Ford Mustang: 1974-1978

Due to their bulk and lack of muscle, few Mustang IIs were raced. Some were beefed up with bigger engines, but it made more sense to start with a first-generation Mustang that weighed around 200 pounds less. The Mustang II was no match for a base-model Camaro on a race track, much less a Z-28. One of the few Mustang IIs to hit the track was the Kemp Cobra II run in the IMSA All-American GT racing series in 1976. It used a custom-built space frame that bore no resemblance to the Mustang unibody, and was powered by a 530-horse 351 Cleveland V-8. Builder Charlie Kemp also advertised a hotter street version of the Mustang II, called the Kemp GT, that was to have upgraded suspension and interior with a replica of the racecar body.


By 1978 the Mustang II was ripe for replacement. It had kept the Mustang name alive through some tough times for the American auto industry, and for thousands of buyers it provided stylish, individualistic transportation at a fair price. But for performance fans it was a sheep in wolf's clothing and no match for their rivals in the Bowtie Brigade. That situation would get much better when the new 'Stang came knocking in 1979.