The 1978 Mustang

Although the 1978 Mustang itself, was not a turning point in the history of the car, it was a turning point in Ford's attitude towards Mustang development and its vision of the future. One that didn't (thankfully) include Lee Iacocca.
















Some Mustang enthusiasts know, that Iacocca's vision for the 1978 Mustang and really, the whole Mustang II concept was at best not well liked by many of the engineers, responsible for its design and execution.

Many thought it was a sellout to the proud heritage of the 60's and early 70's cars and I'll bet that a cheer rang out in the ranks,with word that Henry Ford II had fired Iacocca.

Styling Changes

Although no major styling changes were made overall for the 78 Mustang, Ford did introduce a package that they called the King Cobra. The King Cobra, unlike most of the "appearance packages" that came to be associated with the Mustang, some serious thought went into the car with this package. It was also the first Mustang to bear the now familiar 5.0 emblem.

Along with the unique front air dam,a turned up rear deck lid spoiler and distinctive large Cobra logo and stripe along the middle of the car's sides, plus a stylistic cobra emblem covered the hood (better than the screaming chicken on the trans-am).

Also, Ford reversed the inlet side of the hood scoop, facing it towards the windshield.

Available too, was a Rallye package that added heavy duty springs,special adjustable shock absorbers and a heavier duty cooling system.

The car continued to be offered as a notch back or coupe, hatchback, upscale Ghia, and was heavily promoted in T Roof form for those customers still missing the convertible.

A total of were 14 exterior combinations were available.

Interior Styling:

Interior styling remained virtually unchanged, with 7 different interior styles to choose from.

Engine and Drivetrain

The engine choices remained the same for the 1978 Mustang. Although the King Cobra was heavily advertised as the performance king, it still was available with all of the engine choices, which were, the 2.3 liter inline 4 cylinder, the 2.8 liter V6 and the 5.0 Liter (302 cubic inch ) V8.

1978 Munroe Handler Mustang

The car was first seen as a project car featured on the June 1977 cover of HOT ROD Magazine.

You may recognize the name of the engine builder, a Mr. "cactus" Jack Roush. Yep. The same Roush as you'll see on some very impressive new Mustangs. Here's some more information on the Monroe Mustang handler.


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