This 1974 Ford Mustang II is a nicely preserved survivor with the optional Mach 1 package. The body and interior both remain in excellent condition, and this one is equipped with the desirable and seldom-seen manual transmission. Mileage is a tick over 80,000 and the seller maintains it remains in highly original condition, with gorgeous Green Glow paint and Avocado interior. Find it here on craigslist for $6,900 or best reasonable offer.
Thanks to Barn Finds reader Roger for the find. The Mustang II Mach 1 package gave buyers the most powerful engine option available that year: the 2.8L V6 sourced from the company’s European operations. Belting out a wheezy 105 b.h.p., this Mach 1 was a far cry from its predecessors. You have to respect how minty fresh this green interior remains.
The 2.8L Cologne V6 lifted from its companion model the Capri makes a nice noise but was underpowered. The Mach 1 would be forgotten with the arrival of the Cobra models, along with examples that had less window dressing but more horsepower with the introduction of the 302 V8. Still, a survivor Mach 1 is a nice find, especially with the 4-speed.
The level of details just being factory-correct is impressive here, such as the unused spare tire and accompanying literature. The seller notes a few modest issues, like the tachometer needle jumping around and some cosmetic fading of surfaces. The carb should be rebuilt, but most vintage cars need this at some point. A classic survivor for not much cash.
I know these years don’t get much respect but this is a good looking car. The side profile is so similar to a Grand Torino Sport or Mercury Montego GT to my minds eye. Yes I know it is based on the Pinto platform. Yes the v-6 is not as desirable as the 302.The color,condition,wheels and originality are so right,I kind of hope this one ends up in some one’s Mustang collection,not to be used up like all the others.
I agree with you. While a 5.0 litre V8 engine may be desirable, I would think that the V6 engine would be more appropriate for a car of this size.
I agree. The 302 V8 engine may be desirable, but for a car of this size, I think a V6 engine is better.
agreed. it’s really a sharp looking car all around & worth preserving
Nice Mustang II. When one does see unmolested Mustang II’s, they usually are the newer models. A first-year model, especially a Mach 1, is rarely seen, despite nearly 386,000 sold.
Studying the pictures, there are some items to fix or upgrade, mostly from being a 45 year old car. Faded carpet, likely cracked steering wheel, some body bumps and bruises, a little mechanical work. But it is largely fine as-is. Or, it could be a good candidate for a restoration, then take it to a Mustang Club of America show. It would be a full-bore attention-getter.
I applaud the seller for a thorough craigslist ad.
Thanks Jeff.
Nice looking car…..takes me back to 77 and the debut of the Ruggirello/Roush Sudden Death version. Would love to own this one, nice condition, manual and it’s GREEN! Put big and littles on it with E.T. slots and cruise it as is.
As far as Mustang IIs go, this is very nicely presented. But I can’t forget that when I’ve actually DRIVEN a Mustang II it wasn’t a pleasant experience. Slow, noisy, sloppy, uncomfortable. And very, very beige.
Agreed. Back in the day, I had one just like this right down to the color. To this day, it was the only Ford I’ve ever owned.
Beautiful colour combination on this one, again notwithstanding the Mustang name that offends so many, these were sharp looking cars. The only thing I would add to this one is a wooden steering wheel…I think it would really suit this car.
From day one off the assembly line it was pure junk….I’m sure it hasn’t got much better over time…..unless the put other parts in it that where not original mustang II parts.
Momma told me, if you have nothing nice to say…….
Your momma probably never owned a Mustang II… like my unfortunate self!
If she had her advice may have been different!
Nice comeback…:)
Think you missed my point Paul….I have nothing nice to say about this car…so I said nothing.
Sorry Joe Mac, I do understand your point and believe you are 100% correct!
It’s very hard for me knowing these cars as well as I do……to just be quiet….I feel a sense of duty to help any possible buyer to run in the other direction.
These cars do nothing well at all, they have quality issues in almost every component. They where even below average quality for cars built in that time.
I owned a 1969 Mach I 428 cobra jet. This is no Mach I by any means.
Doggone Right, Billieg!
Yes, I had a Black ’73 Mach One…351C 4V. This car should never have been titled as a MACH, but alas, it was. But it is a nice find….these are harder to get due to the fact they were discarded. I currently have a 77 Cobra II with a 302 (built up pretty radical). Black and Gold stripes…..Mach and Cobra Mustangs need V8s!
I find these cars generally abhorent but if I Had to drive one, this would be it lookswise. I’d much prefer the 302 V-8 though. The 4-cylinder and V-6 were miserably slow. For the times they were adequate but put into modern context they would feel frightfully underpowered.
I owned a twin to this car, a 1974 Mustang II Mach 1 (helluva moniker) with the same V6 and 4 speed stick. I bought it in 1979 when I was a college student. They are a great looking car, but I can confirm that the sexy looks wrote checks that the drivetrain couldn’t cash.
