Mustangs attract nOoBs that quickly get overconfident, try to show off by burning rubber or doing doughnuts, and they find out the hard way how unforgiving a car can be with that much power.
You'd see 17s on some foreign sports cars with smaller wheel wells and gaps. That's why the US automakers had to catch up, but some folks like that 14" rims sunken all deep into the wheel well look. My 86 Monte had 14x6 175/70s on it, first thing I did was find some deep dish corvette rallys with 255/55 tires. Looked so much better that way.
30 years later it's settled. Foxbodies look best with 18" staggered wheels, just like G-body Camaros and Monte Carlos look best on 20" staggered irocs. And yes, 15" wheels with fat ass 55 or 60 series tires can remain back in the past. That's why even as a kid I thought the euro cars were so cool, they didn't look so sloppy with tiny wheels and bulging wheel wells.
Javi P Times have changed. Haha. The automatic 5.0s were significantly slower than the 5 speed cars, but even the 5 speeds are not particularly fast by today's standards. Another thing to consider is the fact that Motor Week's test drivers were never particularly hard on the cars. Other magazines were often able to far surpass the numbers of Motor Weeks tests. That said, Motor Week reviews are the best in my opinion because they have such a comprehensive list of retro reviews available to us today.
Rabbi Schlomo Essentially. They tend to launch and shift rather gently. Or if they don't launch gently they launch too hard and get massive wheelspin. The driving styles vary slightly from one review to the next, but the numbers are never on par with the actual capabilities of each vehicle. Their results are still a good reference point and the reviews are the best!
Those convertibles were so damn flexible. I owned one and clearly remember how the door would squeak against the door jam when going over speed bumps or ant other obstruction on the road, especially if crossing diagonally. Was like driving a piece of soggy toast.
The old Fox Body Mustangs were the best bang for the buck during the 80's and early 90's. Still a hugely popular boy-racer car to this day. Easy to work on, plentiful parts and strong drivetrains. Worst thing was the self adjusting clutch linkage which was plastic, and would break. Stock brakes were also subpar but easily upgradable. My neighbor had an 88 GT 5 speed. Fun car to drive, even in stock tune.
305's were known to break. Can't say that so much about 302 Fords. I had a 305 in a 86 G/P and 1 day, w/o any warning, it just locked up. Several people I knew during the 80s that had 305s constantly complained about them. Massive oil leaks and consumption, cam wear, timing chain failures, plug fouling...then again some were downright unstoppable! Especially in trucks. Funny how they were once so common. While I was in shop class, a guy brought 1 in for a rebuild.. the instructor said "Why?" as in Why bother? lol
+Adam Trombino I have had 3 irocs, 2 305s ( one tpi and one tbi) and one 350tpi, never one problem. I had an 89 and a 91 formula (one tpi 305 and the other tbi)and my first car a 84 Camaro 305 4bbl. I never had one issue with any of those cars. not one problem. There are a lot of those cars with 305s that didn't have issues, just like there are A LOT of 302s that had plenty of issues. Those cars, gave us the great ones we have NOW.
I had a friend in High School who had the exact Saleen. He came to the house. I can remember exactly what happened next. We pulled out of my driveway and he said “watch this, hold on!” Then proceeded to burn out throwing the car all around while jamming to GNR paradise city. I always though it was a high performance mustang but the engine was the same as my other buddy GT.
Saleen’s ride was brutally stiff, as I recall. I believe it also had its final drive ratio increased to 3:55, from the stock 2:73 (M axle code) or 3:08 (Z axle code), which further aided acceleration.
Saleen offered the 3:55 as an option with the 3:08 as standard. I have never seen a Saleen with a 2:73, might be some out there built as a special request. Saleen built a couple automatic cars as special request, so unusual/unofficial options did happen.
For some reason, I think both of these Stangs look like they came out of GTA! The ASC, with its badgeless nose, the convertible top, this colour and the blacked-out tail lights! And the Saleen, with these racing stripes and these colour-matching wheels! Both of them look like something Mr Roman or Nico Bellic would drive!
