Is there such a thing as too many red Mustang IIs? I don’t think so and this is the third that we’ve been here on Barn Finds in the last two months. Jeff showed us the other two, a Ghia and a Cobra, and this 1974 Ford Mustang II can be found listed here on eBay in Bohemia, New York. The current bid price is $4,938 but the reserve isn’t met. There is also a buy-it-now price listed of $10,475.
I can’t help but think that the bumpers have been repainted, not that it’s a bad thing at all but they sure seem bright and shiny compared to the surrounding color. Jeff showed us a red 1976 Mustang II Ghia that was left behind in a garage in a home sale and also a red 1976 Mustang II Cobra that was a bit of a project. This first-year 1974 Mustang II is ready to go. Hagerty is at $7,900 for a #3 good condition car and $10,900 for a #2 excellent condition car. I’ve always wondered what a four-door Mustang II may have looked like…
I think that this is an elegant little design. This isn’t a 289 fastback Mustang or another Mustang that most folks dream about owning but the debate often arises on Mustang II posts as to whether the Mustang name would have survived without this car coming along. The gas crunch played a big role in the evolution of the Mustang II. I mean, there may not have been a Mustang Mach-e without this car. I say, there may not have been a gggggggggggg… (hands around neck)
As expected, the interior looks great in this car, although this one has Ford’s C4 three-speed automatic rather than a manual transmission which would have been the red cherry on top of this red II. The seats look perfect front and back and the underside looks rock solid. Although, a couple of details stuck out a little, such as the jacking instructions on the underside of the trunk lid which appear to have been taped off during a repaint (?), and something possibly going on under the vinyl top? They say that rust is not an issue so I don’t know what that is under the vinyl top.
The engine is Ford’s 2.3L inline-four with just under 90 horsepower and the seller says that this 78,000-mile, one-family-owned car has always been garaged and covered and it runs, shifts, and drives great. It’s surely a crowd-pleaser at any grocery store or gas station. Any thoughts on this Mustang II?
Good job Scotty. What a nice, simple, straightforward, clean Mustang II. Even though low-optioned, it doesn’t come across as looking like a stripper. These four cylinder automatic Mustang II’s were common and underpinned the model line, just like the straight six first gen Mustangs were common in their day. I too would prefer a four-speed.
Mustang II’s have been picking up in value, as people better understand and appreciate their place in the long history of Mustangs. Like Scotty says, it would be an attention-getter as an errand-runner or even as a participant in local shows.
Good write up, Scotty.
What an elegant little slowpoke of a car. I like it! Not all Mustang cars have been fast cars.
PS- Let’s not talk about the “Mustang” Mach-e. What a bastardization of not only the name Mustang but Mach as well. Ford could have called their version of the Tesla anything. I’m also ticked they called their battery truck “Lightening”. That is all.
Iacocca referred to the Mustang II as a, “little jewel”. I love this car because the coolest dad in my Long Island neighborhood had a nearly identical one (that car had a white vinyl roof). Seeing this car for sale not so far from where I grew up brings back a lot of great memories.
In high school, we were class of ’75, my best friend’s dad bought a new ’74 Mustang II for him. It was solid red, no vinyl top, 4 cyl., 4 speed. My friend was VERY hard on it and by graduation a year later it was ready for the salvage yard. It was a good thing it had ‘drivetrain warranty’ as replacement of 3 engines, 2 transmissions and 2 rear ends were things his dad couldn’t afford to replace. From my point of view in the passenger seat, that seat was the most uncomfortable one ever as I think back over the past 48 years and the dozens of vehicles I’ve owned. At that time I owned a ’65 Olds Cutlass F85 2 door hardtop w/330 & 2 speed on the console, repainted from drab blue to ’73 Corvette yellow. It was a billion times better than that Ford!
Back in the day I caught gonorrhea from a good looking blond who drove one of these. Just sayin.
LOL, BF really needs to give us the choice of more than like type emoji. Yours demands the LOL for sure. Your gonorrhea has brightened my day!
My first car that I paid for using money from my paper route was a grey 74 Mustang II. Burned oil but I thought it had a comfortable interior. Not very capable in deep snow, however.
Got my driver’s license in a 1974 Mustang II in January of 1974, It was brand new at the time, was the first driving school student to go through the road test in that baby.
I agree with Scotty, looks like there has been a repaint in the not-too-distant past. Not only is there overspray and mismatch here and there, the front fenders and bumper don’t seem to be aligned correctly (the body trim just doesn’t look right). Could be an easy adjustment or evidence of a bad wreck. The Mustang looks great inside and out but I would have to investigate in person before ever bidding on it.
I find it odd that the lower side door trim does not line up with the same lower trim on the fenders & quarter panels on both sides – yet they do line up on other mustang II coupes. Could it be a friday made car? Or a 1st model year issue that was later corrected – at least at some plants?
Auction update: this one ended at $6,601 and no sale.
Scotty-
Looks like it’s re-listed; current bid to beat is $2405.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/1974-Mustang-II/265658764031
~Lothar