Most Important Mustang - 1982 Ford Mustang GT 

My best buddy back in the 80's "bless his soul" bought a brand new 1982 Mustang GT. Silver w/red interior. That car at the time "1982" was it. Drove the car many times. Great great car!

The launch of the 82 Mustang GT is what started my love of Mustangs and motivated my first new car purchase of a Mustang GT in 1985. Thank you for the great video!

My first Mustang was a '85 GT. Seeing the foxbody released years earlier in 1979 I fell in love with the style even though I grew up in a Chevrolet family...I've owned 7 Mustangs since the 1980's!

Owned an '82 GT in high school- still my all-time favorite car i've owned.

You almost can't imagine the mix of cars in my high school parking lot. A lot of mid 70s mustang 2s, rusty chargers and Challengers from the 60s, Dusters, Darts. All the boats like late 60s Galaxy 500s, my own 1974 Cadillac Coupe DeVille included, older Lincoln Continentals, long hooded Ford LTDs. It blows my mind that I bought my Caddie as an 11 year old car for $400.All that to say many of us dreamed of buying a 1986 Mustang GT back then. After high school I ended up going Chevy and bought 1987 Camaro Z28. It had the 5.0 with a 4 barrel carb. It was fast enough but insurance and my changing lifestyle brought an end to my ownership of that car. Kind of wish I could have kept it maintained and stored or whatever. It'd kinda be a classic now.

The 1985 Mustang GT was rated at 210 hp, with four barrel carburetor, roller cam and headers. I had one.

I’m almost at the end of a ten year journey restoring my 1982 mustang. Absolutely love this car.

My buddy back in 82 had one from his Dads ford dealership. It was such a fun quik car relatively speaking. My first mustang was a 1989 5.0 lx 5 speed. Its was so quik for the time. I'm on my 3rd gt500 now. Just got a 2021 gt500. Wow what a great car. I've had a mess of mustangs in between. Best bang for the buck. Sounds awesome. Thank you Ford.

When the '82 cowcatcher grill Mustang came out, I fell in love with it. The next year I bought the '83 GT with t tops manual tranny. Subsequently have had numerous new Fox platform GTs. Thanks for the memories.

In 84, I was up for re-enlistment. It was a toss up between 5.0 stang and 5.0 TBird. I chose the TBird. 205k miles later, still ran like a champ. That was when someone went left of center n totaled it in 95. That 5.0 was a strong engine!

Nice memories. The years dragging out from the ‘malaise’ era of cars.

really enjoyed my '88 GT -- that year Ford stepped up with 225 ponies and 300 ft lbs . I was in heaven

I remember Vanilla Ice... "rollin, in my 5.0"

I actually love the look of the Mustang II both inside and out. I would love to have one w a drivetrain swap. Nothing crazy.

The Mustang II saved the Mustang. People thought the 71-73 was too big and overstlyed. Sales were so bad, Ford thought about canceling the Mustang. Like it or not, people liked the Mustang II. We tend to think every Mustang sold in 60's and early 70"s had V8 power. Truth is, Ford sold tons of plane-jane Mustangs with base sixes( and later, base 4 bangers).

Great video. I remember when it was coming out and with a 2 bbl 150 hp v8 and 8 second 0-60 was state of the art. It did save the Mustang and we probably wouldn't have it today but for the 82 stang.

Thank you for this video and the great memory. My brother bought a new Mustang GT in 1982. Black with red interior. He picked me up and took me for a ride the day he bought it. At 14, it was the first new car I was ever in. He always had great cars (70 Firebird, 72 Camaro, 78 Celica and then the Mustang). Thanks again for the video.

Thanks for the video, I was in the Air Force at the time when I bought my 82 Mustang GT Black on Black. Just after the purchase I got orders to go to Italy and took the car with me. Drove that Mustang for three years in Italy, everywhere I went the car drew a crowd, the Italians loved Fords and especially one with a V8. It got to a point that I had to plan on extra time any place I went so I could pop the hood and show the 5.0 V8 off. The Italians sure loved that car thanks for the memories!

When I was 16, I bought my third car, a 1986 Mercury Capri ASC McLaren convertible. I loved that car, and recently found the current owner and its still a project car still after 13 years since I sold it. Lol. Although I had it for 3 years, it needed too much work to be a daily car. Even though I know a bit about it, id love to see a full detailed video on the ASC Capri.