At the time it was the 4th Mustang I’d owned in my live, following a 65, 66, and 69. I was thrilled to have scored such a newish car, only 5 years old with about 45,000 miles on the clock. I thought it would be more ‘practical’ and reliable than the old heaps I usually drove. It was that, but, hate to say, it wasn’t particularly exciting to drive, especially compared to the older Mustang’s I’d had.
The car felt big and heavy to drive, which was surprising to me at the time since it was billed as the ‘smaller’ and more economical Mustang for the era of climbing gas prices and shortages. It felt bigger and heavier than it was, which did give it a very planted feeling on the highway. As you’d imagine from the specs, it didn’t exactly light the tires on fire even with the V6, but it was very much in keeping with the other early emissions-strangled engines of the time. It made more noise than forward motion.
I also remember it not being built particularly well, closer to the Pinto with which it shared its bones. It already had a fair amount of rust-through at just 5 years old (the salty upstate NY roads no doubt were heavy contributors to that). Various interior bits and pieces seemed fragile and would break, window cranks, heater controls, etc.
Through the eyes of nostalgia 40 years later, this one’s avocado green exterior and interior are very appealing, in a retro malaise era kind of way. If it’s as solid as it looks (I’d check carefully for rust and bondo), the price seems like a very inexpensive way to get a unique car. Today the fun of driving a car like this is as a throwback to a long-ago time, not the 0-60 or 1/4 mile ‘numbers’. You won’t see many of them at your local Cars & Coffee.
How I wish I had the money and the garage space for this car. I’ve wanted a Mustang ll for a long time to go with our 83 and 04.
If I am getting a Mustang II, it’s going to be a 1978 Black King Cobra or Red with black trim, just sayin..
Oh, does this car bring back memories:
Looking back, my friends and I had quite a few of these, from the Cobra V8 to the lowly coupe with the workhorse-but-underpowered-4 cylinder. (How underpowered? We lived in in Denver, 5,280 ft altitude. Our 4-banger with a/c would stall if the power steering was turned full left or right.)
Keep this car as a historical reminder: these were the type of American product that caused a generational shift to japanese or german cars. Why? We, the new car buying market at that time, were forced to go to other products to find quality, dependability, and value.
And we talked to Ford, and GM, and Chrysler. Their response at the time? Too bad! This is an American product and you’ll like it. So buy it! And we did.
The historical value of this Mach I is how to build a sad product, slap marketing on it, tell customers how great it is (and bemoan that it’s not possible to build a small car well in such a short time…) then expect same customer base to buy the same manufacturers’ products again.
Result? Loss of market to foreign cars.
Great historical reminder. Put this car in the Smithsonian.
Like them or hate them as I do, this has ’74 Ford written all over it. Bean counters, that’s what was running the show and these sold nearly as well as the original Mustang. For awhile, anyways. No muscle from Ford in any car that year, so this kinda fits. At least Iacoca had the decency to put “II” after Mustang….not quite the same.
Great styling that does not live up to it’s promise. The best part is the view, the worst part is the drive.
Always a few Mustang II guys in every Mustang club. They’re like supporters of a controversial political figure – they know it’s bad, but they made a commitment, and they’re sticking to it.
The 74-78 Mustang was a car of it’s time when economy was king. It kept the Mustang alive and added the Mustangll front suspension which as we all know has been a boon to hot rod builders and retro modders. Also speaking of restomodding. The mustang ll due to its enemic past make a most satisfying car to build big power into and add suspension components to make it a formidable retro mod car. In many way the mustang ll suffered the same date as the T-bird becoming a luxury sport car instead of a true sports car. But it was always considered a sporty car. Shelby made it a real sports car.
What an appealing example of the Mustang II. Best year, best trim level (well, I might prefer a ’74 Ghia on certain days), best powertrain (for this year). I would only do 3 things to it: Clean it up, remove that horrible aftermarket steering wheel cover, and put some nice whitewall tires on it. Incidentally, I don’t think the whitewall spare is factory. The tire looks too new and the whitewall would not have been that wide. Pricing might be on the optimistic side for a V-6 II with some patina, but we’ll see. I find these far more interesting than any Mustang built since.
@Paul is right. About the only thing a Mustang II does well is donate it’s suspension to a helluva lot of rods beginning about the time the car came out. Lots of Mustang II steering racks underneath showcars from the 80s to today also. Shay Model A’s looked good atop the Mustang II and Pinto underpinnings.
I owned a Mercury Capri with the Cologne, Germany 2.8l v6. It had good power and was fun to drive but not really muscle car power.
I’ve talked about this before, but my Uncle on my Mom’s side of the family had one like this when he was in college in the early 1980’s. It was a 1974, same drivetrain, but a coupe & not a Mach 1. His was the same color combo, but his had the standard interior. This one is the upgraded interior, standard on the Ghia.
His also had the crank sunroof.
Even though his really was a p.o.s., I always like it. It had a nice shape to it. I like this one too, for the same reason. However, I owned one about 12 or 13 years ago, a 1978 Hatchback like this, orange & black 2 tone with a matching orange & black interior and tee tops. After driving that car a couple times, I hated it & regretted buying it.
Cute little cars, too bad they really kinda suck lol.