The earliest Fox body Ford Mustangs were not looked upon favorably by car enthusiasts, and the pace car editions were a bit of a mixed bag in terms of customer response. In some cases, it was like most pace cars in that it became an instant “collector’s item,” but if yours had the turbocharged four-cylinder versus a 5.0L V8, the perception was much different. Therefore, it’s not surprising that this battered 1979 Ford Mustang Pace Car listed here on eBay had its drivetrain removed and is now offered for sale as a roller.
This Mustang isn’t in terrible shape considering the fact it has fallen into “abandoned project” territory. It was a manual transmission car which is absolutely a sought-after feature, and it still has the Recaro bucket seats that came in the pace car editions. The interior is tired but not a total loss; however, the seller does confirm the transmission is missing along with whatever engine was removed. The good news is a Fox body is about the easiest and cheapest car to get back to running condition, even with a gaping hole in the engine bay.
The cosmetic condition isn’t great but it’s certainly made worse by not riding on the TRX wheels that came standard on the pace car models. While those wheels are a pain to find tires for, new replicas exist that capture the original style but utilize more conventional sizing standards. The environment we see the Mustang in, along with what looks like a Corvette pace car in the background, suggests it has been sitting stagnant for some time.
I always liked the vertical details on the taillights of these early Fox bodies, along with the integrated rear spoiler. The seller doesn’t seem to know much about the Mustang or when the project started or stopped, but given it needs a complete replacement engine and transmission, you don’t need to know much about it to weigh whether it’s worth taking on. The only question would be whether there is rust under the Mustang, which isn’t impossible to rule out for cars from Georgia, where this forgotten pace car project resides. Would you restore a limited edition model like this?
The 1979 Pace Car was an attractive package. I don’t think I’d call the customer response to it as a “mixed bag.” There were over 10,000 sold, which was 2.8% of production for what was a big sales year for the Mustang. As with many Pace Car models from other manufacturers, many were saved. Today, it is not hard to find one, and they don’t trade for big bucks in general. Which makes the restoration of this one unlikely. I’d guess its future might be as someone’s low-budget hot rod.
Maybe the enthusiast response to the early Fox Body Mustang was mixed, but it was still the malaise era. After a few years, things began to change dramatically.
Thanks Jeff.
Back in the day I road raced a ’79 Cobra V8 Mustang. 135 heart stopping horse power, TRX tires and an overdrive 4speed. Axle tramped alot and was the only car I’ve ever raced that could understeer and oversteer at the same time. Durable though.
That’s interesting about your driving experience with the V8. My 1980 Cobra with the turbo 4 was a very well balanced car and I learned to 4 wheel drift in one. The pace car with the turbo 4 was considered one of the best handling cars for the money. It also really woke up when you drove it harder. If you shifted the turbo 4 at redline it would fall on it face and have to build boost to get going again, buy if you ignored the redline and shift above 7,000 rpms, it really came alive.
Of all of the early fox body mustangs, these were my favorite. The looks were striking and the paint scheme was perfect imo. I’d restore this one and as it’s missing its original drivetrain, I think I’d look to drop in a coyote engine and restore the rest back to as stock looking as possible (complete with aftermarket TRX wheels that accept modern non metric tires). Hope someone takes this one on. Could be fun if you’ve got the time, skills and vision for such a project.
Put an LS in it!
There is a special place for your kind chuck! LOL
😆
Funny how the bow-tie boys all think that a gm motor in another manufacturer’s body is ok. It’s just ‘hot rodding’ is the standard reply. However if you suggest putting Ford or Mopar power in a gm, they just about get apoplectic. Hope that’s not too big of a word.
Seller says don’t know what engine it came with, but the word TURBO on the hood scoop makes it pretty clear that this was a 2.3l turbocharged version and not the more desirable 5.0 V-8 version.
Put a new 2.3 in it.
Heck no 5.0 I got a convertible I’m doing right now had a 3.8
The W in the VIN says it’s a 2.3 Turbo.
Yeah, you can easily build a Lima 2.3L with triple the factory horsepower that came in those cars. It was actually a well balanced car and with modern tires and a little suspension tuning, it can make a fun car to drive.
The ’82 GT was this package wrapped in red, silver, or black; so Ford saw value promoting performance again. Not sure if the ’82’s quad shocks and traction bars helped the axle tramp 2VT mentioned. Chris, didn’t the turbo come with a five speed; and if IIRC, the turbo had a 1,500 mile oil change interval? As far as customer acceptance, 1979 production almost doubled that of 1978, and the car magazines were over the moon comparing the Mustang to the gutless 305 GM twins. Keith, I’d have to measure, but think you’d have to eliminate the strut towers to get a Coyote to fit.
We bought our 79 V8 Cobra from a guy in Texas. He had raced it in Showroom Stock A (herein after called SSA). First time on track, the cars axle broke and my partner rolled it over. We had it fixed and continued to race it another two years. In 1981 I raced it at the National Championships and finished 5th out of 42. The car that won the National Championships that year was a Turbo.
One thought here as to what to do with this roller is that Ford used this same platform for many years with multiple upgrades over time. There are so may possibilities for improvement over simple restoration.
I’d want to build a solid runner rather than a restored showboat.