I love these videos.. I bought my 89 in 2009....still one of the greatest sounds out there.....

Hey from Montreal Canada 🇨🇦 Great channel, been subscribed for 2 years. Just for info, I bought a ‘72 Ford Maverick with the 302, with a 2 bbl, rated at 150-160 hp, but I zoomed it up with total intake manifold polish and cleaned up the exhaust manifold, then got rid of the single exhaust and put true dual exhaust, with turn downs over the rear axle. Next was switching the differential from a 2.76 ratio to a conservative 3.23, which really helped the old lady get up a bit quicker. That old dog scared a few ol’ boys around town for awhile, until I sold it to a young lady who promptly, 3 weeks later, wrapped it around a light pole( she was ok). I knew I should have kept it!😡

I bought a 1982 Mustang GT brand new in '82. I still own the car to this day, it has gone through many different engine/transmission combos and currently has a 351W stroker to 392. Love the car and it is part of the family now. Both my kids will end up fighting over it when I am gone.

I can't over state the excitement of this case I was 18 and it was BIG, As ford guy 1974 to 1978 was painful as was 1980 and 1981

Love the memories! My friends father had a 84 Mustang GT that was absolutely beautiful AND the mileage was almost nil. Aloha!

"Shrinking faster than the value of the US dollar" GOT EM!

Bought one of these brand new off the showroom. Red GT with the rear lovers and Michelin TRX tires. Found out they were the only tires that would fit on the rims at that time. It wasn't 60's fast but the hp to weight ratio was a step in the right direction. Then winter came and it snowed. You could not ease the clutch out slow enough to keep the rear end from spinning. It was front end heavy. But I loved that car. Still do and always will.

Back in 1982 with new car emission laws in the United States seriously denigrating performance, the Mustang GT was one of the few cars that offered excellent performance for its time. This car was quick and had a respectable top speed. Keep in mind this was at a time when Chrysler's k car and General Motors J car were barely capable of reaching a top.speed of 100 mph..

my best friend actually own a 86 svo, we dream so much about this car when we were teenager and he said often "i promise you fred, one day i will own an svo!" and as always he stand to his word 👌

I owned a 1982 Mustang GLX Bivouac Convertible. The car was wonderful. the 5.0 Liter engine was so nice and the 4 speed manual transmission was so much fun to drive.

That and the Capri were some strong running cars

Although the 1982 Mustang GT was important in reviving the rear wheel drive pony car, the 1974-1978 Mustang II was also important. Yes, it was based on the Pinto, though significantly reworked, so it really wasn't just a fancy Pinto. Though its main objective, at least in the first few years, was to offer a small, stylish and fuel efficient car (thankfully still RWD as FWD had not yet caught on in a big way with American cars), without it continuing the Mustang name and spirit (and even some "performance" and arguably muscle towards the end of its run, without it, we would not have received the Fox body 1979 Mustang. And of course, that lead to the 1982 Mustang GT to help it climb out of the Malaise era. People noticed, and the Mustang was becoming more powerful and popular. That lead to the 1987 refresh to breath new life into that body style until 1993 - several years more than Ford had planned. Due to the incredible resurgence in popularity and flood of letters Ford received, the "front wheel drive" Mustang for 1989 was named the Probe and the rest is history! The only negative I see is that now the Mustang has become somewhat of a halo car, with high prices to match. We no longer have a budget priced, stripper Mustang LX 5.0 coupe. Mustangs are now premium priced and well equipped, but at least the legendary RWD Mustang lives on!

I dunno, I always liked the Mustang II. Give that shape to a car that can perform, and it would be great

Such a good video. Love all of your stuff! I had a 1990 5-speed 5.0 and a 1988 AOD 5.0. Loved them both. Really awesome cars that responded well to minor mods.

The 1982 Mustang GT is easily the most significant stand right behind the 1965. It really did relaunch the brand.

So great to hear the inside stories of how the car business evolved. Great video.

I had a friend who had a black foxbody GT with saw blades on it and that thing would get somewhere. Mustangs have always been light in the rearend so you had to know how to hold that steering wheel.

