Here’s one of our favorite cars that showed up to QA1’s Open House Car Show. It’s an ’04 Azure Blue Mach 1.

We have to admit, we’re pretty partial to the Mach 1 variation of the Mustang for a lot of reasons. It’s one of our favorite late model mustangs. And if you’re a frequent reader of our content, you’ll know that just recently, we showed you this rumor that the Mach 1 may reappear in 2018 under the current sixth generation Mustang.

We’ve said in the past that Ford needs a new Mach 1 to slot between the GT and the GT350. And it’s a well known fact that Ford likes to bank on nostalgia when it comes to the Mustang, which we think we’d all agree is just fine by us.

Throughout time, Ford has always followed its own trend when it comes to releasing and reviving certain vehicles, which is why we’re using the Mach 1 in today’s example. Let’s break down a small example of what we’re talking about. We’re going to assume you know your history when it comes to the original Mustang, which was introduced in April of 1964. When the sixth generation Mustang debuted, Ford celebrated the Mustang’s 50th anniversary with the 2015 year model.

Ford also first introduced the Mach 1 back in August of 1968, even though it was marketed as a 1969 model. So, what exactly are we getting at here? It means that the 50th anniversary for the Mach 1 is approaching in 2018, and we have a feeling history is going to repeat itself with the Mach 1 becoming a huge success like in the past.

Could The Mach 1 Replace The GT?

Image Source: HDWallpaperHub

If you’re asking that same question above, it’s for a good reason. The Mach 1’s heritage is almost as old as the GT itself, so why would it replace the GT? If we look at the history of the Mach 1 yet again, we can see that the Mach 1 outsold most of the other model Mustangs for the 1969 model year. Which basically means that for every 14 Mustangs that sold, 13 of them were Mach 1s.

Ford realized very quickly that the Mach 1 model was becoming a huge success. And when compared to the GT model in sales numbers, Ford made the decision to discontinue them in favor of the Mach 1. The GT model wouldn’t reappear until 1982 during the Fox body era. Let’s consider there for a minute. A car as legendary as the Mustang GT had become replaced by a faster, better, and more performance-oriented model, which was the Mach 1. The first generation Mach 1 had a great run from 1969 to 1978, a total of 9 years in production. It was a great car then, and an even better car in ’03-’04 when it was powered by a naturally aspirated 4.6 liter DOHC 32-valve V8.

We’d like to hear your thoughts on the Mach 1 returning in 2018. Do you think it could happen, or do we just have our heads in the clouds? Do you think Ford would ever cancel the Mustang GT name again in favor of replacing it with the Mach 1 package for a few years? Or will the Mach 1 return as a limited production specialty car as it did just over a decade ago?