I wish they would have tested the next years SSC, but hey testing a Saleen at all is great. The ASC was truly the most beautiful fox body ever built, whether it was the Mustang or the Capri
@@tbjtbj4786 stop living in the past, manual transmissions have been slower than autos for coming up on 20-years. The only people who want manuals are j/o's who feel the need to have a ball and stick to grab and jerk around while they're driving.
The mustang is has the attractive looks. No matter what shape and style. Beautiful sports car. I’m always been a mustang fanatics. For I own a 2019 4banger mustang.
I've wanted a Mustang since the early 90's. Finally got one in 2013. A 2010, the crossover year. Hopefully it'll become a collector piece for my two boys.
You wrote this 6-years ago -- and let me guess, you sold that POS 2010 Mustang because it was literally falling apart, and ended up getting a Camry which you're very happy with. Because that's the path all Mustang owners take.
iI remember those things were really fast back in the day....lol...0-60 close 7seconds. today most family sedans are fast. Still, I would love to have either one
Wow, I love some of these throwbacks because these were shows that I would have watched back when they originally aired, if my parents would have had cable! I just aged myself really badly, didn't I? lol. Anyway.... I find it really interesting that I found this episode two days after I ran into an 85 or 86 Saleen on the street. I didn't race him or anything, but it was quite cool to see a fox body in that nice of shape, and for it to be a Saleen makes it quite rare. One of just a few hundred, even. I was perhaps, even more impressed to see him actually driving it and enjoying it. It is also stunning to see the prices of the upgrades from both ASC and Saleen. Considering that neither of them did any engine modifications (besides exhaust on the Saleen), the prices are staggering even by today's standards. Nevertheless, it made me look, and I hope to run into him again so that I can talk with him about the car and look closer at it. If it really is an original 85, then it is 1 of 140 cars produced. That's pretty rare. Thanks for the trip down memory lane!
The 3rd Gen Fbod and Fox 5.0 was basically a drivers race (5-speed 5.0 LX being quickest). It was when the 4th gen LT1 came along that the Chevy dominance began. We don't even have to talk about the 4.6 vs LS1/2 era.
those times are off. I saw reviews of 5.0s with 5-speed manual down at 14.3 quarter miles. And in early 90s I raced against 5.0s with Vortec SC running 10s !!!
I bought a brand new Saleen back in 88 . It was white with the grey stripes #473. Great car. I even ran it at the same Pocono track for SAAC 14,the annual Shelby meet for Mustangs in 1989. So much fun. Hit 132 on the main straight. Had a few bolt ons. Headers,off road exhaust, 65mm throttle body. Flomaster mufflers etc.
Was Motorweek around yet in 1979 when the new Mustang and Indy Pace Car edition came out? My first two vehicles were 79 Indy Pace Cars 5.0/4 speed and 5.0/automatic. I got some parts off of a 3rd Pace Car that I later figured out was probably a 500 Festival car. Last six of the VIN was 480054. It had a two digit number sticker on the back of the rear view mirror. It was a shell the last time I saw it and I think it was crushed around 1991 or so.
And this one had no extra power. In 89 they made the SSC, with 292 hp, no forced induction. That was pretty good in 1989. There is one up for auction right now on BringATrailor. Check it out.
15.5 in the manual, me and my friends were getting 14.5@93 in these things bone stock and 14.1@96 with timing and air box modifications. Who drove motor weeks cars, their grandmother??
Jimmy West - I haven't had my '85 GT since 1997, by then it was running 12.8@110. A bone stock '90 GT is a tad heavier than the LX, if the timing is stock and there isn't a CAI, it should do low 14's, maybe 14.4 or so, depending on how many miles of course, also be careful with that T5, they break easy. Bump the timing and install a cold air intake and it should see 14 flat.