Thanks for the video, it brought back memories. I remember the slogan "The Boss is Back". It would a few more years until I bought a fox body Mustang, mine is a 1989 GT, a car I still own today.

Thank you for this video. This was my first car back in 2004 or so, $1600 and ran like a mess. Was supposed to fix it up with my pop but it never happened. Still though... what it lacked it reliability it more than made up for in fun and style, and it taught me a lot about owning a car that my peers today don't even know. Sweet memories :)

I was 12 in 1982 & it was a great year for cars... Not because of raw power or performance but because designers had new tools and were going for new looks for a changing market... My parents sold their house in the South and moved to Dearborn Mi. for work in 1982. They bought a Silver Z28, with a Cross Fire injected 305...When you punched it, two hood flaps slammed open on the hood right in your face, it pinned you to the seat and the sound was magic... Knight Rider hit in late 82 or 83 with "Kit" the edgy & awesome black Trans AM... Moving to Dearborn, I was in Ford Meca & saw & heard my first 82 Stang (think it had glass packs) ...It was Maroon & sounded glorious... Thats where I got the Mustang bug as a kid and then I fell in love with many mustangs. After High School, I bought a Black 91 GT... Great Car memories!

Love this article. I loved the 82 GT bodystyle, it was awesome. But my only opportunity for a Foxbody car was the 1991 Mustang LX 5.0 Convertible. ...and I have no regrets. But I would love a mint condition 82 GT if I ever find one.

In the mid 90’s I had an ‘86 SVO. Loved that car and it could beat the V8’s of the same time period.

I had the glx model with a 5.0 and a 4 speed manual transmission it was my favorite car performance on a budget .

I said this a thousand times before: the Mustang might not have gotten where it is today were it not for the Mustang II! And here we are in 2021, and Mustang is the only non-truck, non-SUV, and non-CUV being sold here by Ford in the U.S.A.! (As for the Mustang Mach-E, that is, if you'll pardon the pun, a horse of a different color.) (10/22/2021)

The Probe was an OK car, but no replacement for the Mustang. A re-badged Mazda.

This is Ted from Texas. I've always loved Mustangs. In 1982 I got my first 5.0. It was a Mercury Capri. The very next year I got a 1983 Mustang GT. I kept it for 30 years and now my brother-in-law has it. I currently own in 1984 Mustang GT350. She does need some work, but it is on the road and driving

The quad headlight fox bodies are the best looking fox bodies fight me

Back when cars were light - 2,800 cars barely exist anymore ha. I remember reading the R&T of that time, this GT was a really big deal!

God I was only 10 years old in '82 and I remember seeing this cars on the road and wanted one when I got my license but unfortunately I never did. Great video

One Saturday evening in 1985 when I was a senior in high school my best friend stopped at my house after coming back from the nearest big town with a 1982 Mustang GT. I was so jealous but being the best friend he was he let me drive it often. Then about two years later when he and his brother were heading home and they hit a patch of ice and went in the ditch and totaled it after hitting a tree. The insurance company found him one exactly like the one he wrecked. They both looked just like the one in this video. I still to this day think it was a sharp car. I ended up buying my senior year a 79 2.3 turbo mustang but had nothing but electrical problems with it. The turbo went out so I dumped it about 6 months after buying it. A college buddy had a silver SVO Mustang which was a fast car. I haven’t had a sports car most of my life until I bought an SRT Challenger. My high school best friend also had a Probe GT I think it was and a Merkur with same engine as SVO. Guess I can’t complain because at 21 I got a 1970 Chevelle which I have had 33 years and still have to this day.

currently have a 2019 Mustang GT 5.0 in orange Fury love how powerful the engine is and fun to drive. Just have an axle back and PP1 wheels beautiful car

I have one of the FIRST ONES off the assembly line. Ordered it in October 1981 picked it up from my dealer on January 4, 1982 AND I still have it. 40 years ago this month sat and placed order with dealership and there were at that time not much in the dealers book on it for option packages, and was not suppose to ship, from Ford, till early spring 82.

