badjuju342
07-23-2006, 07:01 AM
In a very real way the 1980 Mustangs were worse than the '79s. While visually they changed very little (a few aerodynamic tweaks were made, including a subtle lip spoiler on the coupe's trunk lid), under the hood things got ugly. Gone from the line were both the 2.8-liter V6 and the 5.0-liter V8. The only six available was now the wheezy 3.3-liter straight six, while the sole V8 was a new version of Ford's small-block displacing 255 cubic inches (4.2 liters) and gasping out just 119 horsepower. It was the smallest — and the worst — V8 ever offered in a Mustang. By default the turbo four was the most powerful engine in the '80 Mustang inventory. Too bad it was a grenade waiting to detonate.
All the spoilers and scoops used on the '79 pace car were now part of the '80 Cobra package, which also included a tasteless oversize cobra hood decal. In what was the worst year ever for Mustang engine performance, Ford sold 271,322 examples of the breed.
The Recaro seats of the 79 Pace Car became a $531 option. New standard equipment included Halogen headlamps and a maintenance-free battery. Power door locks were optional in 1980 and power windows became optional for the first time in 1981. Although there was no 5.0, there were some points of interest worth noting during the years of 1980 and 1981.
1980 Happenings:
SVO (Special Vehicle Operations) formed under the leadership of Michael Kranefuss.
Mustang sales drop to 241,064 units.
http://a904.g.akamai.net/7/904/506/v0011/www.autobytel.com/images/carpics/testdrv/stang/400/1980FordMustang.jpg
All the spoilers and scoops used on the '79 pace car were now part of the '80 Cobra package, which also included a tasteless oversize cobra hood decal. In what was the worst year ever for Mustang engine performance, Ford sold 271,322 examples of the breed.
The Recaro seats of the 79 Pace Car became a $531 option. New standard equipment included Halogen headlamps and a maintenance-free battery. Power door locks were optional in 1980 and power windows became optional for the first time in 1981. Although there was no 5.0, there were some points of interest worth noting during the years of 1980 and 1981.
1980 Happenings:
SVO (Special Vehicle Operations) formed under the leadership of Michael Kranefuss.
Mustang sales drop to 241,064 units.
http://a904.g.akamai.net/7/904/506/v0011/www.autobytel.com/images/carpics/testdrv/stang/400/1980FordMustang.jpg