+KlipschHead281 It's a Motorweek thing. They always seem to get the worst acceleration and quarter mile times of any publication during testing. 14.1- 14.7 are more common test times in other publications of the time with 0-60 times usually around 6.0-6.2 for the manual trans and 6.7-7.1 automatic. Most of the people I knew with the old 5.0 were running low to mid 13s with underdrive pulleys, air box silencer removed, cat-back exhaust (usually Flowmaster) and 3.73 gears. My cousin had an '88 Saleen convertible with optional underdrive pulleys and a cat back exhaust ( I think it was Dynomax) back then. I remember he payed like 28K and it was black and awesome.
It's funny how the 1/4 mile times are so off. I had an 88 LX 5speed notch back that was running 14.00's at 98 bone stock back then. Once I add H pipes, flowmasters, short tube headers, timing, pulleys, homemade ram air, K&N air filter and 3.73 gears with horrible Goodyear Gator backs tires, 13.60's at 101 mph all day. Back in the late 80's and early 90's, i had no problems with Vette's and any other so call fast GM' vehicles.
Nobody's dreaming. Were you around back then? I had a 85 Mustang GT, an 88 LX 5.0 and a 89 Saleen which I still have. Stock time for the 85 GT was 14.8 and the 88 LX 5.0 ran a 14.5 . My 89 Saleen ran a 14.1 with a few mods like cam, ported stock heads. CAI and headers.
This is a cut and paste from my other account "Deacon blue". I remember back in 93 I went looking for a new 93 Cobra. If I remember correctly MSRP was $21,500. The last Cobra on the lot had already been sold but they did have some new Saleen's on the showroom floor. They were going for $30,000 which was a little out of my price range. Then I jokingly asked if they had any used Saleen's on the lot. The salesman said you know what? We do have one out back and brought up a 89 Saleen. After a great test drive, I decided to buy the Saleen instead of the Cobra. The only advantage the 93 Cobra had over the 89 Saleen was the 235 hp engine.
So let me get this straight. .. the Salem mustang is suppose to be the race version yet they keep the stock motor and just added strut bars and changed the suspension then added a spoiler, name badges and racing stripes???
Poor Man Mods Front brakes do 70% of the work, so upgrading the rears is a very negligible gain. But you don't get that fade/weakening that drums get from not being able to vent that heat.
+Gerald Perez must consider the disc pads, discs undoubetdly perform better than drums (in most cases) but if the disc pads were crappy then yes the drums could out perform. plus, depending on how many times they did the test, disc pads eventually give up when they get hot. there many factors with discs.
Stupid Comments ? Wow it was 1988 !! You could not touch these cars with some minor bolt on's . Unless you had a Buick Grand National . Corvette Camaro forget it . 1988 Lx Coupe 3200 lb home made ram air, under drive pulleys, 3;73 long tube headers & flowmasters ! 13.5 in the 1/4 . That's Buick GNX times. Still today the foxbody with mods is cleaning house !
Nothing they could do could make that aero front fit in with the boxiness of the rest of the body. The fox body reached its peak in '86 GT form. The Mercury Capri was good looking too though I didn't care for them adding that bubble glass to the rear.
I have 379 as a 87 McLaren with only true 5600 miles in 2020 coronavirus era only issue is heater core leaking and transmission jerk you around has a winding sound from setting and setting around so $936 dollar fix issue heater core rust is very low new top still leaks a little bit ...but it's a 33 year old car paint job still looks new I'm now the 9th owner and don't forget to check your long-term sitting car for mice issues they like the nest in rim of your spare tire in the back...and the little bastards chew on everything..soft to make a nest.
The auto trans McLaren with it's extra weight performance times seem still slow to me . The Saleen is also much slower than i remember it being . I guess it must be the altitude they where tested at .
15.5 in the 1/4 mile ? They got 15.93 in a much lower powered 82 model on here. I remember seeing '88 Mustangs at the track doing mid to high 14s when they were new.