This guys channel is great if you a light a quick watch before bed. He’s like bob ross but for cars. Keep doing good my dude

So true! I remember being in High school and wanting one, my mother wouldn’t Co-Sign for me to get it, I bought with her help a Grand Prix, but wanted that Mustang!! Years later I bought an 89 Mustang GT 5.0, loved every minute owning it, alas it got stolen!! Thanks for the trip down memory lane!!💭❤️❤️❤️

So I gave my son a 1984 Mustang Ghia for his 16th birthday. (transferred its title anyhow) Which was back in april 2021. We spend the last nearly 2 years together restoring it and making it into a decent but somewhat budget show car. And it isn't like we cut corners, it was done properly and we took our time to do it all right. But we didn't go into any expensive resto-mod territory with it. Other than mildly camming the engine and new manafold and 4bbl. Otherwise it was kept quite stock. He also paid for a good chunk of the parts himself as he had a part time job, and did a lot of the work himself as well with me and some good friends guiding him through the whole process. He opted to have it painted a slightly different shade of metallic blue in a multi tone scheme and also found some very nice modern looking 16" wheels for it. Yet nothing too flashy. It is just a great looking car. The thing that I am impressed with is even though he still has his learners license, he really does take care of it immaculately. He is only its 3rd owner being as my partner bought it from the original owner about 3ish years ago, and after a few months ended up getting a different vehicle to suet their needs. When my son got it back on the road this year we took it by the original owner who garage kept it for over 30 years, and showed him everything he did to it. And it was a fascinating afternoon hearing stories about the car and its history. And it is a good bet my son will hang onto it for as long.

This is the car that made me fall in love with mustangs. Now I have a 92 Notchback 5.0 and love it.

my little brother bought the 82 mercury version, the Capri 5.0 with 4 speed .I bought an 85GT with a t5 in 1989. loved those 2 cars, today we both own 2012 GTs sadly with Automatic trans.

I really enjoy your channel. The facts and stats are great.

I was lucky enough to buy a used 82' GT in 1983. It had 10k miles and only cost $7,000. I loved that car so much but it had the Michelin TRX metric tires which were very hard to find and very expensive. I remember test driving all those other cars like the SVO and the Probe, but nothing could compare to the 5.0 engine.

My first new car was an 82 GT, in red, the four speed tranny, and the TRX wheels/suspension, without the Recaro seats. Loved that gar!

This was really a great Mustang, far from the original one, yet it left its mark in car history.

I had a 74 Mustang II, and a 73 Mustang. I liked both of them. I remember when these cars came out, too, and everyone was crazy for the 82 GT!

When I graduated college, I ordered an ‘84 Mustang GT convertible. It was identical to the one in the movie “The Goonies” but I ordered it with a white ragtop instead of a black one. First thing I did was put big sticky tires on it & bigger jets in the secondary 4bbl. It was a screamer at the time, and I loved that car!

Sounds silly, but I thought the slapper bars on the '82-83 looked very cool. Hard to believe a car with relatively low power back then needed them, but I liked them anyway. The one stock picture in the video (that I've also seen elsewhere) has the rubber snubber missing on the right slapper bar. They went to the quad shock rear system in mid-84.

When I was 21 I purchased the 82 Stang GT in silver with black interior, brand new off the lot, cost me 10 grand. I removed the 2BBL carb and the intake manifold, installed a Carter 625 AFB electric choke 4 BBL with a Edelbrock Performer manifold, Woke the Stang up, she ripped, also removed the convertor and installed a test tube, back than the test tube was 25.00 at any auto parts store. I also had my buddy cut the coil springs, 2 coils and this lowered the car 3 inches. Also when the tires went bad I stepped up size to the 220 55 390. I drove the car for 96k miles no issues. sold it to gal.

I really did like both of my rear wheel drive Mustangs 71 Mach 1 351 Cleveland 4 speed 77 Mustang 2 4 speed got ridiculous gas mileage. I don't know why everybody knocks them, considering the Mustang was almost taken out by the Maverick.

I had an 82 & I loved it. Fun to drive & never any issues. We did have issues with it getting stolen & vandalized though. I wish I still had it.

Love your channel man

I bought an 82 GT HO Mustang in March of 82, I was stationed at NAS Mirmar CA. Oh the good times 👍

Another great one as always, Thanks Again.

My sister bought a new 82 Mustang GT. It was fun to drive and more feisty than the track times suggest. And absolutely, the 82 GT triggered the musclecar wars of the 80s to the present day.

