos. Very cool find.
This one is truly a rare jewel, the mods on the 2.3 will no doubt really wake that motor up, FYI the stock internals are able to handle mods to allow over 320 HP reliably. Also the seat are not Flofit but the optional Lear-Siegler articulated sport seats. Nice car for a nice price IMHO.
Thats a nice 84 GT (84.5 actually). I lean towards the 5.0 4bbl HO for the proper 4-eye Fox experience, but this is a pretty nice setup. Also, these GT turbos are a bargain next to whats being asked for their 5.0 brothers.
One correction. Those are not Flofit seats. Those are the factory Ford articulated sport seats. I also had them in my 84 GT. And I realize after reading the Marty, my car was delivered to the same dealer in NY!