| |
'76 Mustang Drive Report
Why there's even a Stallion in the Ford stable this year
by Rick Busenkell
|
There are Mustangs and Mustangs this year. As if keeping track of all the Ghia, Mach 1 and Cobra II permutations were not trouble enough, Ford has now thrown another variation into the pot, the Stallion. If there's a little understandable confusion, we'll try to help you straighten it out.
The Stallion is a no-charge paint and trim combination applied to either of the standard Mustang models, hardtop or 3-door hatchback. It's a treatment in black; bumpers, grille, wipers, window mouldings, lower-body surface, and upper-body surface all get the dark treatment. If that sounds like a lot of black paint, it is; but it doesn't make the car disappear into an asphalt road, for the bright side colors - five are available - complement the black. Inside, you get black carpeting and upholstery, with a standard Ford steering wheel rimmed in black leather. Bold stallion decals adorn each front fender, and for extra bucks you can get styled steel wheels, inside-adjustable racing mirrors, performance tires with raised white letters, and heavy-duty suspension.
So the Stallion is really jazzy looking. Underneath, however, the Stallion is standard Mustang, which means it normally comes with the 2.3-liter overhead-cam 4-banger and 3-speed floor transmission. Optional are the 2.8-liter V-6, 302 V-8 and automatic; Ford says a 4-speed manual will be available with the 302 by the time you read this.
Our test car had the silver/black paint combo, turning heads wherever we went, fancy wheels, racing mirrors, and 302 with automatic. Like all Mustangs for '76, it had a 2.79 final drive ratio. Stonesville, right? Wrong. The little Stallion startled us by how quickly it squirted away from traffic lights, smog motor and all. The 302 is plenty big enough for this little car, and offers all the performance you can handle in these restrictive days. Only at quite high speeds did the engine betray its emission controls, pinging lightly but audibly if full throttle was applied.
Nor was all the fun restricted to the engine and quick-shifting automatic. The power-assisted rack and pinion steering had a light and accurate feel with a surprising amount of feedback, and was much more pleasant to handle than the deader steering found on the larger Fords we drove. And the combination of heavy-duty suspension and fat Goodyear 195/70-13 Steelgard radials did wonders for handling. We spent half and hour on a slalom course, repeatedly flinging the Stallion through 180° turns by cocking the wheel hard over and tromping on the gas. The little car responded perfectly each time, sliding around with its rear tires smoking nicely and then blasting down the short straights. There was never the slightest hint of a bobble, and the clean and quick response of the engine made the whole experience all the more enjoyable. Smog motors have come a long way, friends, and we're here to tell you the 302 in a properly optioned Stallion is one ball in which to blast around.
The interior was in keeping with the mini-macho image. It had a full complement of instruments, but curiously enough the handsome tack had no redline. A digital clock clicked away in front of the passenger, presumably to keep him or her happy since all the others were in front of the driver. Another option was the clever map light, mounted in a swiveling socket in the roof. The glovebox was poor, as in all new Fords, but there was additional room in the Stallion's console. Suggestion - how about snap pouches in the doors, like VW? Our hatchback had plenty of hauling room, and converted into almost a mini-pickup with the rear seat folded down.
One major and one minor fault were all we could find. That first-rate handling and lack of lean is brought about by snubbing everything down tight, and the first time you hit a rough road the Stallion let you know right now that it wants to get back on the flat and level. It bounces and shivers on potholes and railroad crossings, and is only happy when the road is smooth. And since many back roads are unfortunately bumpy as well as twisty, this detracts a bit from the sheer joy of rushing over them.
The other fault is a nit-picker. The Stallion is a quiet car, with the exhaust only a faint rumble. It is so quiet, in fact, that you can hear the fuel sloshing around in the tank when you come to a stop. This is unusual and probably only noticeable in the hatchback, so, perhaps Ford will put another layer of felt under the carpeting in the cargo area.
Our heavily optioned Stallion would retail for about $5300, which is lot for a little sportster, but we can't think of an inexpensive car made anywhere that's such sheer fun to drive. Ride 'em, cowboy!
|
Article provided by Darren Davies.
|