I am 53 yrs old and the fox platform Mustang was my 57 Chevy. Opened up the world of the car hobby and racing for me. Got no respect way back in the day until people saw the potential and your tail lights. Fox4Life

Thank you another absolutely great video! I subscribe to over 40 channels, but this one is my favorite!!!

I read an article about the '82 Mustang GT in a car magazine: I took notice. A couple of years later I was standing at a light with a '68 Torino GT Coupe: a guy pulled up next to me in a new Mustang GT: he must have heard my exhaust: he took off like he was being shot out of a canon! I took notice again! In 1988 I was tired of noticing: I went to the Ford Dealer and ordered a brand new one! I waited 10 weeks because they had to build me one. I had to bring a friend to the dealer to bring it home because I couldn't really drive a stick just yet. (I learned pretty quickly.) It was a great car: I drove it 25 years. It was super-reliable, got respectable fuel economy (all things considered...). If it wasn't such a handful in snow, you might call it "near perfect"!

My first car at age 19 that my dad helped me buy was a red with white vinyl top 4 cyl 1974 mustang. I kept it shiny and clean and it didn't have any power but I kept it for 5 years and the only problem it gave me was the flywheel went bad. Later on I bought a new 1987 4 cyl mustang LX and my husband and I put about 350,000 miles on it when the valves locked up. Finally about 3 or 4 years ago I bought a 2003 100th anniversary mustang GT convertible. I finally got something that can keep up with the freeway traffic! 😁😁😁 I loved all of my mustangs!

Excellent video!

My brother bought a brand new 1982 5.0 Mustang GT. Black with red interior which I didn't like. But I did love that car. He had 3 foxbody stangs. He got me hooked. I couldn't afford one at the time. But in 2012 my wife and I got a 2012 GT Premium. It was black. I loved that car. The coyote is what I liked. After that one we got a 2015 GT. Blue with white stripes. That was a fun car also. So then in2016 I ordered a GT Premium with the track pack . Race red with black on the hood and hockey stick stripes on the door. This one is staying with us.

My first car was this and the same color/wheels. I have a ton of memories...It was first my dad's car originally and he said I could buy it when I got my first job. He had a 1968 Mustang GT , so this 82 was probably a redheaded stepchild "so to speak" to him Anyways all summer I worked from 8-5 for 2 1/2 months and my dad took all my paychecks. Occasionally he would throw me a ten (I was like"dang"). And he would have this smirk as he handed me 10.00 after I worked outside all day, Mon-Fr. But at the end of summer he had it all cleaned up and gave it to me and I remember how good it felt finally getting it. And I think most everyone thought he gave it to me but I definitely paid for it albeit he gave me a good deal looking back. And I felt a good pride knowing I worked for it. This exact car is full of so many memories, stupid choices, and lessons learned. I know mustang fans..."I wish I still had it". Lol

Perfect beautiful amazing Mustangs beautiful colours thanks friend have a very nice day

You missed the benchmark 1985 Mustang GT…Holley 4 barrel carb (last year for carbs), 5 Spd Borg Warner trans, quad shock rear end, high flow cats, true dual exhaust, factory headers & stainless steel exhaust, and a roller cam-rated at 240 horse power it represented the end of an era of carburetors and the switch to fuel injection.

My dad has a 1982 Mustang GT, just like the red one in lots of the photos. He bought it in 1985 and still drives it today.

The Fox body chassis saved the Mustang where the Mustang II nearly killed it. I remember when those '82 GTs hit the streets. They had a tuned exhaust and sounded awesome. The big challenge is to find one from 1980 or 81 in original condition. By the late 80s and early 90s you could get one of those for peanuts. Most had their 4 or 6 cylinder engines taken out and had 351s dropped in.

I had an 82 Capri 5.0 4 speed. I have a 74 Charger Rally 440 and to me, 74 was the last year of any semblance of performance before the Capri/Mustang. The Capri was spry and handled well but the Michelin TRX tires weren't good for stoplight encounters. I then had an 84 1/2 Mustang 20th anniversary convertible 5.0 and then an 86 5.0. So yes 82 got us heading back in the right direction. To put the 82 5.0 in perspective, I could outrun my friends 75 Corvette.

Looking back nearly 40 years these horsepower numbers and 1/4 mile times seem anemic. I, however get OCM's point taken in the context of the times. Thankfully Ford made a "performance" rear drive decision that we can all be thankful for.

