We never understood all the anger towards the Mustang II. By 1973, the Ford Mustang had grown from a powerful compact coupe to an oversized land yacht. The Mustang II was a return to its small-car roots, and while it sold well, a lack of horsepower reduced it to a joke. Which is a damn shame, because it all but killed any collector value for these sometimes-worthy Mustangs.

Hemmings Auto Blog came across this pristine, “exceptionally clean” 1977 Ford Mustang II for sale in their classified section, and we had to ask…is the Mustang II’s time coming soon?

This clean ‘77 Mustang II is an excellent example of just what this new generation of Mustangs had to off. A 4-valve V8, T-tops, and an 8-track player are just some of the options available. The Mustang II was also the first Mustang to offer a rack-and-pinion steering system, and front disc brakes were standard. Back in 1974 though, when the Mustang II came out, there was no V8 engine…and that may have doomed their collect-ability, as it was the first (and last) Mustang to never have a V8 engine option.

This particular Mustang II has just 27,000 miles and a few tasteful upgrades, like a stainless steel exhaust, Hooker headers, and an MSD ignition. For such a clean Mustang, the asking price is just $9,600. Is this a worthy collector car yet? Will it ever be worth more? What say you?