My first car was a 1981 Fastback with 200 L6. I loved that car! It it was a slug until we rebuilt that 200. We bored it out and installed this crazy giant 1 barrel carburetor on it. It looked more like a throttle body than a carb. We had to machine the intake manifold to fit the giant 1brrl carb since the manifold was cast into the block. With that little 6pack I could smoke my brother in his ‘65 Mustang with the 289 stock, bored to 302. He only had a 2brrl carb though. Never tested the horsepower, but that little 6 pack good go!

I helped buddy in San Diego with his custom 'Stang build. 1982 body, convertible. 1990 interior. 1993 5.0 engine/power train. He added a Saleen kit & painted it himself. Turned out sweet. Got in some magazines. Someone stole it. Luckily, LoJack was a thing, and he got it back. Sold it & bought a boat.

My first car was an '82 Mustang GT. But it had the 2.3 ltr 4 banger womp womp wommmmp. $2300 in '88. Camaros would pull up beside me at red lights and rev it up, then I'd rev up my Pinto engine.

My dad bought a black t-top 1982 mustang gt with a stick. I loved that car and was how I learned to drive.

Svo was out in 1984. Last year was 1986 FYI…I was in high school 80-84…lived thru all this…was a great time…

I bought a new 1983 Mustang GT, 175 horse Holley 4 barrel 5.0 with 5-speed overdrive. Dark red with black stripe on hood and red vinyl interior. Didnt have the metric wheel/tires. Loved that car. Paid $9,800.00 brand new. I could put rubber down in first to fourth. Fourth gear was a chirp at 85-90 mph. Owned it 9 years. Brought both my kids home from hospital in it when they were born. Sold it and bought my wife one of those newfangled Explorers in 1992. Regret selling it but thats water under the bridge.

seen the ad for an 83 mustang, got the brochure, and I wanted one. bought a near new 83 GL mustang (6700 miles) that had the 5.0 5spd manual, 3.08 rear gear. Same as the GT drivetrain but not a GT. I still have that car today. I got really involved with the 5.0 craze of the 80s and performed many modifications. It was fun times.

Had a new1979 Capri RS (Turbo 4); a new 1986 and new 1988 Mustang GT. Loved them all.

In 1989, my buddy John had a Mustang SVO. That car was crazy fast for a four cylinder. Who knew back then that the engine in that SVO Mustang would lay the groundwork for 2.0 eco boost engine in my Ford Bronco Sport.

I have rarely seen anything so violently 80's! I like it.

1982: the year many legends were born. “ Thriller”, “Knight Rider”, yours truly. Oh, and I guess this car too.

I had a 1985 Mustang GT and with a few upgrades that was about a total of $1000 I could run 13.0 in the 1/4 mile. Loved that car.

My second mustang was an '82 GLX Notchback. I've owned probably 15 cars since and that particular stang, and it will always be my favorite car.

Makes sense to me. I’ve own 16 foxbody Mustangs. They’re pretty great.

The 302 is really a 4.9. Ford marketing at it's best.

buddy had one of these back in the day. flipped it after hydroplaning during a rainstorm. picked me up for school the next morning. thing was a tank on top of being high performance.

It would be interesting to hear more commentary on the engine package for the 82 Mustang GT it was quite clever the Ford Engineers went to Mercury Division and recruited a Marine cam and they also Went to cat converters only for noise suppression and somehow or another passed DOT requirements there were other little tricks they performed I believe they had a feature where the air conditioning clutch disengaged when you nailed it to improve horsepower to the rear wheels under W.O.T "Get it" acceleration. What were some of the other things they did??? It's been so long ago can some of the viewers share? I'm so glad you featured this car I have always wondered if car Gearhead muscle car historians realized what Ford did for us purists...funny I worked at Ford when this happened and I called over to the M-GT development department through the interphone network to talk to the engine designer I found his name from a Car Craft magazine we had a good chat those guys were great. Thanks again for featuring this darling of the hot rod community and it's contribution to keeping performance V8 American Motorsports alive. I told my wife I was going to get her an aftermarket high performance battery and a Dyno Tuned Rheostat With a set of Hoosier street drag radials in the front on her Prius for Christmas... the humor was not appreciated.